In Britain during the dark age...
...after King Arthur's death, when the race of Men is rising and the race of Dwarfs is ending, the Dwarf-skald Garroc tells his tales to Ellisif Hinthan's daughter, the child of his dear foster-son. He give her fabulous histories of gods and men, with the names of the old Saxon kings for gold; for the heart-stopping flash of silver, the deeds of Welshmen drunk with glory.
Excerpt from
Shadow of the Seventh Moon
My father died in the spring, war-killed. I mourned then, dark winter-grieving while the earth grew and blossomed. Ay, I loved my father. Even in the later years when the shadow-wolf found him. I grieved hard for his death, for his madness, and for my own loss. This last of my kin was dead, and cold and alone, I made his barrow while the stones cried baresark! -- I did not know if they welcomed my father or greeted me. Perhaps they did both. Grimwulf was not sane when he died. Young skald, orphaned son, for a time neither was I.
In Shadow of the Seventh Moon, Garroc tells Ellisif of a time when he was known as Silent Skald, weaving the history of his ancient race with the tale of his ghost-haunted fight against berserker-madness -- a fight doomed to fail unless he can offer gifts of courage and hope to the boy Hinthan, a Man-child orphaned by war, and then accept these very gifts from Hinthan's own hand.
Excerpt from
The Panther’s Hoard
Swift fire circled me round, and I wasn't alone, hemmed in there. I couldn't see but the form of my foe -- him a Dwarf like me. The near blaze blinded me to all but shapes. And that was enough for me. Like it was a war-axe, I lifed my sword, the blood-running bbade -- and the witch lunged at me, grasped both my wrists and held the stroke. His hands burst suddenly afire and only one of us felt the flame, his terrible burning grip.
In The Panther's Hoard, Garroc tells Ellisif of a time when the swords of kings were raised against their own sons and changelings worked black sorcery in the hearts of honest men. The life of an exiled human prince, Wulfhere Gytha's son, rests in the hands of Garroc Ghost Skald and his foster-son, Hinthan. Only they two can lead the child home through the darkest realm of war -- the land of their own elder-gods of battle.
What the critics have to say about Garroc's Tales:
Praise for Shadow of the Seventh Moon:
- Knoxville News-Sentinel: The spirit of Garroc's folk lives on so long as there are storytellers who can enchant us as well as Nancy Berberick. For lovers of ancient lore... a beautiful novel...
- FOSFAX: This book is definitely worth reading...
And for The Panther’s Hoard:
- Tangent: A story of tender, nevery-dying love and a wistful nod in passing to certain beings whose time has come and gone. One of the most readable and entertaining historical fantasies I've read in some time.... [Berberick] has something of the poetess about her as well, as several passages are nothing short of spell-binding.
- Kliatt: Blends fantasy, mythology and history in a dazzling combination. One of the few books I would unhesitatingly hand to someone asking for a book "like Tolkien;" it doesn't suffer in comparison.
- Knoxville News-Sentinel: Berberick's graceful writing fills this novel with battle, old lore and rich details that leap off the pages. A strong storyteller that no lover of fantasy will want to miss.