Mother of Kings

About this book

In the storm-lashed north of the tenth century, a girl of seven stands on a windswept shore beneath blazing northlights and refuses to be afraid. Her name is Gunnhild, granddaughter of a jarl, daughter of a proud Norwegian household, and she is destined for a life far larger than the hall at Ulfgard. Mother of Kings is Poul Anderson's sweeping historical novel of Gunnhild, the formidable queen whose ambition, intelligence and will carried her from a Norse farmstead to the heart of Viking-age power. Drawing on the old sagas, Anderson weaves a tale of kings and jarls, of Finnish sorcery and Norse gods, of brothers divided by loyalty and rivalry, and of Haakon the Good, whose reign shaped the destiny of Norway. Organised into six books, from The Finns to Haakon Jarl, this richly detailed epic of around 200,000 words includes a Dramatis Personae, a geographical glossary, maps and an afterword. It is ideal for fans of Viking history, saga-inspired fiction and strong, complex heroines, and for readers who love the work of a grandmaster of fantasy and science fiction writing in a different key. Buy the ebook and start reading online in your browser instantly, with an optional printed copy available.

Author

Poul Anderson

Length

~753 pages

Reading time

15 h 0 min

Chapters

164

Released

November 11, 2026

Languages

🇬🇧 EN · 🇵🇱 PL · 🇩🇪 DE · 🇫🇷 FR · 🇪🇸 ES · 🇮🇹 IT · 🇧🇷 PT-BR · 🇲🇽 ES-MX · 🇵🇹 PT · 🇺🇦 UK · 🇨🇿 CS · 🇸🇰 SK · 🇬🇷 EL · 🇭🇺 HU · 🇹🇷 TR · 🇳🇱 NL · 🇷🇴 RO · 🇧🇬 BG · 🇭🇷 HR · 🇷🇸 SR · 🇸🇮 SL · 🇱🇹 LT · 🇱🇻 LV · 🇪🇪 ET · 🇸🇪 SV · 🇩🇰 DA · 🇳🇴 NB · 🇫🇮 FI · 🇯🇵 JA · 🇰🇷 KO · 🇨🇳 ZH · 🇹🇼 ZH-TW · 🇮🇩 ID · 🇻🇳 VI · 🇹🇭 TH · 🇮🇳 HI · 🇸🇦 AR · 🇮🇱 HE

Formats

eBook

Print format

Paperback, 13.5 × 21 cm, 600 pages

ISBN

9780575109315

Age rating

Mature 17+