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A review by gamato
Laughing Shall I Die: Lives and Deaths of the Great Vikings by Tom Shippey
5.0
Passion for the subject, clarity in explaining its complexities, and often a bit of humor make Shippey's work so readable. Here the dense and difficult are accessible, often accompanied by the cultural references more readers will be familiar with. So you haven't read Gongu-Hrolf's Saga, but you have seen Vikings? That's not a problem, there are plenty of fantasy elements with a hint at a real person in both. Shippey's description between the popular culture references (Vikings, Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings) are both relevant and welcome as markers most readers will recognize.
But even if it were dense and difficult in style, this book would still be worth reading for the insights. Norse sagas are notoriously difficult to understand, both in terms of the conversations they describe and the actions people take. What were the values these people had? Sagas almost never discuss emotion or thought process. Internal dialog is anathema to those stories. Shippey takes his knowledge of the language, culture, and history, and contextualizes many of the most difficult scenes. As well as he can, and he's very clear on the limitations, this a series of case studies on viking psychology.
If you've read the sagas already, this book is a great companion. If you haven't you still get a great introduction to some of the most famous Old Norse characters.
*Shippey also coauthored a three-book series about vikings (The Hammer and the Cross) with Harry Harrison under the pseudonym John Holm. Highly recommended if you like alternate history or Norse mythology.
But even if it were dense and difficult in style, this book would still be worth reading for the insights. Norse sagas are notoriously difficult to understand, both in terms of the conversations they describe and the actions people take. What were the values these people had? Sagas almost never discuss emotion or thought process. Internal dialog is anathema to those stories. Shippey takes his knowledge of the language, culture, and history, and contextualizes many of the most difficult scenes. As well as he can, and he's very clear on the limitations, this a series of case studies on viking psychology.
If you've read the sagas already, this book is a great companion. If you haven't you still get a great introduction to some of the most famous Old Norse characters.
*Shippey also coauthored a three-book series about vikings (The Hammer and the Cross) with Harry Harrison under the pseudonym John Holm. Highly recommended if you like alternate history or Norse mythology.