For a novel about Thorgrim Night Wolf, he takes a long time showing up in Land of the Wolf, the 12th and final book in James L. Nelson's Norsemen Saga. In fact, it's not until chapter 5 that he finally makes an appearance.

The first four chapters are spent setting the stage in his home country of Norway, where various characters are moving into position for the final conflict and resolution of the saga. Odd Thorgrimson has been on the run since his escape from King Halfdan the Black, who is trying to use Thorgrim's long absence and presumed death as an excuse to confiscate his lands. Odd, Thorgrim's eldest son, dared to defy the illegal seizure, and many of the surrounding landowners rose up on his behalf, but Odd was captured and brutally tortured before escaping into the north country with the help of sympathetic allies.

Now, he is returning to his homelands to rally the people and reclaim his and his father's lands or die in the attempt. Halfdan, meanwhile, is moving to solidify his hold on the lands and squash any further thought of opposition among the other landowners. He sends an army after Odd, commanded by the relentless Skorri Thorbrandsson, to put down any lingering thoughts of insurrection.

All the while, Thorgrim -- who has dark forebodings of his son's plight through his mysterious wolf dreams -- is sailing home as fast as his fleet of six longships can carry him. His followers, who have all made small fortunes with Thorgrim while raiding Ireland, Engla-land and Frankia, are likewise eager to return home -- but are also spoiling for a fight with anyone who stands in their way. Of course, there are plenty of fights and other delays along the way, including a clever plan by Halfdan, who has been forewarned of Thorgrim's return, to trick him and stop his journey home for good.

Even so, Thorgrim manages to find time while convalescing from a particularly nasty wound for a little unexpected romance, a solid Norse woman this time taking the place of his dead wife Hallbera and Failend, the Irish woman who traveled with him for a time but fled back to her people in a recent novel.

Like a chessmaster, Nelson moves his many pieces into position, making sudden and surprising moves with some while removing others from the board entirely. As sad as I am to see this series come to an end, I can't say I am disappointed by its thrilling conclusion. While I can't say everything turned out exactly as I hoped -- and, in life, how often does that happen anyway? -- there's no denying it's a satisfying end for these characters ... some of whom have been with us from the very start of the series, others who appeared along the way.

And, while Thorgrim himself has earned his rest at home in Norway after several years of hard traveling, Nelson appeases fans by teasing a sequel series that's in the works. While the patriarch enjoys the spoils of his viking raids, his sons Odd and Harald -- both of whom have demonstrated their prowess in battle in this series -- are going off on their own adventures.

When do we get the first installment?

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