At the beginning of the Viking Age, resistance to the Vikings was actually quite effective. As soon as news of the first raids reached the leaders of the Saxons and the Franks, both set up coastal defenses to repel the Norse invaders. The goal was to prevent the Vikings from traveling up rivers to inland settlements. Coastal settlements – and in particular monasteries – continued to be the targets of raids and no defenses appeared to be effective. In fact, the Danish King Godfred, feeling threatened by Frankish expansion on his border, ravaged the Frisian coast (modern day Holland). By the time the Franks gathered troops and a fleet, the raiders were long gone. It wasn’t until internal problems in the Frankish empire after Charlemagne’s death that the Vikings were able to penetrate deeper into Frankish lands along the rivers. The continuous warring and squabbles between Emperor Louis and his sons pulled away garrisons from the coast leaving the empire vulnerable to attack. This critical juncture in history is the setting for The Line of His People, and follows a young man named Abriel as he struggles to survive in the harsh environment of the Viking Age. His travels will take him to Norway and Denmark, and he will discover shocking truths about his own past.