‘Watkins is a master of suspense, and his action sequences have a visceral power. Few contemporary novelists have the ability to grab readers by the throat with such intense storytelling power and not release them until the final page has been turned.’ SUNDAY TIMES

‘A Viking Odyssey … THUNDER GOD vividly charts the voyages of Hakon, a fisherman’s son who is stuck by lightning, kidnapped by raiders, taken to Miklagard (Constantinople), where he becomes part of the Emperor’s personal guard, caught up in a raid on the Welsh coast, and storm-driven across the Atlantic.’ THE TIMES

‘The action sweeps across oceans and continents … As with all Watkins’ work, the writing is terse and physical, the themes big and resonant. TATLER

‘The rich physical descriptions are matched by an equally sure understanding of the ways of religious belief … This unusual, fluent novel suggests that Watkins remains a force to be reckoned with.’ SUNDAY TELEGRAPH