Deciding on the title for the sequel to The Last Viking took some effort.  A good title has to give a hint at what the book is about, but at the same time, be obscure enough to have a little mystery about it. That was my theory anyway.  Originally, I had wanted to call it Son of  The Last Viking, like the Saturday matinee movies I used to watch back in Narrogin when I was a kid. Son of Zorro, Son of Captain Blood and  Son of Frankenstein all came to mind, but, obviously, that couldn’t work, as the story takes place two years later, not a whole generation into the future.

Next, I thought of Knut Rides Again, again after the Saturday flicks, as in Destry Rides Again  (an early James  Stewart western),  The Lone Ranger Rides Again (1955), Jesse James Rides Again or Hopalong Rides Again.  Unfortunately, James Foley and I hadn’t included any horses in the manuscript, so that option had to go. I didn’t bother asking him to fit a herd of horses in Viking World somewhere, the main location of the story,  as I knew space would be tight, and I could guess his reaction. It would have been a single Viking word.

Below are some of the 100 odd titles we considered for the sequel to the The Last Viking. As you can see, we plundered and pillaged movies and other folks’ books, for inspiration. James and I  could have saved ourselves hours, though, and gone with very first cand most obvious suggestion at the time, ‘The Last Viking Returns’.
It took a long time to think that one up, whereas, in reality, it was there all the time, but ‘reality’ is not a word commonly found anywhere near us, especially me.

Along with Cate Sutherland, our editor, we decided on The Last Viking Returns, and here’s hoping it continues to return successfully, and enjoys a nice long sea voyage off to foreign lands to plunder foreign rights, and become well-beloved by all young Vikings. Judging by the first couple of years of sales, we may have got the title right. Onward to glory!

As you can see, there was a bit of late-night brainstorming going on here. And what a waste of time.  “It’s about the last Viking returning. Let’s just call it The Last Viking Returns and get on with another story,”  said neither of us, unfortunately.

Knut! The Last Viking II
Little Knut
Knut the Legend
Legend of Knut
The Return of the Vikings
The Return of Knut
Knut and Wolverine
Knut, Prince of the Vikings
The Wrath of the Gods
The Wrath of the Dragon
The Viking Code
Odin’s Hero
The Saga of Knut
The Saga of Little Knut
The Knut Chronicles
The Knut Manifesto
The Confessions of Knut
The Return of Knut
Berserk!
Beserkers!
Knut the Brave
Knut the Fearless
Viking World
Knut and the Gods
We Were Vikings
Knut’s Quest
The Best Viking
Big Trouble for Little Knut
Onward to Glory
Where’s Knut
A Dragon’s Tale
A Dragon’s Tail
Viking Warrior of Pure Heart
The Last Viking II
The Last Viking Rides Again
The Last Viking Strikes Back
The Last Viking Returns
Son of the Last Viking
The Son of Thunder
The Hammer of Thor
Thor’s Big Day Out
Odin’s Ravens
Knut’s Progress
In the Name of Odin
In the Name of the Viking
The Little Viking Prince
Viking Trek
Viking Wars
Citizen Knut
The Treasure of Asgard
Dances with Vikings
Midnight Viking
Longships
Viking Dawn
Glory
The Treasure of the Gods
Knut of Green Gables
To Kill a Raven
The Very Hungry Vikings
Where the Wilder Things Are
Fifty Shades of Knut
Magic Faraway Viking World
Knut Unchained
The Wrath of the Gods
The Taming of the Dragon
Go the Knut to Sleep
I’ve Got a Thor Head
Fate of the Vikings
Cry Viking!
Dragonslayer
The Gods Strikes Back
Knut and the Burning Longship
The Twins Vanish