Varanger

I read all of this author's novels as they are published. She excels in bringing to life characters who are not historical figures, but individuals whose lives are more or less ordinary, in historic times. They may live around the periphery of momentous events. Varanger continues the adventures of two friends who crew on a Viking ship to Russia and become involved in the local politics. Holland shows the brutality and the humanity of her characters. The pull of magic or spirituality on some of the characters is strong. An interesting character is an ambassador from an Islamic kingdom, who is on a mission to convert a Russian war-lord. As an aside, I apologize for not being able to give the names of characters. My memory is pretty poor. But I clearly recall the enjoyment of reading Holland's novels.