It is the tail-end of the first millennium, and there is something very rotten in the heart of Jorvik. A mad, Saxon earl perches precariously atop the throne of the old Viking king, barely controlling a court of predatory schemers hellbent on tearing whatever strips of power they can from the dying corpse of the city. Yet there is something far, far worse than Machiavellian politicians stalking the back alleys and byways of the once great capital of the north. Persuaded out of his self-imposed exile to find a missing bridegroom, Olin Odinson is thrown into a sinister world of cannibals, Satanists, demons, and witches. Yet, as he struggles to come to terms with the altered nature of the city he once called home, it is the unavoidable meeting with his abandoned sister that fills Olin's heart with dread. Languishing in the British Royal Armouries, Olin's sword reminisces about the good old days, spinning an anachronistic adventure mystery, that effortlessly blends old and new with startling results.