Reviews

The Last Viking: The True Story of King Harald Hardrada by Don Hollway

halliemcd's review against another edition

4.0

I came to this book having only watched some shows on the Vikings, and the partially fictional series the Last Kingdom on Netflix (in other words, without much knowledge of the time period). This is a real historical figure worthy of an adaptation, because it is hard to fathom all that happened to Harald Hardrada, and all that he accomplished, happening in just 51 years of life. From Norway, to Constantinople in the Byzantine Empire, to England, Harald traveled and battled for much of his life. This book highlights the action, adventure, and political intrigue that Harald experienced as if you, as the reader, are standing there with him. The author is careful to point out where historical sources differ in their re-telling of events, and to point out what is only an educated guess rather than confirmed historical fact which I really appreciated. Overall, I thought this was a great book especially for readers like myself who are not already familiar with the time period. Because it reads like an adventure, I think this book would be a good foray into history/biography for readers who typically don't pick up books like that.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.