The Vikings more as people than as reavers
This is the first book in the Viking Series by the author
and is set in around the 10th century. It centres on the settlement
of Vik, a place rule by Harald, a chieftain with domestic and political
troubles. The story opens with the visit of King Godred to Vik seen largely
through the eyes of Sigurd, Harald’s second son. Of course Harald wants the
visit to go off well as it will reflect upon him accordingly but he’s a man
with a few secrets and it seems like one of them, a particularly dangerous one,
is about to get out.
It is common in popular culture to represent Vikings as
blood thirsty killers who did nothing else but invade other lands and kill lots
of people, but this staid image is not what we get here. The Vikings had their
own laws to live by and the taking of another’s life without good reason was
viewed very seriously. Murder is punished by the king and there’s more than one
murder associated with Vik for Harald to worry about.
I like the idea of the story, it is original and shows this
period of history in a new light. The characters are clearly written but
under-developed to my mind. Sigurd experiences quite a lot of trauma by the end
of the story but I was never convinced of his emotional depth. Although things
happen to him they do not seem to have any deep or lasting impact. I am not
sure that I came to care very much for him. This under-development is reflected
in other ways, such as his relationship with his father Harald, it should have
plenty of depth and back-history but none of this comes across. There seems to
be no strong feeling between the two and this is the same with Sigurd’s mother
Tora.
That said the narrative is richly embellished with
references to Norse mythology and this adds an extra dimension to the tale.
Quite clearly John Snow is well versed in his subject and this is definitely
one of the books strengths. Indeed, I found the level of authenticity to be
quite captivating and I learnt something new about the Viking people just by
reading this book.
In conclusion, an original story with a rich cultural
overlay that is well worth a read.
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