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cheesiest_doodle's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
informative
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
alysmw's review against another edition
4.0
A brilliant saga! as sagas go...I'm not 100% sure I liked the translation in places but then I tend to prefer flowery rather than literal and this was more literal. The notes were very good and interesting and I liked the plot of this one. Unlike most of them it seemed to be more rooted in mythology than history with Odin sticking his nose in every now and then and all sorts of cursed gold, dragons, human-animal transformations etc. I liked as well how it stuck religiously to one family right the way through. I'd put this up there with Njal's on the saga hierarchy and I can see why Tolkien and Wagner liked it so much.
mindfulnessmagpie's review against another edition
3.0
The translation was interesting with some footnotes that explained his choices, having not read other translations however it's hard to judge.
The story itself is a fun read, it is easy to see how it influenced Lord of the Rings as it is very dramatic at times with fantastical elements. It's definitely a good place to start if you want to get into sagas as a lot more happens in this than in most of the Icelandic sagas I've read so far. I was surprised at the lack of mention of the ring of Andvari but I suppose if this is read with the prose edda you get more of a rounded tale.
Not the easiest of reads, but dramatic and interesting.
The story itself is a fun read, it is easy to see how it influenced Lord of the Rings as it is very dramatic at times with fantastical elements. It's definitely a good place to start if you want to get into sagas as a lot more happens in this than in most of the Icelandic sagas I've read so far. I was surprised at the lack of mention of the ring of Andvari but I suppose if this is read with the prose edda you get more of a rounded tale.
Not the easiest of reads, but dramatic and interesting.
jasonfurman's review against another edition
5.0
I can't believe I missed this before, a short prose epic that focuses on the story of Sigurd the dragon slayer and his love triangle with Brynhild and Gudrun. The opening tells the brutal stories of several generations of Kings in the Volsung family leading up to Sigurd. Then comes the core story itself, followed by a lengthy after story that includes such historical figures as Attila the Hun. The language is simple, the stories are filled with amazing images and even plots, and it is mostly compulsively readable.
sorceress_j's review against another edition
3.0
Perfectly all right. Knowing more about legit Norse mythology is definitely entertaining. This translation is a bit on the blunt side, but I probably liked the middle stories more so than either the beginning or end.