King and Emperor (Hammer and the Cross, #3) (First Edition)

Set during an alternate Dark Ages that never was, The Hammer and the Cross is the gripping saga of Shef, the One King, a visionary and warrior whose accomplishments have changed the course of history. First, he led a mighty Viking horde to victory over England. Then he defeated his foes among the Norsemen to become the unquestioned King of the North. Now, in the powerful conclusion to Harry Harrison's acclaimed trilogy, Shef must face the reborn power of the Holy Roman Empire.
Ruled by the German knight Bruno, who wields the Holy Lance with which Jesus Christ was slain, Rome threatens Shef's fearsome Viking navy with a new invention of unparalleled destruction: Greek fire. Unable to defend his fleet against this awesome weapon, Shef travels to the East in search of new wisdom. His quest leads him to the lavish court of the Muslim Caliph and, ultimately, to the secret hiding place of the Holy Grail.
While the ancient Norse gods observe Shef from distant Asgard, visions and portents warn of the coming Ragnarok, the ultimate Twilight of the Gods. Faiths and empires clash in the final battle between The Hammer and The Cross, and not even the gods can predict the outcome.

From a veteran like Harrison, readers expect a well-researched historical fantasy full of challenging speculations about the growth and nature of technology. And that's just what they get in this final volume of the trilogy that also includes Hammer and the Cross and One King's Way. Set in an alternative Dark Ages, it continues the story of Shef, risen in the late 800s to kingship over England, Denmark, Sweden and Norway. Shef's religion, the Way, which involves a worship of Norse gods, is gaining ascendance over Christianity. Meanwhile, his support for "new knowledge, or old knowledge recognized" illuminates the Dark Ages with developments such as paper, arithmetic, distilled alcohol, advanced armaments and even manned flight. The plot depicts war and political intrigue among Shef, the Greek Emperor Basil I, the Roman emperor, the Caliph of Cordova and the heretic Cathas, who may hold the secret of the Holy Grail. Supernatural forces seem to be involved in the play of events; the entertaining, intelligent play of the novel, however, stems from Harrison's natural talent, as evident here as in his first novel, Deathworld, published 36 years ago.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

The conclusion of Harrison's rousing, pulsating alternate- history trilogy (The Hammer and the Cross, 1993; One King's Way, 1995). One-eyed King Shef, master of England and Scandinavia, backed by the tolerant, inquisitive religious philosophers of the Way, now proposes to tackle three vastly greater and more powerful empires: Moorish Spain, Byzantium, and the Holy Roman Empire. The Moors are wealthy and learned but constantly at war with Roman Emperor Bruno, who carries the Holy spear and considers himself invulnerable; the Byzants, allied with Bruno, have a matchless navy. Bruno also covets the Holy Grail--actually the wooden ladder by which Christ was brought down from the cross--which he suspects has been hidden in a castle by a sect of heretics. Restless, curious, often touched by the Norse gods, Shef is warned by his patron deity, Rig, that Loki the fire-god has escaped his chains and that Ragnarok--the Viking Armageddon--approaches. But can Shef's small fleet, even though it's maneuverable and armed with catapults, defeat the terrifying Greek fire of the Byzantine navy? Can his fearless Viking warriors and canny English crossbowmen beat back Bruno's armored knights and the moorish hordes? Harrison, by way of thrilling battles and speculation informed by a wealth of historical detail, provides spellbinding and satisfying answers. A rip-roaring culmination to a magnificent trilogy. If you haven't yet made the acquaintance of this series, get the first volume and do so at once. -- Copyright ©1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Harrison concludes The Hammer and the Cross, his ambitious, sprawling, but largely successful saga about an alternative history that branches off from the tenth century A.D. Continuing protagonist Shef is now the unquestioned king of the North but faces the ultimate challenge of meeting the Holy Roman Empire. He succeeds in this and in love, too, and at saga's end, Europe enjoys a stable peace, Shef's technological and social innovations are spreading, and Shef has found a degree of personal happiness. The action scenes are superb (Shef's foes are borrowing his innovations liberally, which increases the suspense), the sex scenes are not, and Harrison's anti-Christian bias will inevitably give gratuitous offense to a fair number of readers. Both this volume and the trilogy as a whole, however, do rank high among Harrison's works, and no one who has followed the saga of Shef thus far will be able to resist finding out how it ends. Roland Green

In this alternate history, the Norseman Shef, a visionary and warrior, has risen to become a king in England during the Dark Ages. He now faces the might of the Roman Empire in 875 A.D. with the invention of the parasail kite to aid him. Harrison and Holm have created a richly drawn world, lush with historical detail. Though part of an ongoing series, this highly recommended fantasy can stand alone.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.