Book excerpt: Cover Flap English children learn that Knut the Great was a pre-Norman king born of Royal Danish blood and was so conceited as to think that he could command the ocean tides. The rest of Europe learn that he was the Emperor of the North Sea, the Baltic Sea, the Irish Sea and the Channel. Directly or indirectly he ruled most of the peoples living around those seas and thus the trade between them flourished. Knut was not born in England, or even in Denmark, but on an island at the mouth of the Oder River in Wendland (Pomerania) in a fortress town controlled by the legendary Jomsvikings. About the Author Skye Smith is my pen name. My interest in Knut stems from the endless research I did while writing “The Hoodsman” series of historical novels about the Norman invasion of England. That invasion by William the Conqueror was not a quick subjugation of an Anglo-Saxon England, but a long and bitter genocide of an Anglo-Danish England and the destruction of Knut’s great legacy. This is the first novel in the series, so it sets the characters and scene for the entire series. Knut’s story begins with his grandfather, King Harald Bluetooth of Denmark, and the entwined politics of Baltic and Black Seas, and the river trade routes which connect them. The chapter headings identify the dates and places. The Appendix gives historical insight and a list of characters. Enjoy. Other Novels By The Same Author: The Hoodsman – 12 historical adventures set in the Norman conquest. Maya’s Aura – 8 new age adventures while tripping around the world. The Pistoleer – 9 historical adventures set in the English Civil War. Knut – many historical adventures set in the Viking Era. Knut #1 – Jomsviking (980 – 984) Knut #2 – Varangian (986 – 992) Knut #3 – Strandhogg (993 – 994) Knut #4 – Forkbeard’s Peace (995 – 999) Knut #5 – Brice’s Massacre (1000 – 1002 coming soon)