Customer Reviews

Mother of Kings

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

 

 

A rather incredible achievement for one of the late Poul Anderson's novel-but not actually a good read. Anderson subsumes his personal style to create the feeling of an Icelandic Saga. He uses historical figures and locations and combines them with minutely researched details about everyday Viking life to the point that you can easily forget you are reading the work of a modern author.

However, this epic, distanced style and the overload of characters and kinship ties makes for a ponderous, slow-moving reading experience. Copying the flow of the sagas, the plot often skips quickly over large battle scenes or dismisses them with a few phrases. The fantasy element is slight; Gunnhild sometimes work magical spells to aid her sons maintain power in Scandanavia. It shows a realistic outlook on magic that mirrors the way contemporaries viewed their world. Anderson also handles the primitive conflict between paganism and emerging Christianity extremely well, and is the most involving dramatic element in this extremely admirable but not very likable farewell novel. Casual readers will probably not enjoy it. Readers who love Anderson or have a fascination with Scandanvian culture will adore ever moment of it.

It is probably a matter of taste whether one considers this mainly an historical novel, set in the tenth century as remembered by the Icelanders in the thirteenth century, or a fantasy novel based on medieval Icelandic imagination about the past. The late Poul Anderson warns the reader that he is using "facts" about some of the characters which have only a limited connection to historical probability, even discounting the frankly supernatural elements. From either point of view, I consider the book an astonishing success. It is well worth the time, and for the uninitiated in saga-literature, the effort probably needed to read it through.

I say astonishing because, despite my very great admiration for Poul Anderson, I had some misgivings about this project. Anderson was setting himself some stiff competition. Gunnhild, the "Mother of Kings," figures prominently in at least three major medieval works: Snorri Sturluson's "Heimskringla" (a history of the kings of Norway); "The Saga of Egil Skallagrimsson" (which some have thought to be Snorri's work, and which is a biography of one of his ancestors); and, more briefly, but equally memorably, in "The Saga of Burnt Njal." In all of these she figures both as a queen and as a sorceress, and in the last especially as a dangerous lover of younger men.

Each of these works has been translated into English several times. Translators of the first include William Morris, and of the second E.R. Eddison, both major fantasy writers. Those familiar with Eddison's "Worm Ouroboros" will probably remember the passage from George W. Dasent's translation of "Njal's Saga" which is read aloud in the opening pages. Three original works of genius, all of which happen to be closely associated with the development of fantasy literature in English. Not exactly minor predecessors. (Gunnhild also shows up in other sagas, including accounts of the kings of Norway by other hands, and, in a passage parallel to the account in "Njal," in the great "Laxdaela Saga," but these appearances are, I think, of lesser literary importance. The two-volume 1860 edition of Dasent's "Burnt Njal" included an essay on medieval accounts of Gunnhild, now very obsolete, but interesting to compare to Anderson; single-volume reprintings of Dasent's translation omit this, along with the rest of Dasent's elaborate introduction and appendices.)

I was not, however, completely surprised by how successful I found the book to be. Anderson had reworked Icelandic literature in the past, including Snorri's account of a later Norwegian king, Harald Hard-Counsel (in "The Last Viking" trilogy), and the legendary "Hrolf Kraki's Saga," and retold the story of the Volsungs in science fiction terms in "Time Patrolman," before turning to divine mythology (and the relatively obscure accounts of Saxo Grammaticus) in "War of the Gods." He virtually began his career by extending the legendary sagas in "The Broken Sword." In none of these cases, though, were the originals quite so intimidating. He had not lost his touch in "Mother of Kings," despite the length of the story, and the complexity of the histories and legends he was working with.

"Mother of Kings" is a good historical novel, but as a fantasy, it's flat.

Let me explain.

First, Poul Anderson did a remarkable job tracking down source material, and in sorting fact from fancy. He deserves much credit for this, as most of the surviving documentation is either spotty or nonexistent.

Second, as a fantasy, "Mother of Kings" doesn't read well.

How can Mr. Anderson have done both? Simple. Gunnhild, the titular "Mother of Kings," is not a nice person. She meets her husband young, and vows to marry him because he is handsome. This sometimes happens, and it's about the only thing that led me, the reader, into believing that Gunnhild might be worth something. But after Gunnhild gets to the throne by marriage, other than loving her husband and birthing many babies, she does a variety of things that aren't so nice. This is mostly because she wants her own way, and because she's highborn and married well, she gets it. And that means if she has to kill her magic teachers, she does it without a qualm -- and without any regrets. If she feels she has to kill to save her husband or children, ditto, even if the person/people in question have done nothing to upset, anger or threaten her or her family.

I'm sorry, but I just can't warm to a character who acts this way. And I'm unsure Gunnhild really was this bloodthirsty; she may have been a pawn, or she may have been as strong as Mr. Anderson paints her -- but not so unthinking or uncaring.

Getting back to this story, the other big problem with it is that Gunnhild's offspring are mostly not likable, either. The only likable one in the lot is Gunnhild's daughter, who Gunnhild inexplicably marries off to the most odious man she knows. Granted, it's to form and forge a contract between her family in exile and the rulers of the place they get stranded at, but still -- if she loved her daughter, why do that to her? Especially if Gunnhild is supposed to be so powerful of a shaman?

And the shamanic magic isn't really gone into; Gunnhild uses it some of the time, but most of the time she leaves it alone. The reasons for this are spotty. And later, the fact that her sons have turned to Christianity keeps her from her magic as well.

