Book 1 of the Northern Crusader Chronicles
Date Published: 11-28-2024
Publisher: The Book Guild
Richard Fitz Simon becomes the unlikely guest of Prince Alexander Nevsky of
Novgorod. Curious about his prisoner, Alexander commands his scholar to record
Richard’s tale.
Richard’s story begins in 1203, when betrayal shatters his path to
knighthood and drives him from England to the merchant city of Lübeck.
There, entangled in an illicit affair and the cutthroat salt trade, he finds
only temporary refuge. Fleeing once again, he joins the Livonian Brothers of
the Sword—a militant order sworn to spread Christendom across the pagan
Baltic.
Amid the cold austerity of Riga’s commandery and the looming threat of
enemy tribes, Richard must battle not just for survival, but for meaning in a
life shaped by violence, doubt, and fractured loyalties. When a pagan army
threatens to overrun their outpost, he faces a final reckoning—one that
will test his faith, his honor, and the limits of his courage.
lake in Bavaria with stunning views of the Alps. As well as writing, he works
as a translator for a local IT company and occasionally as a lumberjack. He
has always been fascinated by history and has studied the Medieval world for
over twenty years, building up a comprehensive library of books. Sword
Brethren (formerly Brothers of the Sword) made it to the shortlist of the
Yeovil Literary Prize 2022 and the longlist of the prestigious Grindstone
International Novel Prize 2022. It is the first book in The Northern Crusader
Chronicles.
