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fieldofhats's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
“Iron sang. A man smote at Hrolf with a halberd. The king was less tall and more slender than him. Yet the king was not halted. He took that booming blow on his shield while his blade leaped and shrilled. The man went down. Hrolf sprang over him and heard a way deeper into the rebel ranks. On his right rang Hjalti’s Goldhilt, on his left thundered Svipdag’s ax. The hound Gram tore at legs, jumped at necks. Overhead the hawk Highbreaks soared on shining wings.”
Spoilers ahead!
Not only was this my first exposure to Hrolf Kraki’s saga, but it was my first Poul Anderson novel, and it was so epic! Poul Anderson does a fantastic job of using the language and tone of the Old Norse sagas and enhancing them to be more readable and enjoyable to a modern audience. It feels authentically Norse while also bringing a level of suspense and detail the sagas don’t usually have. It also shows off Anderson’s writing prowess — his knowledge of the voice of the sagas combined with his mastery create prose brimming with clever alliteration and wonderful kennings.
Speaking of the writing, the way Anderson translates the poems are fantastic. I loved the translation of Grottasöngr in the first chapter; he used the Old Norse meter Fornyrdislag to relate the poem, so it’s not a wholly literal translation but it is faithful, and that same meter was probably the one the original was composed in. The same can be said for every other poem in this book, he clearly has an intense knowledge of Old Norse poetry and knows how to use it well in English.
The character arcs are fantastic. Old Norse sagas are usually (with a few exceptions), not this long and thus don’t have time for proper character development. If they do, it’s often quick and/or subtle, and rely heavily on characterization. In this book, we get to know Hroar and Helgi and see how they fare in various circumstances. And once Helgi is dead, we see how Hrolf’s upbringing effected him and how he learned from his father and uncle. We see Svipdag’s courtly upbringing clash with his sense of duty and honor, where he eventually finds Hrolf. We see Bjarki use the pain of his tragic upbringing and ancestry to fuel his duty to Hrolf. We also see Yrsa stand never waver in her duties wherever she may be, but always keeps her honor and love for Helgi alive through her relationship with Svipdag and Hrolf, and the role she plays in avenging Hrolf. Even the minor characters, like Elk-Frodhi, and Vögg, are very interesting. Hjälti was a fun and dynamic character, although I didn’t feel like he was developed as much as I would have liked for him to have been. By the end, we see all the characters work in tandem with each other, and the unwavering loyalty to King Hrolf feels justified and earned. It shows how important a good king is to this culture.
There is one “negative” aspect to these characters, but it’s no fault of Anderson or his writing: they all feel very similar. They all fight for similar reasons and they all act the same. Anderson did the best he could with the material he had, but still. Hjalti was the only one that was noticeably different, though I did stop liking him after he slut-shamed his girlfriend and cut off her nose…
While we’re on the “negative” aspect of things, there were some bits that made me a bit uncomfortable. The sexual assault scene with Björn and his step mother made me put down the book, and the scene with Hjalti and his girlfriend made me wince. However, these and scenes like these are taken directly from the original saga, as far as I can tell. Anderson does have a trigger warning about this in the forward where he says, “Hrolf Kraki lived in the midnight of the Dark Ages. Slaughter, slavery, robbery, rape, torture, heathen rites bloody or obscene, were parts of daily life. … Love, loyalty, honesty beyond the most niggling technicalities, we’re only for one’s kindred, chieftain, and closest friends. The rest of mankind were foemen or prey.” I don’t mark this book because it shows the bad with the good, but it is something to be aware of.
The only truly negative thing is the use of some weirdly archaic words. To be fair, this was standard practice in Anderson’s day, but it’s still very awkward in the modern day. Some examples include the f-slur in its original context and an adverb of the n-word, the origin of which is apparently (according to Google) from the mid-16th century and not a spin on the slur, although it is still pretty jarring.
Overall, this is an incredible book. It is exactly what it sets out to be and so much more. He truly does capture the “rare, strange quality” of “the magic of the North,” in Lin Carter’s words. Anderson says that he wanted to create “A construction, if not THE construction.” I believe he has created THE construction of Hrolf Kraki’s Saga.
Spoilers ahead!
Not only was this my first exposure to Hrolf Kraki’s saga, but it was my first Poul Anderson novel, and it was so epic! Poul Anderson does a fantastic job of using the language and tone of the Old Norse sagas and enhancing them to be more readable and enjoyable to a modern audience. It feels authentically Norse while also bringing a level of suspense and detail the sagas don’t usually have. It also shows off Anderson’s writing prowess — his knowledge of the voice of the sagas combined with his mastery create prose brimming with clever alliteration and wonderful kennings.
Speaking of the writing, the way Anderson translates the poems are fantastic. I loved the translation of Grottasöngr in the first chapter; he used the Old Norse meter Fornyrdislag to relate the poem, so it’s not a wholly literal translation but it is faithful, and that same meter was probably the one the original was composed in. The same can be said for every other poem in this book, he clearly has an intense knowledge of Old Norse poetry and knows how to use it well in English.
