The story begins in 1072 around the time of the Norman conquests.
Our leading man is Vallon, a Frankish soldier of fortune, who is making his way through a storm when he comes across a hut inhabited by a young Sicilian medical student named Hero and his dying master, Cosmos, an explorer and philosopher. Before he dies Cosmos entrusts to Hero a chest and papers including one for safe passage through tribal territories and a ransom note regarding a Norman knight, Walter, who is being held captive by the Turks. It is Hero's job, left to him by Cosmos, to deliver the news of the ransom to the prisoner's family. The ransom requested is for four gyrfalcons, a rare white falcon found only in Greenland . He persuades Vallon to be his protector and so begins the journey for this unlikely team.
They reach Walter's family's castle where, eventually, his mother convinces Vallon and Hero to take on the job of finding and delivering the ransom. Among the intriguing characters we meet, who will join them, are Wayland, a young, mute falconer working for the captive knight's family and his wonderful, nameless dog, a huge, loyal being who can read his master's mind and do his bidding and who will win your heart with his bravery; Raoul, a German soldier working for the family who convinces Hero and Vallon he should come along, too, and Syth, a beautiful girl who Wayland (and his dog) rescues from her feral existence.
Dress warmly! because we will be traveling to Greenland, Russia and the Black Sea and on to Anatolia and many, many other places on the map with our adventurers on the often brutal hawk quest as we face off against vikings and nomads and soldiers (not to mention villainous step-brothers) while we try to reach our destination in time.
This book has everything you could want in an adventure and more as it is not set in some fantasy world but in a real time and place that the author brings vividly to life. Don't miss this one!
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