Were there Vikings in North America 1,000 years ago? Yes! According to this novel there were, and they had quite an adventure. In the year 1003, a Viking named Leif Eiriksson sails into the setting sun to explore a new land rumored to lie a few day's voyage beyond his southern Greenland home. In "The Wineland Sagas" trilogy, Leif discovers and explores a beautiful but dangerous new land. He names it "Wineland the Good" after finding wild grapes unexpectedly growing there. He also discovers the densely forested land hides many native tribes; stone-age people who are suspicious of these fearsome strangers with their steel weapons and huge seagoing "canoes." The bearded intruders bring desirable trade goods, but they come with an aggressive Viking attitude. Too soon, the friendly contacts turn into misunderstanding and conflict. The Norsemen are few, the natives many. To survive in this hostile new land, Leif and his followers must cast off their "Viking Raider" nature and become peaceful "Viking Traders." The ultimate success of the new colony hinges on many twists and turns, some predictable, some unexpected. In "The Saga of Leif the Lucky" (the first book of the Wineland trilogy) Leif and his followers struggle heroically to overcome the obstacles thrown in their path. Leif will need all the skill and good fortune he can muster to keep a foothold in the new land. But then, there must be a reason later sagas call him Leif "the Lucky." In this fictional retelling of the saga of Leif Eiriksson, the author goes beyond the familiar story of the initial discovery and exploration at the beginning of the millennium. The reader is led into a complex and intriguing tale that envisions how an early Norse colonial effort somewhere in the New England area might have played out. Leif's saga is historical fiction spiced with drama, adventure and mystery. It's a tale of a "lost Viking colony" that flourished for hundreds of years before the Pilgrims landed at Cape Cod. The unexpected ending is not what history books have led us to believe.
About the Author: Milton Franson lives in beautiful upstate New York a scenic inland part of Leif's old Wineland the Good. (Yes, wild grapes grow here). He hikes and cross-country skiis the wooded hills with his wife and daughters, and a Shi-Tzu named Rowan. And when the Muse calls, he enjoys writing alternative history stories.