For our final podcast episode for 2025 I'm beyond thrilled to have invited not one but three of my favourite Viking Age historical fiction authors into Valhalla. Justin Hill, Giles Kristian and Theo Brun. So we can take a deep dive into their own connection and interest with viking history, what inspired them to write and so much more.

Joining me in the great mead hall of the gods is Terry, otherwise known as Bjarni the Cabbage Killer. Why? Because part of his day job is slaying cabbages with sword, axe and spear. Why? Because for many decades he was a science teacher BEFORE becoming a viking-age re-enactor. And then when he retired from formal education he discovered a way of combining his love of science and alchemy with the historical side of his life. And thus Bjarni the Science Viking was created to visit schools, participte in historical festivals, science shows and more!

Take a seat and listen and learn from the many stories and anecdotes and history lessons Terry has to share from his remarkable and unique career. From medieval medicine, alchemy of making ink for writing on parchment and making paints to illuminate manuscripts, through to the evidence of physics in weapon use. We discuss the only Viking Age longhouse in Cumbria, the Moorforge Settlement, and the very recent discovery of a longhouse 5x it's size from the 10th century in Cumbria itself! The largest ever to be identified in the UK!

https://www.scienceviking.com/

https://www.facebook.com/TheScienceViking

In this episode, special guest Chris Tuckley (who is leading a million-pound project at Selby Abbey) joins me in Valhalla to share his experience and encounters of a piece of vikings in popular culture that is both overlooked and otherwise forgotten - Erik the Viking. And viewers/listeners may be surprised to learn that the late Terry Jones (of Monty Python fame) actually wrote a children's book BEFORE leading on the spoof comedy that was the film. We discuss what makes the children's book so good for all ages, universally regardless of it now being a 30+ year old, how Mosaic Games then developed an interactive narrative game based upon it, and finish off with an honest review of the film and how and why it unfortunately didn't do well when it releaed in 1989, and why it is an artefact of it's time now.

This episode of Valhalla Conversations is dedicated to comic artist, Tim Odland who sadly passed away this summer of 2025. Tim's life long dream was to illustrate comics for ⁨@imagecomics⁩ and 'Beware The Eye Of Odin' is that comic, that dream. I will treasure my copy as an example of Tim's extraordinary talent. Thank you for your dream, Tim. Rest in Peace.

After a hiatus over September and October due to my academic pursuit in valkyries taking priority for a while, I'm delighted to declare Valhalla is once again open and our next new guest is comic writer Doug Wagner. I have invited him to the great mead hall to discuss one of his under-appreciated comics, Beware the Eye of Odin, featuring lots of trolls, curses, huldrafolk and valkyries and so much more. We discuss and explore how he and Tim came up with this wonderfully human story set in a very mythological world of norse myth and folklore.

Doug Wagner is an American comic book writer whose Image Comics include PLASTIC (co-created with Daniel Hillyard), THE HARD PLACE (with Nic Rummel), GUN CANDY (with Brian Stelfreeze), and THE RIDE (with too many to list). He’s also written titles such as I.C.E., World of Warcraft: Bloodsworn, Legends of the Dark Knight, and Witchblade/Red Sonja. Doug can be found hiding out in Park City, Utah where he spends his days creating madness, frolicking down the slopes with his lovely wife, and reveling cuddle time with the sweetest kitty in the world. You can follow his exploits at @Doug_Wagner on that social media thingy.

Joining me in this month's episode is comic writer ⁨@Zackkaps⁩ , we will be discussing Kill All Immortals ( ⁨@darkhorsecomics⁩ ) with spoilers and exploring his creative and cleverly inspired choice to use a family of Vikings, and a particular famous family for those in the US, to grant them immortality and billionaire level wealth. We discuss greed, freedom, independence at what cost, the perception of Vikings as brutal warriors and reveal exciting news for the future of this comic story arc.

