Customer Reviews

A Brief History of the Vikings: The Last Pagans or the First Modern Europeans? (Brief History Series)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Using personal histories and the biographies of leading figures, this book humanises the Viking world. In places, it often reads more like a historical novel, albeit one with scrupulous references to original sagas and archaeology. It is particularly good on the Vikings' encounters outside the usual stories, with interesting notes on their dealings with the Muslim world, particularly the effect of the Zanj Rebellion in what is now Iraq on the white slave trade in Northern Europe, and the influence of the influx of silver from Benjahir in Afghanistan. The narrative also manages a broad historical perspective, beginning with the departure of the Roman legions from Britain, and taking the impact of Scandinavians on North America all the way up to the year 2000. Highly recommended.

I had always been casually interested in Viking history, and while browsing at my local bookstore, this book seemed to provide an easy-to-read introduction to the Vikings. It definitely lived up to its potential. The author conducts a wide survey of the Vikings and their voyages from Greenland and North America all the way to the Middle East and the Black Sea. The text is entertaining and the author writes with a dry sarcasm that I found to be comedic. The only negative was that it was sometimes difficult to keep up with all the different names of various Scandinavian rulers and raiders. Overall, highly recommended for casual Viking enthusiasts.

The author's conversational style and sense of humor make this book easy and enjoyable to read. Adding recent DNA evidence cements up areas concerning which peoples settled the various parts of Britain and the world. Viking history has been told in many books, yet this one adds new slants to old history. In concluding, the author reminds us that we might respond as lawlessly as the "barbarian" Vikings in similar hardship conditions, their warmer climate, and without our modern supports of government, welfare and insurance. Indeed, he says, other people now exploit the resources of distant lands for us.

Having visited Viking sites in Norway and read about their trading expeditions into Russia and Turkey, I was curious to learn more about these adventurers of the Middle Ages. I think the author does an excellent job of writing an informative history with some degree of humorous story telling. While it is easy to get lost in the similar names and the violent exploits of different Viking leaders, the reader will be struck by the wide spread influence these raiders had on civilisations in Asia, Europe and the Americas.

Those of us who have European relatives should not be surprised if we find a little Viking DNA in our genome! This is an enjoyable book that provides a great introduction to Scandinavian history.

This book starts off great and I enjoyed the end. But somewhere around the middle of the book it is rather dry and kind of fizzles off. This guy beat up this guy, this guy married this guy. This guy pushed Christianity, Viking, Christianity, Viking... It is interesting, don't get me wrong, but kind of difficult to trudge through. What I found interesting is that the general idea of the Viking way, the plundering and the voyages (actually more trading than plundering), is how they lost their heritage. That they would leave their spouses behind and not really pass along the tradition. Also it is interesting that they were in N. America long before Columbus self-advertised his voyage.

The term "viking" age is described in this book as a period of history from about 850AD to 1100AD when Scandanavian countries were able to heavily influence European-Romano type countries.The same Scandanavian territories also extended their influence into Russia and the Black Sea Area.The countries described in the book are kings of Denmark,Finnland,Sweden,Norway.The book primarily deals with folklore,history,and the politics of this time period and it is presented in a hard to put down style.
There aren't long descriptions on how the vikings built their boats or winded details on their jewelery(or whom they may have stolen it from). Some of these fierce characters literally jump out of the pages,swords blazing.The Scandanavians countries did not take a backseat to any other culture in regard to their portion of history. After reading this book maybe the term "viking"needs to be downplayed and "Scandanavians" should be used instead.
The hardcore "vikings" by about 1100AD or so begin to disappear as they adapt to and influence other cultures to form new political blocs in Europe and the east.They blended into the european power bloc well.First however they showed they were an influence to be reckoned with. A share of the world's riches and the status that goes with it make them easy to assimilate. There appears no hardcore fanatacism or ideologies in their beliefs according to the book. Thor rapidly disappears except on the fourth day of the week(Thorsday)and the vikings accept christianity without much fuss.They want to blend in and made gracious subjects and later gracious hosts.
Occasionally during this period, however there were some thrashings handed out by "Vikings" and also handed to them. Some of these episodes are covered in a brief and attention grabbing way. Williiam the conqueror,a great grandson of a viking, fights Harrold Godwinson,also of viking descent,for the throne of England in 1066 at Hastings.Scandanavian DNA is still heavily present in the northern hemisphere according to the author.The vikings might well be if not the first modern Europeans as the author asserts,right up there among the first.

The title says it all - an easy read for background of the Viking people/culture and history. I read it, my husband (Irish) read it and I have passed it on to a nephew for a taste of where we come from, what stock makes up a part of our blood. Being Scandinavian doesn't just mean lutefisk and lefse and pickled herring when we're feeling nostalgic and this book opened my eyes to how extensively the Vikings did influence the world. I would highly recommend this volume as a beginner's tool to learn more about the past.

How you can take a subject as brutal and intriguing as the Vikings, and write a book this dull is beyond me. It was a chore to finish.