26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Unique and superb., March 19, 2000
First, I feel I should mention that anyone looking for a straightforward historical novel should look elsewhere. However, if you are looking for a fascinating novelisation of primarily Icelandic texts from hundreds of years ago, detailing the first ecounters between the Norse people and the native people of Greenland and North America--well, then this is for you.
Vollmann's imagery is rich, lavish, incredible, and he is quite faithful to the voice of the Nordic saga-writers at the same time, not an easy feat. He even goes so far as to use kennings, the traditional linguistic devices that turn the ocean into a 'swan-field' or the different temperaments and destinies into the 'ice-shirt,' 'bear-shirt,' 'wolf-shirt,' and so forth.
While this novel is not entirely a linear narrative, it is instead a stunning tapestry of novelised sagas and stories (that do tell, in and of themselves, a linear epic)of the Norse, native Greenlander and Micmac people, peppered with the author's own contemporary travelogue and a wealth of complementary information. There is a story central to this work, of Freydis, a very complex and developed character, but it is told within the framework of a greater story... that of her history and heritage and forebears, and the history of the people she encounters across the ocean.
An achingly beautiful work--one of the few novels I have read of late that I could consider a true artistic triumph, and one of exceptional substance.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Whirlpool-Lives, Dead Worlds, Voyages Across the Frozen Sea, December 27, 2004
and "White Sweet Clover": These are a few menu items off of Vollmann's eclectic introductory Preview for his on-going SEVEN DREAMS septology ABOUT OUR CONTINENT IN THE DAYS OF THE SUN.
The Ice Shirt is laced with Norse Sagas and Viking history. It is a modern re-telling of the very first encounter between Europeans and Native North Americans (no, it was not Columbus - it was Leif Ericson who "discovered" America). Actually, as Vollmann relates, it was Bjarni Herjolfsson who first sighted "Vinland" around 986 AD, and by 1000 AD Leif and his fellow Norsemen built settlements on what today is known as Newfoundland. It was all undone, fairly rapidly, by the same forces which brought them there, and especially through the wicked conduit of Leif's own bastard sister, Freydis Eiriksdottir, who truly "brought the frost" to North America.
Beyond a post-modern recreation of myth and history, William Vollmann adds his own contemporary experiences while traveling in the lands he intimately describes. The Ice Shirt is very much a book about the land itself, and Vollmann spends great amounts of time and care writing about the local flora, fauna, and how it relates to the people themselves. The "shirts", as you will see, are our personas, and spirits. They are "the change" in change, and it is the SPIRIT of the lands which Vollmann captures, and the manner in which he blends this together with his own street-level point of view, I think, which makes this an intriguing modern day Saga. Now, it's quite possible after reading this book that you'll disagree with me and think Vollmann over-rated, or perhaps even an "awful" writer, but I bet it would be based on your taste in literature rather than the real quality or scope of the work itself; because this undertaking of his, as far as I know is unprecedented, and will surely one day be considered masterful. At first, because Vollmann came very highly recommended to me about a decade ago, I felt I had to force myself through the first 70 pages or so, namely because I've never read anyone quite like this before and his post-modernist style can take a little getting used to depending on one's reading experience. In addition, the first part of The Ice Shirt (and thus, his whole series) is a lengthy tome on Viking blood feuds, revenge, massacres, political assassinations, executions, raping and pillaging, etc. etc. - with no end in sight - making it a little trying for the unconverted. Because it is all written in saga-like style, this whole section entitled "The Changers" could easily be mistaken for one of the original Viking sagas. What's great about The Ice Shirt (and Vollmann), as I discovered while reading, is that the book is not pedantic or high-brow in any way. Sometimes subject-matter like this comes across in history books as being overly specialized, complex, and erudite because the writer has some agenda to push, or something to prove; or maybe is just trying to write a scholarly work. Blah! The Ice Shirt & THE SEVEN DREAMS is something new, different, and original. The scope seems outlandishly unwieldy, but somehow Vollmann manages to keep it all glued together. When you come across passages entitled "San Francisco Transvestites - 1987" sandwiched between "The Storm, the Spirit and the Island" and "The Woman Shirt" you'll see what I mean. There are plenty of informative source notes in which the author tells you exactly what he's up to, and then there are hand-drawn maps to guide you further, glossaries filled with people and places, and a chronology for good measure, so that you don't get too lost. And yet it all works! That's the amazing thing.
Perhaps you, like me knew of Vollmann's reputation as a trendy, avant-garde writer of prostitutes and grimy street life. And also like me, were put off by this. For this very reason it took me ten years to give this book a shot (if you see my reviews for all of 2004, this is the Capstone). In fact, if you look you'll find some funny and interesting comments from various reviewers who've struggled with his other books - some of the comments which I tended to agree with at first. For example, from "The Atlas" on 3/2/02: "Self-Conciously Avant Garde"; "Beauty in Ugliness"; "Great Ideas in Books". From "The Royal Family" on 12/29/03: "An Interesting Waste of Time". And one of my favorites from 4/6/02 about "Argall", because I agreed with it ten years ago: "Vollmann's Career-Revenge of the Nerd" in which the reviewer harps on the whole Vollmann phenomenon. Finally, from the Ice Shirt reviews on 9/13/98 comes one which states: "Not Sure What it's About, But it Ain't a Novel!". Well, sir, I suppose that all depends on your notion of what a "novel" is. So, before beginning this series I needed to forget the reputation of the man, the phenomenon hype, and just get to the work itself, which always intrigued me: A Symbolic History of North America. (But of course, it's a little harder to forget that the guy writing all this had been known for his lurid, hard-hitting stories on drugs, sex, gangs, and prostituties!).
Having done so at last, I can now say that I'm very pleased with The Ice Shirt; and am now hooked on THE SEVEN DREAMS! While Vollmann does have a wildly crazy bio, and some fascinating news and magazine articles, not to mention a massive research project on Violence called "Rising Up, Rising Down" as well as another lengthy foray into SF street life titled "The Royal Family" which I understand is the third in a so-called "Prostitution Trilogy" . . . I leave it to you, new reader, to come to The Ice Shirt with an open mind about what a novel is and isn't, and of course, an interest in a deeper understanding of what it means to be a North American. Ultimately, that's what this book is about, and it stands on its own as such. I am already on my way into "FATHER'S & CROWS" (vol. 2), and look forward to "ARGALL" (vol. 3), THE RIFLES (vol. 6), and the as yet unpublished volumes 4, 5, & 7 - all dealing with North American Indians at various times and tribulations.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