Zack Kaplan is a break out science fiction comic writer and creator of such comics and graphic novels as KILL ALL IMMORTALS, BEYOND REAL, MINDSET, BREAK OUT, METAL SOCIETY, FOREVER FORWARD, JOIN THE FUTURE, THE LOST CITY EXPLORERS, PORT OF EARTH and ECLIPSE. After just a few short years, he has worked with publishers such as Image/Top Cow, Dark Horse, Aftershock, Vault, Scout Comics and DC Comics. His first three series were all optioned for TV adaptation, with PORT OF EARTH currently being developed by Robert Kirkman’s Skybound Ent. Zack has taught screenwriting and storytelling at the International Academy of Film and TV, located in the Philippines. He currently lives in Los Angeles. https://zackkaplan.com/

- Kill All Immortals - Succession meets John Wick…with immortal Vikings. A thousand years ago, Viking explorer Erik the Red and his four adult children discovered a mysterious source of immortality. Now, in our modern world, they are an enigmatic billionaire family with a powerful banking empire. But when Erik’s only daughter, Frey Asvald, seeks to finally be free from her family’s influence, she must be prepared to reveal their supernatural secrets and confront her well-trained siblings in a deadly and epic struggle for power. Get ready for a bloodthirsty immortal fight like no other!

https://youtu.be/nAgOg-zFIrM?si=Dvnt0EUgIv2KubuH

Writer: Zack Kaplan

Artists: Fico Ossio, Thiago Rocha and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou

⁨@ThoughtBubbleComics⁩ Comic Festival & Comic Con, Harrogate, November 2025. https://www.thoughtbubblefestival.com/

Joining me this month as my special guest, is author Kaitlin Felix as we discuss and explore her stereotype smashing historical fiction novel, Ran's Daughters, who feature a remarkable cast of Norse women and one heck of a historical adventure! If you like authors Bernard Cornwell, Giles Kristian, Justin Hill, then you will LOVE Kaitlin's book.

I was an ARC reader for it before release and I read it in 3 evenings with great enjoyment and her writing is sensational. I love it so much that I indulge myself by reading aloud the Prologue to grant you a taste of how good it is. Kaitlin Felix writes Norse historical fiction and fantasy.

Her work has featured in anthologies and international publications. You can find her full list of works here. Her upcoming novel, Rán’s Daughters, is published with Outland Entertainment as part of their Althingi Universe. https://katifelix.com/

Joining me for this month's episode is a good friend of mine, Genevieve Gornichec, due to our shared passion for all things Norse and I'm delighted to finally after years of talking online about her wonderful Norse Fantasy and Norse History books, 'The Witch's Heart' and 'The Weaver and the Witch Queen'. Learn what inspired both stories about remarkable female figures of mythology and history, her experience writing and publishing, her second life in viking age living history and so much more.

Please discover more about Genevieve and her books at her website: https://genevievegornichec.com/

Return and join us in Valhalla as we conclude Episode 15, Norse Games & Vikings in Games, with special guest academics, Luca Panaro (University of Iceland) and Emma Thompson (University of Leicester) - Part 2!

- If you haven't watched/listened to Part 1 please do so, otherwise you will miss out on the many games and topics of representation discussed -

Games mentioned in Part 2 are as follows:

Roki @PolygonTreehouse

Final Voyage of Draengr Thar (table top role play game for 5e Dungeons & Dragons) by @1ShotJC

Tribes of Midgard @TribesofMidgard @norsfell

Odin's Ravens (table top card-based game for 2 players)

Althingi (table top card-based game for 4 players) @JoshuaMGillingham @outlandentertainment1295

Viking Raders (table top card-based game for up to 4 players) @vikingraiders

When The Wolf Comes (table top role play game, powered by Shadow of the Demon Lord rules) @ianstuartsharpe

Svilland (table top role play game for 5e Dungeons & Dragons) @DRSPublishing

Journey to Ragnarok (table top role play game for 5e Dungeons & Dragons) by Mana Project Studio

Choice of the Viking by Declan Taggart @ChoiceOfGames

Niffelheim @NiffelheimGame

Expedition Viking @LogicArtists

Northgard @Shiro_Games

Bad North @Rawfury