Intriguing ...the intellecual rewards are plentiful...Provides a significant deepening of our knowledge of the Viking Age
Kirkus Reviews
Christianity will loom the larger in the Viking story from now on, thanks to Robert Ferguson’s fascinating The Hammer and the Cross
The Scotsman Christmas Books
...a lively and gripping account of the Vikings’ journeys across the known world and their unpredictable responses to the arrival of Christianity in their own homelands.
Carolyne Larrington in Literary Review
The reasons for the great Viking outreach, the slow and confusing Scandinavian encounter with the arrival of Christianity, and the slow death of the Viking project are all here in this brave, engaging book
Jonathan Wright in The Tablet
Intricate and thoughtful ...a gripping account
Dan Jones in The Times
Ferguson adds another layer to our perception of our origins in this compelling and often poignant account of a pagan warrior society faced with Christianity on the march
The Independent on Sunday Christmas Books