Please help identify this fantasy book

Cafe Society
1

My bosses and I (I work in a second-hand bookstore) are attempting to find a book for a client. Unfortunately he remembers only vague details of the plot, no title or author, and only roughly when he read it. If we could find even the title/author information for him I’m sure he’d be grateful, and we’d be satisfied.

Anyway, the information below is all he can give, it doesn’t ring a bell with any of us - you guys?

  • It is a fantasy trilogy apparently set in a medieval period, moving between Britain and and a Scandinavian area.

  • A character’s name (main or otherwise) is possibly Harold

  • This book was read 25-30 yrs ago, but obviously could have been written anytime before that.

  • The main character is some sort of berserker, apparently possessed repeatedly (or something) by a bear, or Bear-God.

  • The presence of the Norse god Odin is also recalled.

Yes, the details are sketchy but I’ll leave it with this board and cross my fingers.

Thanks for any help,
Cheers,
Gmork

2

It rings some very tiny distant bells. It sounds vaguely like a ‘fable’ (is that the right word?) of some sort.

It reminds me of ‘His dark materials’ but it’s obviously not that. It might come to me sooon.

3

I was about to wander off, but it sounds almost like The Hammer and the Cross by Harry Harrison, but that’s a single book (as far as I know).

Lemme quote from the back…

Not exact, I know.

4

Another series is 5 books and called “The Bifrost Guardians” by Mickey Zucker Reichert. I don’t remember a Harold in it, but the Norse gods play a major role in the plot.

I know these aren’t exact, but I also know how sketchy these customer recollections can be.

5

I believe it is Harry Harrison’s ‘The Hammer and the Cross Trilogy’. Here.

6

Thanks, Danalan. I dunno if it’s what the OP needed, but I’m glad to round out my series.

7

If I understand the link given by Danalan, the Harrison books are too recent to be the ones. Perhaps it was one of Poul Anderson’s books. Take a look at Three Hearts and Three Lions, The Broken Sword, or Hrolf Kraki’s Saga.

8

I’m pretty sure it’s Raymond H Thompson writing as Chris Carlsen The Shadow Of The Wolf, The Bull Chief and Mythago Wood.

9

This may assist your customer if I’m right.

10

Thanks guys, all leads will be followed, though my money would be on either the R.H Thompson or P. Anderson books, I’ll let you know!

Thanks again, I feel justified now in telling my boss I know a group of people online who can probably help…
Cheers!
Gmork

11

It could be his Last Viking trilogy, too.

Thel Golden Horn
Road of the Sea Horse
Sign of the Raven

Published in It’s been so long since I read those…