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Blow the Wind Softly Over the Sea

by Ffin

200 pages; quality trade paperback (softcover); contains colour images; catalogue #06-0407; ISBN 1-4120-8651-5; US$21.74, C$25.00, EUR17.86, £12.50

A Viking King is fed up with his dark and cold land. At the same time two children discover an agreeable climate and plot to emigrate with family and friends.

About the Book

This is an amusing as well as educational story of a very stupid viking and very bright fishermen's children.

History has not been kind to the Vikings; not all were greedy, treacherous, cruel and violent. This tale depicts those who were simply fishermen, farmers, settlers and colonizers.

The Viking King, Eric, is fed up with his life in the dark and very cold land, now known as Norway. By chance, at the same time two children discover by accident a land with a much more agreeable climate. They plot with family, friends and dog "Grim" to emigrate to the east of England.

There are many adventures with interlinked stories true to the known Viking history — from the discovery of Iceland with its hot springs to contact with an unusual man from the Middle East carrying a large red jewel.

The children start by building their boat and by crafty planning they then get hold of Eric's fortune to build houses in the new land and invent the windmill to provide air conditioning.

Look out for Eric's son, Knut, who (true to his name) form s and unruly band of ruffians, and the royal chef "Dumpling" who can't even cook blubber — or can he?

About the Author

This is Mervyn Whiffin's first children's book. Born in Essex, he now lives in West Norfolk and started his working life as a building labourer, carpenter, postman and army demolition and bridge engineer. This was followed by a long and varied career as a chartered architect, landscape designer, exhibition designer, hospital engineer and writer for various associated publications.

Mervyn has been involved in the design of universities, hospitals and other major modern buildings in the UK, Europe, Finland, Malaysia and finally on the concept for an artificial island city in the Java Sea off Indonesia. It is hoped that he will continue with a series of adventures with the characters in this book as they explore the World known to the Vikings.

Excerpts