Shield Maiden

Both epic and intimate, Shield Maiden is the brilliantly imagined retelling of Beowulf from the perspective of a fierce young woman reclaiming her power.

All her life, Fryda has longed to be a shield maiden, an honor reserved for Geatland's mightiest warriors. When a childhood accident leaves her tragically injured and unfit for the battlefield, her dreams are dashed - or so she thinks. But a strange, unfathomable power is awakening within her, a power that will soon be put to the test.

For when foreign lords and chieftains descend upon Fryda's home to celebrate her uncle King Beowulf's fifty-year reign, she realizes not all their guests come with good intentions. Treachery is afoot, and Fryda must gather her courage to fight for her people...as a queen should - as a shield maiden would - and as only Fryda can.

But as Fryda's power grows stronger, something ancient hears its call. For buried deep in her gilded lair, a dragon awakens...and Fryda must prove herself once and for all.