Reviews

Viking Age Iceland by Jesse L. Byock

shannow's review against another edition

informative

4.0

hexatrance's review against another edition

hopeful fast-paced

4.0

Published over 20 years ago and still holds up. Some really interesting history of Saga Age Iceland right down to the farming techniques. I like the way Byock used the sagas not as evidence but to illustrate his historical points. Very heavily focused on feud but that's Byock's speciality. Lots of great graphs and maps and diagrams in this too. 

confaederica's review against another edition

4.0

Se amate tutto ciò che è nordico e vichingo, questo testo è ciò che fa par voi! Attraverso l’uso delle saghe prodotte in Islanda, Jesse Byock ci offre un quadro completo, curioso e travolgente sulla società del tempo. Molto gradevole alla lettura e con molte citazioni a saghe portanti della cultura nordica.
Da leggere assolutamente!
👍🏻

sisterofdemons's review against another edition

5.0

Lavoro estremamente interessante, mi sarebbe piaciuto un approfondimento della comparazione tra la civiltà vichinga in Islanda e quella in Scandinavia. Ci sono rimandi, ovvio, sarebbe inconcepibile scindere il tutto, solo che ne avrei voluti di più. In realtà il libro si ferma fino alla conquista dell'Islanda ad opera dei norvegesi nel 1260, quindi l'intento era proprio quello di mettere in luce le peculiarità dell'Islanda, che rimase, nel suo isolamento, sempre uno stato libero, indipendente e non gerarchico.
Il voto effettivo sarebbe di quattro stelline e mezza, per il fatto che a volte l'autore risulta essere eccessivamente prolisso, ripetendo più volte concetti quando non c'è reale bisogno.
Per il resto l'ho trovato ottimo, indispensabile per leggere e capire le saghe norrene. Se avessi letto questo saggio prima di affrontare l'Edda di Snorri, sicuramente avrei compreso immediatamente quei passaggi che al momento mi erano rimasti oscuri.

pigeonindustrialcomplex's review against another edition

informative slow-paced

4.0

quoththegirl's review against another edition

4.0

This was a fascinating look at the political and sociological environment of Viking Age Iceland, the Free State. The time period is examined partly through the lens of the sagas and partly from other sources, all of which show meticulous research. The intricacies of law can be a little dry (okay, they're definitely a little dry if you aren't as madly obsessed with everything Icelandic at the moment), but even to the less obsessed, the depiction of Iceland's unique structure is fascinating. Its history is unlike that of any other country I know of.

"Among them [the Icelanders] there is no king, but only law."

bookninja232b4's review

If you're looking for stories about Vikings, this isn't it. This is a mostly academic look at the settling of Iceland during the Viking Age. I read it for research purposes and I found it quite useful.

brynhammond's review

5.0

I liked this one as a study of the society. The way society operated. It even has chapter names like 'The Sagas: An Ethnography of Medieval Iceland'. She conveys how they knew they had a chance to build a bit differently from back home in Norway, in 'The Founding of a New Society'; 'The Effect of Emigrating from Europe'. A lot were disgusted with events in Norway, when they sailed off. I came away with a healthy respect for their institutions, too. I also remember the study of feud in this book, how feud functioned, its place in the justice system: that was a strong point.

The whole is very much grounded in actual cases, whether from the sagas or archaeology or both, seen in detail. The case study approach that tells you so much.