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sarahdenn27's review
4.0
Loved the storyline, just miss the beautiful artwork from previous volumes.
pages_and_reels's review
5.0
The best story so far.
This book is set in 1020 AD at a Russian settlement located on the bank of the Volga. It is about the plight of a woman after losing her husband to the plague, the harsh measures the leaders have to take to keep the disease at bay and the evil that consumes some of them from within. It is a social commentary on the position of women at a time when the males dominated every aspect of the society. Frankly, every story I have read about from that era details the invaders looting and plundering villages and cities and raping the women. That's why this story as well as "The Shield Maidens" story from the previous volume, told from the perspective of women, was a breath of fresh air for me.
Since all the volumes of this series focus on different stories, I would highly recommend picking this volume up even if one has not read the other stories.
This book is set in 1020 AD at a Russian settlement located on the bank of the Volga. It is about the plight of a woman after losing her husband to the plague, the harsh measures the leaders have to take to keep the disease at bay and the evil that consumes some of them from within. It is a social commentary on the position of women at a time when the males dominated every aspect of the society. Frankly, every story I have read about from that era details the invaders looting and plundering villages and cities and raping the women. That's why this story as well as "The Shield Maidens" story from the previous volume, told from the perspective of women, was a breath of fresh air for me.
Since all the volumes of this series focus on different stories, I would highly recommend picking this volume up even if one has not read the other stories.
trish204's review
4.0
This story was ... dark. A typical story of what humans can become when they are isolated, hungry and afraid of sickness. It was also a quite atypical Viking story.
We have a Russian settlement somewhere at the river Volga but the settlement's inhabitants are Christians and their priest, Boris, seems to fluently believe in anything that might help. *lol* However, I liked that he was pracmatic AND smart (he knew a lot of scentific facts). As the title suggests, the sickness striking was the plague and it was Boris who suggested to turn away the sick and close the settlement off. That might sound cruel, but let's be honest: it was the right thing to do.
We also have a guy named Gunborg who, at least from what he looked like, is more of the typical Viking. However, he unfortunately also is a monster and worse than any plague.
The titular widow is Hilde who tries to navigate this new reality together with her daughter Karin.
The plague is the perfect frame for a story of loss - personal loss (Hilde's husband), material loss through corruption and the loss of humanity in some of the characters through violence and shier madness.
I didn't like how Hilde always said that she was worthless now that her husband was dead but, sadly, that was reality. And how could it have been different? Physically she would have never stood a chance against any man in the settlement (she was no shield maid, her husband had been a merchant).
It also is a story about greed, starvation (feeding madness) and survival in a Russian winter when you have nothing to do and nowhere to go. That last point was probably the hardest for me while reading: Brian Wood manages to realistically portray the claustrophobia and isolation those people must have felt (imagine being in a village with no means of communication, not knowing what's going on in the outside world, or how much longer this winter will last).
But I had to deduct one star because the art sometimes wasn't all that good.
The book is a very interesting take on the Dark Ages and - as far as my research has shown - Brian Wood once again manages to write a very authentic story full of (accurate) historical details!
We have a Russian settlement somewhere at the river Volga but the settlement's inhabitants are Christians and their priest, Boris, seems to fluently believe in anything that might help. *lol* However, I liked that he was pracmatic AND smart (he knew a lot of scentific facts). As the title suggests, the sickness striking was the plague and it was Boris who suggested to turn away the sick and close the settlement off. That might sound cruel, but let's be honest: it was the right thing to do.
We also have a guy named Gunborg who, at least from what he looked like, is more of the typical Viking. However, he unfortunately also is a monster and worse than any plague.
The titular widow is Hilde who tries to navigate this new reality together with her daughter Karin.
The plague is the perfect frame for a story of loss - personal loss (Hilde's husband), material loss through corruption and the loss of humanity in some of the characters through violence and shier madness.
I didn't like how Hilde always said that she was worthless now that her husband was dead but, sadly, that was reality. And how could it have been different? Physically she would have never stood a chance against any man in the settlement (she was no shield maid, her husband had been a merchant).
It also is a story about greed, starvation (feeding madness) and survival in a Russian winter when you have nothing to do and nowhere to go. That last point was probably the hardest for me while reading: Brian Wood manages to realistically portray the claustrophobia and isolation those people must have felt (imagine being in a village with no means of communication, not knowing what's going on in the outside world, or how much longer this winter will last).
But I had to deduct one star because the art sometimes wasn't all that good.
The book is a very interesting take on the Dark Ages and - as far as my research has shown - Brian Wood once again manages to write a very authentic story full of (accurate) historical details!
alexctelander's review
4.0
In the fourth volume of the fantastic Northlanders series – on the incredible world and story of the mighty Vikings – Brian Wood once shows two important things: 1) The time of the Vikings was an incredibly complex one that many have misunderstood; 2) Wood has some incredible stories to tell about them.
In the style of Ken Follett’s Pillars of the Earth and World Without End, Wood seeks to tell a lot of story and happenings on a large scale under the microscope of a small setting. In this case it is a lone Viking town on the Volga River circa 1020, which has been beset by plague. The bodies are piling up and are taken away to be buried in the icy ground. There are some that think they know ways of protecting one from the plague, while others turn to their Nordic gods for saving. Then, as winter settles its icy embrace upon the village, everything changes.
Gunberg has had it with the people of the council, who dither and dally and never decide on anything to his liking, so with his posse, he has plans to change all that. With the constant fear of the plague, the freezing winter and famine taking place, he take matters into his own hands and intends to carry out his worst hopes. Meanwhile the plague widow of the story must do what she can to survive and suffer through incredible odds and extremes to survive, both the harsh weather and the evil Gunberg.
With some incredible artwork from Leandro Fernandez, The Plague Widow is a great test-tube sample of what can happen when a village is put under harsh weather conditions and infected with a contagion: who will stand and fight, who will cower and die, and who will just watch by the wayside, doing nothing. The time of the Vikings was a fascinating and complex one, spanning many years and a large portion of the world; The Plague Widow is just one incredible insight into this unforgettable time.
Originally written on December 22, 2010 ©Alex C. Telander.
For over 500 book reviews, and over 40 exclusive author interviews (both audio and written), visit BookBanter.
In the style of Ken Follett’s Pillars of the Earth and World Without End, Wood seeks to tell a lot of story and happenings on a large scale under the microscope of a small setting. In this case it is a lone Viking town on the Volga River circa 1020, which has been beset by plague. The bodies are piling up and are taken away to be buried in the icy ground. There are some that think they know ways of protecting one from the plague, while others turn to their Nordic gods for saving. Then, as winter settles its icy embrace upon the village, everything changes.
Gunberg has had it with the people of the council, who dither and dally and never decide on anything to his liking, so with his posse, he has plans to change all that. With the constant fear of the plague, the freezing winter and famine taking place, he take matters into his own hands and intends to carry out his worst hopes. Meanwhile the plague widow of the story must do what she can to survive and suffer through incredible odds and extremes to survive, both the harsh weather and the evil Gunberg.
With some incredible artwork from Leandro Fernandez, The Plague Widow is a great test-tube sample of what can happen when a village is put under harsh weather conditions and infected with a contagion: who will stand and fight, who will cower and die, and who will just watch by the wayside, doing nothing. The time of the Vikings was a fascinating and complex one, spanning many years and a large portion of the world; The Plague Widow is just one incredible insight into this unforgettable time.
Originally written on December 22, 2010 ©Alex C. Telander.
For over 500 book reviews, and over 40 exclusive author interviews (both audio and written), visit BookBanter.
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