The character arcs are fantastic. Old Norse sagas are usually (with a few exceptions), not this long and thus don’t have time for proper character development. If they do, it’s often quick and/or subtle, and rely heavily on characterization. In this book, we get to know Hroar and Helgi and see how they fare in various circumstances. And once Helgi is dead, we see how Hrolf’s upbringing effected him and how he learned from his father and uncle. We see Svipdag’s courtly upbringing clash with his sense of duty and honor, where he eventually finds Hrolf. We see Bjarki use the pain of his tragic upbringing and ancestry to fuel his duty to Hrolf. We also see Yrsa stand never waver in her duties wherever she may be, but always keeps her honor and love for Helgi alive through her relationship with Svipdag and Hrolf, and the role she plays in avenging Hrolf. Even the minor characters, like Elk-Frodhi, and Vögg, are very interesting. Hjälti was a fun and dynamic character, although I didn’t feel like he was developed as much as I would have liked for him to have been. By the end, we see all the characters work in tandem with each other, and the unwavering loyalty to King Hrolf feels justified and earned. It shows how important a good king is to this culture.
There is one “negative” aspect to these characters, but it’s no fault of Anderson or his writing: they all feel very similar. They all fight for similar reasons and they all act the same. Anderson did the best he could with the material he had, but still. Hjalti was the only one that was noticeably different, though I did stop liking him after he slut-shamed his girlfriend and cut off her nose…
While we’re on the “negative” aspect of things, there were some bits that made me a bit uncomfortable. The sexual assault scene with Björn and his step mother made me put down the book, and the scene with Hjalti and his girlfriend made me wince. However, these and scenes like these are taken directly from the original saga, as far as I can tell. Anderson does have a trigger warning about this in the forward where he says, “Hrolf Kraki lived in the midnight of the Dark Ages. Slaughter, slavery, robbery, rape, torture, heathen rites bloody or obscene, were parts of daily life. … Love, loyalty, honesty beyond the most niggling technicalities, we’re only for one’s kindred, chieftain, and closest friends. The rest of mankind were foemen or prey.” I don’t mark this book because it shows the bad with the good, but it is something to be aware of.
The only truly negative thing is the use of some weirdly archaic words. To be fair, this was standard practice in Anderson’s day, but it’s still very awkward in the modern day. Some examples include the f-slur in its original context and an adverb of the n-word, the origin of which is apparently (according to Google) from the mid-16th century and not a spin on the slur, although it is still pretty jarring.
Overall, this is an incredible book. It is exactly what it sets out to be and so much more. He truly does capture the “rare, strange quality” of “the magic of the North,” in Lin Carter’s words. Anderson says that he wanted to create “A construction, if not THE construction.” I believe he has created THE construction of Hrolf Kraki’s Saga.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Cursing, Incest, Blood, Death of parent, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexism, War, Torture, and Slavery
cpalmerpatel's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Really well written and a compelling read but at the same time, since it's trying to stay true too the myths/legends source-material, it's too rape-y for me to want to read it again
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Incest, Adult/minor relationship, Rape, and Sexual assault
macfiar's review
1.0
DNF'd at about 100 pages. I refuse to continue reading when I find a rape scene.
alexanderpaez's review against another edition
4.0
@leerunas Muy grande Poul Anderson adaptando una de las sagas más famosas, equiparable a Beowulf. Tiene algunos detalles dudosos, pero en general me ha parecido excelente. Gran decisión de Runas de reeditar este clásico. Este 2016 parece el año de las relecturas (primero Hyperion, y ahora Hrolf Kraki)
egajdosik's review
3.0
Maybe it's just me, but I expect more integrity and steadfastness in tales about "heroes." This was an absorbing tale (or "tales" at it relates the histories of a number of characters before they all merge together in a single storyline). The most annoying part was all the girls that every (and I do mean every) male character had to sift through. The only character who remained upright was Bjarki (scoring the status as my favorite character). It was generally a sentence dropped in passing - except that sentence kept coming back again and again. We get it! Aside from those irrelevant details I liked it.
moonandthesun's review
2.0
2,5*
I liked the story but the way it was narrated was pretty bad and made things very boring for me.
I liked the story but the way it was narrated was pretty bad and made things very boring for me.
octavia_cade's review
4.0
I read this as part of Book Riot's Read Harder challenge for 2018 - for task 20, a book with a cover you hate. And make no mistake, this is an absolutely appalling cover. I don't know what the publisher was thinking, inflicting that hideousness on what is really a very good book. For Hrolf Kraki's Saga is much better than it appears: a retelling of one of the old sagas about the titular Danish King, albeit a retelling that is as much about his family and retainers as it is the title character. There's even a small crossover with the Beowulf poem, which isn't inserted randomly by Anderson as the crossover existed in the original texts - which I didn't know until I looked it up but which gives an interesting context to both.
As with a lot of the sagas, it's a grim story with moments of grace that ends badly for pretty much all concerned, but Anderson has written it well, focusing as much on character as on action. Having read it, I now want to find a copy of my own... but a copy of a different edition, because I can't get over the sheer bloody awfulness of that cover.
