I’m very pleased today to welcome The BBNYA 2026 Semi-Finalist Spotlight Tour for Samuel M Sargeant’s Faith of their Fathers! This book made it to the semi-finals, so you know there’s something good going on–but before getting to this Spotlight, let’s start with a word about BBNYA.
BBNYA:
BBNYA is a yearly competition where book bloggers from all over the world read and score books written by indie authors, ending with 15 finalists (18 in 2026) and one overall winner.
If you want some more information about BBNYA, check out the BBNYA Website https://www.bbnya.com/ or take a peek over on Twitter @BBNYA_Official.
Book Details:
Title: Faith of their Fathers by Samuel M Sargeant
Genre: Historical Fiction, Thriller
Age Category: Adult
Format: Paperback
Length: 352 pg.
Publication Date: July 11, 2024
About the Book:
False God.
At the dawn of the 11th Century in a small Icelandic settlement, these words, daubed in blood, herald the arrival of a killer. Soon, a spate of murders threatens the fragile peace between pagans and a growing Christian minority. Arinbjorn, a young pagan farmer resolves to track down the killer before the community is permanently torn apart. His investigations will draw in Freya, an isolated housewife whose secrets could either condemn or free her.
Meanwhile in Norway, King Olaf Tryggvason has his own designs upon Iceland and its people. War is rife in Scandinavia, and a Christian Iceland would bolster his control over the region.
Only one thing is certain: these murders will change Icelandic society forever.
What is the opening line? The blood looked black in the moonlight.
What’s a fun fact about the book? It is based upon medieval Icelandic sagas.
What food or drink pairs best with the book? A peaty whisky
What music pairs best with the book? Anything by Howard Shore, or music by Wardruna
Book Links:
Amazon Canada ~ Amazon US ~ Amazon UK ~ Goodreads ~ The Story Graph
About the Author:
Samuel Sargeant is a Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing at the Open University. His main areas of interest include historiography and its relationship to historical fiction: with a special focus upon the history of adaptation. He is currently researching the samtíðarsögur (contemporary sagas) of medieval Iceland. He is viewing these broadly historiographical texts as acts of creative writing and using them in the development of his novels set within this period.
Website ~ Bluesky ~ Instagram ~ Twitter
My thanks to The Book Bloggers’ Novel of the Year Award for the invitation to participate in this tour and the materials they provided.
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