Telling the Norse myths is a lot easier than living them.

Ansgar the Skald, one of the north's brightest young poets, has joined the legendary viking crew led by Haldor Skullsplitter.

Being surrounded by the greatest warriors in the north makes for good stories, but a dangerous life. The Danish king has a troll problem, and Haldor and his crew intend to solve it. Even if it eats most of them.

Staying alive is going to be harder than Ansgar thought. If he can learn the magic of the runes and solve the troll mystery, he might just survive.

Join Ansgar on his epic journey filled with danger, magic, and adventure as he discovers what it means to make a place for himself among legends!

Telling the Norse myths is a lot easier than living them.

Ansgar isn't your typical viking: He tells stories of gods and heroes for a living.

When viking crews set out to do something insane, they want a chronicler who can spin the crazy into the heroic. Ansgar runs into one band of brothers intent on doing something truly stupid. They need a skilled storyteller, as their last five were all devoured, drowned, or hacked to death soon after joining. That new recruit has to be capable of surviving long enough to tell the tale, though.

Ansgar doesn't want some troll to rip his arms off. But damn, it's going to be a great story if he survives.

Burden to Bear is book one of Gregory Amato's Norse fantasy series Spear of the Gods, where the myths, magic, and monsters of the Viking Age are all real.