HIDDEN

The origin story of the first Norse female pirate is imagined in this leisurely paced companion to Hush: An Irish Princess Tale (2007).

Stolen from her home by Russian slave traders at the age of 8, Irish-born Brigid escapes and finds a home among the Norse, moving from family to family as she searches for her lost sister, Melkorka. “These are good people, but they’re not mine. Time passes far too slowly. I need to grow up and leave; I need to find Mel.” The opening chapters are exciting and fast-paced as Brigid, now known as Alfhild, fights for her very survival after throwing herself off the slave ship and finding an uneasy home with a Norse family that is suspicious of her background. Then the novel shifts into low gear as Alfhild roams the countryside from one settlement to the next, gathering skills and clues to her sister’s whereabouts. It is only in the last quarter of the story, when Alfhild is 15 and commandeering a ship full of formerly enslaved women–turned-pirates that the pace picks up again with thrilling battles and daring rescues. As with all of Napoli’s work, the history is meticulously researched and supported with a detailed bibliography.

Readers who enjoy the journey more than the destination will find much to appreciate in this rambling saga that is an inspired blend of ancient facts and myth.