A Day of Reckoning was the book I have been anticipating to read since its release in September 2023. But, of course, I couldn’t find the time to even get past the first chapter. I remember the last book when Hunlaf and his mates went on an adventure in Norway, and I can’t wait to read where their fates will take them.
I noticed that Matthew Harffy didn’t assign any series title for this one. I find it awkward to refer to the series as “A Time for Sword series”. Which is why I took the liberty to call it the Hunlaf Saga.
A Day of Reckoning’s official excerpt hinted at a voyage southwards to Spain. Perhaps this could be a suitable backdrop about Ahmad since we’re adventuring to Andalusia. Ahmad is not the main character, but he seemed elusive to me since he showed up. It would be interesting to know more about his background story and, of course, his future in the Hunlaf saga.
Since we’re travelling south to Andalusia, I’m also excited to read and experience the beauty of the Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba or other architectural marvels in the world of Muslim Spain.
I thought this would be a cool backdrop if combined with the usual shenanigans from Hunlaf and the crew of Brymsteda.
Storyline
A Day of Reckoning’s theme still revolves around the search for the Treasure of Life, the book written by Mani that had captivated Hunlaf’s whole being since A Time for Sword. Following the clues they obtained on the shores of Norway, Hunlaf and his friends agreed to assist Bishop Alhwin (a.k.a. Alcuin), a leading scholar in the court of Charlemagne.
As with the previous books, A Day of Reckoning starts with Hunlaf, who continues writing down his recollection of his younger years. In the first chapters, he shared how Abbot Criba died and now the priory anticipates the new abbot.
Hunlaf’s story continued as he recalled when they were on the way to Andalusia, bringing Giso with them. There were several problems in A Day of Reckoning; this time, they seemed to emerge consecutively without stopping. When I thought one problem was solved, the next sentence proved me wrong.
First, the Brymsteda crew was met by a pirate ship, and you can be sure that some fights would ensue. But they successfully captured the pirate ship and found out there were women and children prisoners on board.
After convincing the prisoners they weren’t the bad guys, the crew agreed to carry them to Qādis and release them there. Revna was injured during the squabble but quickly recovered from her wound. Sadly, Hering wasn’t as lucky, and other problems emerged as soon as they arrived in Qādis.
Not-so-warm Welcome to Qādis
After finishing A Day of Reckoning, there are two main problems, Ahmad and Giso. Other problems following Hunlaf and the Brymsteda crew were simply caused by these two’s behaviours.
It seemed like Ahmad didn’t get the homecoming he expected. Apart from being barred from disembarking in Qādis, Chapter 13 revealed half of what Ahmad had or hadn’t done in the past. This was the moment when they met Ahmad’s old acquaintance. His name was Tayyib.
List of Character
- Hunlaf of Ubbanford
- Hereward of Bebbanburg
- Runolf Ragnarsson
- Revna Runolfsdotter
- Drosten
- Giso
- Ahmad
- Nadir, Head Guard of Cádiz
- Tayyib, Ahmad's old friend
During their reunion, Tayyib mentioned that Ahmad’s ailing father did not want to see him. Tayyib also mentioned to Hunlaf how Ahmad might have lied about being able to help whatever he’s looking for in Qurṭuba.
Ahmad spilt his stories to Hunlaf in Chapter 14. He admitted to having owed some criminal lord a sum of wealth and couldn’t pay him because he went AWOL and got sent to Albion.
Despite sharing his stories with Hunlaf, there’s a lingering sense of mystery about Ahmad’s past and his future intentions. It’s as if he’s holding back, concealing more than he’s revealing. This anticipation of what Ahmad might be hiding adds a layer of intrigue to the narrative, keeping me, as a reader, fully engaged.
The Snivelling and Conniving Giso
This is the other source of problems in this book. Since joining the Brymsteda crew, Giso’s behaviour has been highly questionable to me. My suspicions were proven correct when, in Chapter 15, the crew realised that Giso had disappeared from the ship and was nowhere to be found.
I thought he would show up suddenly as the hero who released Hunlaf and Runolf from the dungeon after negotiating with the emir. They were thrown in the dungeon because they were looking for Giso anyway, so it would be fair if he had shown up to help. But I was wrong.
Giso would re-emerge in the later chapters, not bearing answers but more questions and elusive behaviours. Even until the end of the book, I still can’t wrap my head around the concept of Giso.
True, he was loyal to Alhwin. True, he did what he did because he respected the goal of his mission. But he did all that only with his mission in mind and disregarded everyone else’s.
Personal Impressions
A Day of Reckoning is a book about dishonesty, betrayal, and acceptance. The story was written beautifully, adhering to the style of Matthew Harffy. However, the chapters when they snuck into Aljany’s fortress felt a little bit slow-paced. But I guess the author wanted me to experience carefulness and caution while sneaking into some criminal lord’s abode.
Reading A Day of Reckoning solidifies my perception of human beings in general. You simply cannot trust even the people with whom you’ve spent your days.
In any other circumstances, I guess I could have hated liars like Ahmad. But in this case, somehow, I can understand what he said to Alhwin and Hunlaf, which was merely a way to survive. After being a thrall for years in foreign lands, he viewed it as a chance to go home to his people. I don’t condone lying, but I can understand his need to tell half-truths in such a dire situation.
I think Hunlaf’s action was justified because those Moor guards hadn’t been so nice. They denied the burial of Hering, although they had a Christian representative in the city who could do the proper burial rites. I won’t lie; I would’ve punched Nadir in the face, too.
It’s really funny yet familiar at the same time because now the main background of these chapters was about Muslim Spain. I feel like I’ve been thwarted back to the small lecture room where I had to go through a compulsory module about Islamic archaeology. It was an amazing class that I had to endure for one semester. I said endure because I was a prehistorian, and I have the least interest in Islamic archaeology, but it’s compulsory.
All the Moorish names Matthew chose were also familiar because those names still live in my home country, which also received Islamic influences since the 13th century. I wildly laughed out loud at the name Tayyib because it reminded me of a song, Bang Toyib, who never comes home. Sorry, that’s an inside joke.
Tiga kali puasa,
tiga kali lebaran
Abang tak pernah pulang
Sepucuk surat pun tak datang
After thought
Verdict
A Day of Reckoning is a book about dishonesty, betrayal, and acceptance. The story was written beautifully, adhering to the style of Matthew Harffy.
Overall, A Day of Reckoning is an amazing continuation of the Hunlaf of Ubbanford’s story.
I think my review is all over the place because that’s how I feel when reading A Day of Reckoning. The story was written beautifully, but I find it difficult to concentrate on one problem while the other problem had already begun.
There are some personal observations that I have to keep in my original reading journal and cannot include in this essay due to the socio-political climate the world is in right now.
Overall, A Day of Reckoning is an amazing continuation of the Hunlaf of Ubbanford’s story. I had several questions when I reached the end of it. One is what else would Hunlaf write about. He did mention that he’s the only one left from the Brymsteda crew. So, should I expect his next annals to be about Charlemagne’s Saxon War? Did Hunlaf had a hand in it? Is he coming back to Northumbria?
So many questions I have no answers to.
Have you read this book? Do you like it? Connect with me and share your thoughts about it.