Basically, the historical elements (who did what to whom when, and why) are all there, and are masterful. But Gunnhild is cold, and her children (with the sole exception of her daughter) are worse. Her husband, Eirik Blood-Ax, is a cipher, and most of the other folks she knew or grew up with end up dead. Granted, this is probably accurate for the time frame, but it does nothing to further Gunnhild's character.

And because I disliked Gunnhild very much (when I was expecting to like her), I could not like this book. Admire it, yes. But like it? No.

Mr. Anderson wrote three far better historical books in the "Last Viking" trilogy about Harold Hardrede, and I recommend them, but not this.

Three stars.

Barb Caffrey

Set in the tenth century, this is the story of Gunnhild, Queen of Norway and England (a real person). This was the waning days of the Age of Vikings.

As a child, Gunnhild learns the ways of withcraft from a Finnish concubine of her father, a powerful Norse chieftain. She also notices Eirik, son of their king. Growing up, Gunnhild keeps her eyes open and learns the relationship between the powerful and the weak. But she doesn't want to stop there. She becomes a spaewife, a master in witchcraft and sorcery, a knower of the Gods.

She marries Eirik, and things are wonderful for a while. She gives him seven sons, all of whom become great warriors, and one daughter, Ragnhild. Forced into a political marriage, Ragnhild gets a reputation as someone whose husbands tend to die before their time. Eirik's strength and Gunnhild's craftiness and knowledge of sorcery make them formidable foes.

Haakon, another son of Eirik's father, has an equally strong claim as Eirik to be King of Norway. This is a time of building alliances for both men among the groups in that part of the world. The fortunes of Eirik and Gunnhild start taking a turn for the worst. They are forced to flee Norway and live for a time in York, England. Anotherv time they flee to the Orkney Islands, part of present-day Scotland. Eirik dies in battle, as do his sons, one by one. Meantime, Christianity comes to that part of the world. Haakon embraces this new religion, partly because his best friend becomes a priest. He expects those in aliiance with him to do the same. But, there are those, including powerful people, who are not happy with the old gods being tossed aside.

This is a great novel. It's a big novel, both in size and in scope, so it is not easy or quick reading. Once again, Anderson shows why he was a master of the genre. The style of writing gives the impression that it was actually written a thousand years ago. Recently translated, it was mispackaged as Fiction instead of History. I know of no other contemporary writer in the field who can consistently do that like Anderson.

This book will take some patience, but it is highly recommended.

I freely admit that I'm often a lazy and careless reader. I enjoy reading books that I can read quickly without sacrificing comprehension of the text (see Robert Jordan, etc.) But occasionally I try to read more complex books, and _Mother of Kings_ is definitely a complex novel.

This is not an easy read. The plot is difficult to follow. Sometimes the novel moves slowly, sometimes quickly. The character names are unfamiliar and often either similar or identical to each other (Anderson apologizes for this in his Afterward but notes that since the novel is based on historical facts there was little he could do).

But for all its difficulties, this is a very rewarding novel. I found myself enthralled with the devious machinations of Gunnhild, the 'mother' from the title. Much of the action in the novel occurs away from the reader, so Anderson tells us about it rather than showing it to us. This is generally considered a no-no, but Anderson does an able job with it.

This novel is quite long. The actually page count is under 500, but the words are really packed onto the pages. I would estimate that _Mother of Kings_ has the same word count as a 550-600 page novel. Don't pick this one up unless you have the time and the motivation to finish it. One of my 5 favorite fantasy novels from 2001. Highly recommended.

In the tenth century, Gunnhild, daughter of a Norse chieftain, learns her lessons quite well as a child. Her father's concubine teaches her how witchcraft can aid and protect a female from men. The death of her mother teaches her to never yield to male ogres and their demands and commands. Gunnhild vows to never be a weak female dependent on the other sex for safety and comfort.

To attain her goal of total independence, Gunnhild trains under witches and sorcerers learning the crafts. She marries the only man she ever felt affection for, Eirik Blood-Ax. Together with their strengths and iron-wills, they will either forge a dynasty that legends will whisper about for millenniums to come or fade to dust under the relentless attack of their enemies who want this union to fail.

Poul Anderson is already a legend among speculative fiction readers and authors. Yet his latest dark tale, MOTHER OF KINGS, shows why the recently deceased author has been revered for decades and the recipient of so many prestigious awards. The genre's guru blends mythology and history into a powerhouse of a tale that tells readers the story of Gunnhild, a real persona who has received legendary status over the last millennium. The gritty but vivid story line provides a powerful look at the tenth century as rarely seen by literature except perhaps Beowulf and that is a few centuries earlier. The beginning of the end of the Age of the Vikings is fitting posthumous triumph from one of the greats.

Harriet Klausner

I would describe this as a historical fantasy. Features Gunnhild 10th century Viking queen & Eirik Blood-ax. I like it as a period piece and it seems to cover all the relevant details. I enjoyed the read. As far as historical fantasies of this genre go I also enjoyed Last Light of the Sun by Guy Gavriel Kay.

This is a historically-based tale of Gunnhild, a legendary Viking queen of the 10th century, and a sort of Livia of her day. She schemes and charms her way into a position of power as the wife of the King of Norway, then uses her magical talents to keep herself there and to support her husband and their children. She makes too many enemies, though, and most of her schemes come to naught.

I was kind of disappointed in this book. The characters never came alive for me, and for most of the time I found myself plodding through the text, made more difficult by the Norse names and turns of phrase. Maybe I should go back and read Anderson's Tau Zero, of which I have fond memories.