The viking king Eric the Victorious rules his realm jointly with his brother, Olaf. Olaf’s queen gives birth to their only son, Biorn, and Olaf dies soon after; thus Eric adopts Biorn, giving him the epithet “Styrbiorn” because of his quick temper and stubborn disposition.

As Styrbiorn matures, he seeks to seize the crown from his foster father Eric. But as his reputation for strength and valor grows, his haughtyness and tendency to anger and violence continually undermine his plans.

Styrbiorn the Strong is an adaptation of this ancient Norse saga. E. R. Eddison writes in a purposefully archaic way, giving the novel the flavor of an oral retelling without much insight into the charaters’ inner monologues. But despite this flatter prose style, the characters remain textured, with complex motivations and rich emotional development.