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4.13 AVERAGE
4.13 AVERAGE
Isn’t this a great NYRB Classics cover!? Though the intro for this one is only so-so.
Anyway, on to the good stuff.
This book is about Vikings! I found out about it thanks to an article that predicted that after vampires and zombies, Vikings would be the next big pop culture thing. I hope it comes true because Vikings rock.
Bengtsson was a big time historian and this is his only work of fiction. I really wish I had had a bad weather day to snuggle up with this book and just get lost in 10th century Sweden. There are tons of historical details that you don’t often find in books about medieval Europe and he does a fantastic job bringing that world to life.
One of the great things about the book is that the translator perfectly captured the Nordic spirit of the text. You really get a sense of English as a Germanic language so it reads like a heroic saga.
The story is about Orm and the three great sea voyages that he takes during his life. Orm and his bro(tp) Toke, travel all over Europe from Cordoba to Kiev. They get to meet a whose who of the 10th century: Al-Mansur, King Harold of the Danes, King Ethelred of England. They meet some awesome ladies along the way too, so it’s not a total sausage-fest. Orm also has the distinction of being one of the first Christians in the borderlands of Skania!
At this time, the Catholic Church was still trying to get its shit together. It wasn’t clear whether priests could marry, so some did and some didn’t. And everyone was convinced the world would end in the year 1000. For most Vikings, the threat of demise was not inducement enough to forsake Odin, so they frequently asked priests to sweeten the deal by throwing in a calf for good measure. This was my favorite part honestly. All these Vikings asking priests to pay them for the privilege of being converted. I just find it hilarious.
All around, this is a great book with tons of adventure and wit.
Anyway, on to the good stuff.
This book is about Vikings! I found out about it thanks to an article that predicted that after vampires and zombies, Vikings would be the next big pop culture thing. I hope it comes true because Vikings rock.
Bengtsson was a big time historian and this is his only work of fiction. I really wish I had had a bad weather day to snuggle up with this book and just get lost in 10th century Sweden. There are tons of historical details that you don’t often find in books about medieval Europe and he does a fantastic job bringing that world to life.
One of the great things about the book is that the translator perfectly captured the Nordic spirit of the text. You really get a sense of English as a Germanic language so it reads like a heroic saga.
The story is about Orm and the three great sea voyages that he takes during his life. Orm and his bro(tp) Toke, travel all over Europe from Cordoba to Kiev. They get to meet a whose who of the 10th century: Al-Mansur, King Harold of the Danes, King Ethelred of England. They meet some awesome ladies along the way too, so it’s not a total sausage-fest. Orm also has the distinction of being one of the first Christians in the borderlands of Skania!
At this time, the Catholic Church was still trying to get its shit together. It wasn’t clear whether priests could marry, so some did and some didn’t. And everyone was convinced the world would end in the year 1000. For most Vikings, the threat of demise was not inducement enough to forsake Odin, so they frequently asked priests to sweeten the deal by throwing in a calf for good measure. This was my favorite part honestly. All these Vikings asking priests to pay them for the privilege of being converted. I just find it hilarious.
All around, this is a great book with tons of adventure and wit.
Red Orm is only a teenager when he is abducted by Viking raiders from his home and forced to work the oars of a Viking long ship. This book recreates the world of the Viking raiders in 10th century Scandinavia, following the fortunes of Orm through the Mediterranean, Ireland, England and back home. Viking society is at the cusp of changes - some of the best plundering has already been done and Christianity is beginning to take hold. Orm is no "cartoon" Viking - he is courageous and smart, and often conflicted in what is the right route for his life to take. A great story.
Everyone is over the moon about this book, and it is pretty good...but what a long read. I couldn't sustain any pace with this book because of the high tone of the language. There is plenty of adventure to be had but it is interspersed with a great deal of thinking and talking.
adventurous
lighthearted
slow-paced
Basically written as if you’re sitting around a campfire and a drunk Viking is telling you an age-old tale of some long-ago Viking and their adventures. It was long, but really quite enjoyable. Not long in terms of page length necessarily, but the writing style was very descriptive in the sense that is goes something like “this happened, and then this happened, and then this person died, and this person went to battle”. It felt like the perfect book to pick up from time to time and get a good 10 or so pages read for a quick-fix of Viking adventures.
adventurous
medium-paced
In a another time, and another headspace, this would have been a book to fall in love with for a lifetime. I'll definitely come back to this when I'm in the right headspace
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes