Warrior heroes: The viking's revenge by Benjamin Hulme-Cross

Bloomsbury, 2014. ISBN 9781472904492.
Recommended.(Age 10+ for good readers; or 13+ for those who struggle to read. Will be enjoyed by male readers, does not patronise young readers.) Vikings. Quest fiction. Adventure. Historical fiction. Time travel.
This is the first book I have read in the Warrior heroes series, and I can see that they will be immediately enjoyed by male readers (as an easy read) and could easily be promoted to young male readers who would normally avoid reading or who struggle with reading. The two main characters are time travellers who are tasked with the restoration of problems of long-dead warriors from various cultural backgrounds by the ghost of their great-grandfather. The haunting of the Warrior Museum by these trapped ghost warriors creates the impetus for the time travel adventures. Fortunately one of the brothers was an avid keeper of information on the warriors which aids them in their own survival as they travel to lands far removed from their own modern existence. His brother is more prone to action first and thinking later, a trait which gets them both into trouble.
This book is set during the time of the Vikings and involves the restoration of a mighty fighting sword lost by the Viking ghost warrior. The author throws the reader immediately into the action after the brief introduction. The two young adventurers end up captured and then in conflict, rewriting history and rescuing a community with sword, axe and bow and arrow fights. The fights are integral to an understanding of the Viking culture as well as being appealing to a masculine readership! Also valuable to the reader are the notes, from the younger of the time travellers that were taken during his discussions with his great-grandfather and his visits to the Warrior Museum. This information about the Vikings is integral to understanding the background to the warriors and their life and adds a great non-fiction interlude to the drama of the quest.
Carolyn Hull