The Bear of Byzantium

Start anywhere in The Bear of Byzantium by S.J.A. Turney. Speed and chapter jumps sit above the description.

The wolves of Odin sail to the centre of the world: Constantinople. AD 1041. After successfully avenging the death of his father, Halfdan and the crew of the Sea Wolf seek adventure in strange new lands, far from their Scandinavian home. They join the fleet of Harald Hardrada, the legendary Viking commander, sailing back to Constantinople from the battlefields of Georgia. There they join the Varangians, the personal bodyguard of the Byzantine Emperors populated almost exclusively by Viking warriors. But Constantinople has changed during Hardrada’s long absence. The Emperor, Michael IV, is ailing visibly, and moving factions in his court are setting their plans in motion ahead of his inevitable demise. While courtiers scheme, elements even within the Varangian Guard are picking sides.

That is the whole offer: the full recording, a chapter index, and a player that does not ask you to sign up.