Vendetta is the second book in Vancouver actor-turned-novelist Chris Humphreys’ Runestone Saga trilogy. (As C.C. Humphreys, he’s the author of several adult titles, including the Jack Absolute historical fiction series and The French Executioner.)

 The runestones that Sky discovered in the first book, The Fetch, took him back to a Viking world of battle and blood, but they also demanded a sacrifice and showed Sky how his Nordic grandfather, Sigurd, betrayed him. In Vendetta, Sky follows the other family branch to Corsica in an attempt to learn how to release his cousin Kristin from Sigurd’s possession.

In Corsica, Sky meets the Dream Hunters, who can leave their bodies to hunt, and travels back in time, but he also gets caught up in the ancient demands of the vendetta, a blood feud that his family and another have been engaged in for centuries. Sky learns what he needs to but, as always in these tales, there is a price to be paid.

Vendetta is very different in setting and tone from The Fetch, but equally exciting and fast-paced. Humphreys uses his experience as a fencing champion and fight co-ordinator to craft bloodthirsty action sequences. None have the breadth of the battle scenes in The Fetch, but they will keep young readers turning the pages. 

As with all fantasy, a suspension of disbelief is required, but the author does a masterful job of making Sky’s world believable and consistent. The well-researched historical settings and complex Corsican folklore keep the story grounded in reality and provide a richness to the novel’s strange world. The Runestone Saga will satisfy anyone with an interest in fantasy or simply a delight in a thrilling, imaginative tale expertly told.