An internal succession war within House Targaryen at the height of its power, 172 years before the birth of Daenerys Targaryen.

A student at Oxford University finds himself drawn into the world of a charming and aristocratic classmate, who invites him to his eccentric family's sprawling estate for a summer never to be forgotten.

As Alfred the Great defends his kingdom from Norse invaders, Uhtred -- born a Saxon but raised by Vikings -- seeks to claim his ancestral birthright.