As with a lot of the sagas, it's a grim story with moments of grace that ends badly for pretty much all concerned, but Anderson has written it well, focusing as much on character as on action. Having read it, I now want to find a copy of my own... but a copy of a different edition, because I can't get over the sheer bloody awfulness of that cover.
paseando_entre_paginas's review against another edition
3.5
Una buena novela que parece más narrativa histórica que ficción, interesante, con una gran ambientación y buen un buen ritmo, pero con unos personajes con los que no podrás empatizar.
Reseña completa: http://paseandoentrepaginas.blogspot.com.es/2016/08/la-saga-de-hrolf-kraki-de-poul-anderson.html
Reseña completa: http://paseandoentrepaginas.blogspot.com.es/2016/08/la-saga-de-hrolf-kraki-de-poul-anderson.html
ithil's review against another edition
4.0
Llevaba mucho tiempo queriendo leer este libro, pero por las desventajas de vivir en Reino Unido, y lo difícil que es conseguir libros en español aquí tuve que esperar y esperar... ¡pero al fin lo he leído!
Las expectativas que tenía de este libro no eran pocas, y la verdad no me ha decepcionado para nada. Creo que gran parte de todas esas personas a las que les ha decepcionado, es que no tenían muy clara la dinámica del libro. No es exactamente un libro de fantasía, es más bien ficción histórica contada al más puro estilo Beowulf, del Leabhar Ghabhála Érenn y de las Eddas. Esto no es nada malo, por el contrario, a mi me ha encantado el estilo épico y de gesta antigua, pero imagino que no es el tipo de lectura más "amena" o "fácil de leer".
El libro narra las aventuras y desventuras de Hrolf Kraki, sus antepasados, él mismo, y sus descendientes. De esta forma, el libro se encuentra dividido en personajes a los que acompañamos a través de la historia. Pueden formar parte de la familia o no, pero que irán ganando peso en la narración para irnos desplazando a lo largo de la línea temporal. Esto me ha gustado, ya que he podido ver a muchos personajes y puntos de vista y algunos me han resultado una pasada. Pero, por contra tiene ese punto de que cuando te encanta un personaje y tienes que cambiar te duele un poco al no querer abandonarle por un completo desconocido.
De esta forma, al estar separado por personajes, no es un libro que me haya saturado en el sentido que se me haya hecho pesado sino más bien todo lo contrario. Aunque me apenaba dejar a algunos personajes, cuando comenzaba con otro nuevo, era un golpe fresco y no tardaba en coger dinámica y engancharme de nuevo.
No es un libro para todo el mundo, por la forma en que está narrado. Aunque es un contenido muy curioso e interesante la forma en que está narrado si que puede echar para atrás a alguien que no se lo espere o no esté acostumbrado. Aunque por otro lado, no es para nada inglés antiguo ni nada por el estilo. Yo creo que si el tema te interesa seguro que es una lectura que vas a disfrutar mucho y desde luego, gracias a las anotaciones, se aprende también un montón.
Las expectativas que tenía de este libro no eran pocas, y la verdad no me ha decepcionado para nada. Creo que gran parte de todas esas personas a las que les ha decepcionado, es que no tenían muy clara la dinámica del libro. No es exactamente un libro de fantasía, es más bien ficción histórica contada al más puro estilo Beowulf, del Leabhar Ghabhála Érenn y de las Eddas. Esto no es nada malo, por el contrario, a mi me ha encantado el estilo épico y de gesta antigua, pero imagino que no es el tipo de lectura más "amena" o "fácil de leer".
El libro narra las aventuras y desventuras de Hrolf Kraki, sus antepasados, él mismo, y sus descendientes. De esta forma, el libro se encuentra dividido en personajes a los que acompañamos a través de la historia. Pueden formar parte de la familia o no, pero que irán ganando peso en la narración para irnos desplazando a lo largo de la línea temporal. Esto me ha gustado, ya que he podido ver a muchos personajes y puntos de vista y algunos me han resultado una pasada. Pero, por contra tiene ese punto de que cuando te encanta un personaje y tienes que cambiar te duele un poco al no querer abandonarle por un completo desconocido.
De esta forma, al estar separado por personajes, no es un libro que me haya saturado en el sentido que se me haya hecho pesado sino más bien todo lo contrario. Aunque me apenaba dejar a algunos personajes, cuando comenzaba con otro nuevo, era un golpe fresco y no tardaba en coger dinámica y engancharme de nuevo.
No es un libro para todo el mundo, por la forma en que está narrado. Aunque es un contenido muy curioso e interesante la forma en que está narrado si que puede echar para atrás a alguien que no se lo espere o no esté acostumbrado. Aunque por otro lado, no es para nada inglés antiguo ni nada por el estilo. Yo creo que si el tema te interesa seguro que es una lectura que vas a disfrutar mucho y desde luego, gracias a las anotaciones, se aprende también un montón.
scaifea's review
4.0
I loved this retelling of Danish saga. Heroes and gods (Beowulf and Odin even make appearances), monsters and witches, and all very well told.