Viking Raids at the End of Time. 972. Tallinn. Sigrid, a Norwegian girl, is sold in the slave market and separated from her brothers. As a slave in the French Limousin, she stubbornly clings to her pagan identity. Audebert is imprisoned in a grim dungeon for his brother's crime. If Audebert is ever released, he has a life to lead, a great destiny to fulfil. Guy will soon be viscount of Limoges but fears exposure of his near-blindness and challenge to his authority. Adalmode and Aina are great heiresses attempting to resist the unwelcome pressures of the marriage market. Their stories tangle with questions of nobility, freedom, friendship and courage in the highly stratified and often brutal society of early medieval Europe. Amid Viking raids, fears of The End of Time and turbulent power struggles, The Viking Hostage tells these interweaving stories in late 10th century France and Wales. 'Three instantly likeable women fight the system from within.' The Book Bag