Young Scottish Viking works as a messenger/ runner. He must make a politically motivated delivery. I enjoyed this but note it is more for young adults and is shorter length, not full doorstopped epic fantasy. ER ( )

Ivor is an engaging young hero and the setting is one of my favourites. As a book oriented to young adults it didn't have quite enough depth for me but as a quick read it's very enjoyable. The Celtic/Viking historical fiction mix is appealing but the author and his editor needs to be more careful to remove modern terminology, particularly slang. This is one of the dangers of writing historical fiction. You have to check language origins and find the appropriate term for the era. The other thing that is annoying is finding inventions of a much later date. This was not the case here, I would definitely read more of Ivor's adventures and like the idea of my grandchildren reading about someone young, resourceful, reliable and daring.

I enjoyed Runner and the Saint as much as the first one. It's a quick read that made me smile, and I assume there will be more coming.

Ivor is such a good runner that his job is taken to the next level -- not just a promotion, but a mission. A political mission that seems doomed to fail. But Ivor is quick-thinking and personable, not to mention now he's taller than his brothers, so he does pretty well. There is war and magic in this one, a bit much for a short novella, but entertaining. I read it on my iPad (the epub format is good) in under an hour. It kept me distracted from being in the backseat of a car driving through mountains (which terrifies me), so for that I am eternally grateful.

There are several questions that don't have answers in this installment, so I trust we'll see more of Ivor sometime soon. ( )

Novella about a Viking messenger that gets put into a complex situation. Well written: looking forward to reading the follow up stories. ( )

The Runner and the Saint by Dave Duncan. Reviewed from an e-book received through the LibraryThing Early Reviewers Program. Ivor, hero of The Runner and the Wizard, has a new mission - to take a casket of silver to establish a political alliance.He's young for the job, and his main skill, running very quickly, is not so useful when he has to take a ship most of the way. This is more a fantasy than the previous book - the silver's convenient disappearance and reappearance is wholly mystical - but still an enjoyable story. It's short, barely a novella, and there are some too-modern turns of speech that feel out-of place, but good characters and I liked it.