Customer Reviews

Raven Of The Waves

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1 star:		(3)

 

 

This book purports to be an accurate description of viking raiders. It attempts to show their thoughts and feelings, and give us insight into their culture. Unfortunately the author has not done his research.

He merely reinforces old stereotypes and borrows heavily from common misconceptions of vikings in a lame attempt to write an interesting story. He succeeds only in misrepresenting viking history and the norse tradition.

For example, he graphically describes the process of making a "bloody eagle", which is
a horrible human mutilation. Scholars are agreed that "bloody eagles" are a complete fiction invented by Christian writers (who must have had sick sadistic imaginations) trying to make the pagan vikings appear barbaric.

Rape is a common topic of the book, and this too is an old, innacurate, tiresome stereotype. History shows us that vikings were not the raping monsters of legend. They were shrewd, often abucting people to hold them for ransom. Is it likely they would rape a ransom victim, thereby making their prisoner worthless to her family? No.

Furthermore, when the vikings kept prisoners as slaves, they did not view them as expendable nor rape them with impunity as many have believed. Viking tales even tell of "Free men", Norsemen, wooing and courting slave women in their villages.

Women went on raids with the men, were sometimes leaders in the raids, and participated in all aspects of Norse life. Women were highly regarded in norse society, and not just idealistically, but in practice.

So far as historians can tell, the Norse culture was not sadistic, and did not associate sex and violence. The men did not hate and fear women, and so had no need to either rape them, or keep them in weaponless subjection.

With very little research the author could easily have corrected false perceptions of the norse. Instead he chose to embrace and even embellish them, and then try to call this a historical work. Ridiculous poppycock.

In addition to being historically innacurate, the book simply is not appropriate for young readers, boys or girls. It is written from the perspective of the men in the story, and makes no distinction between what is approriate behavior and what is not. It speaks of young boys getting drunk on a regular basis as just a part of life. It makes mention of sex and young men "mounting" girls, women, etc., and raping villagewomen. It is violent and perverse, and gives no context for the not-yet-discerning young reader to be able to sort through the behaviors of these (completely fictional) people, and make a distinction between what is right and wrong.

In short, THIS BOOK IS WORSE THAN IDIOTIC!

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It's been 9 years since I wrote this review and I am gratified to see that my critical review is voted the most helpful, which means my review is the first one a shopper will see. Good, I hope I have helped steer young people away from this book.

9 years later I am happy to come back and see that my review has kicked this books butt!

What a great read for anyone of any age! Author Cadnum works magic with his words in this realistic coming of age story. Brought together by a Norse raid on England in 794 AD, two sympathetic boys learn grim adult truths about "heroic" warriors. This impressive novel offers accurate historical detail, sensitive pyschological insight and compassionate consideration of good people trapped by traditional expectations. Cadnum enriches our perceptions of both the Viking and the Anglo-Saxon worlds by his range of characters. We learn with 17 year old Lidsmod via the voices of his fellow sailors -- sensible leader Gunnar, veteran steersman Njord, comic Opir the Boaster and saga-singer Eirik. Even extremely violent men like Gorm or the Berserker Torsten are shown acting from different motives. Similarly, the author balances the impressions of the 13 year old English captive Wiglaf with the mature views of Christian abbot Aethelwulf and the local political lord Redwald. This work is a delightful combination of echoes of ancient myths and foreshadowing of cultural change for both the Norse and the English.

I read "Raven of the Waves" because a student I was tutoring chose it for his historical fiction novel. Since he needed help with his book report, I decided to read it too. I can honestly say that if I were his parent, I would not have wanted him to read the book. It is inappropriate, especially in how he talks about "mounting" women and raping them. He also includes a scene where he turns a man into a "bloody eagle"--basically opening him from the back and spreading out his skin. When I finished the book, I was left with the thought, "That is it? The book is done?" In my mind it left loose ends and I did not see a purpose to the book.

This book is a very interesting tale about the vikinggs and definetly a good read. the editorial review says "historical" reffering to the book as educational about history and thetime of the vikings. It is not at all historical but still a good read.

We chose this book for my 7th grade son to read for a book report. When he got to the first sexual content, he mentioned it and we decided he could continue to read it. However, when there was more, he didn't want to read any more. One example is on p 86, and I quote,

"'They didn't fight', continued Gorm, 'and the woman didn't even struggle. I mounted her, and then I cut her throat. It wasn't even pleasure. It was too easy. This is going to be so simple - we will all grow fat. We will wear out our man parts and get so lazy we won't know how to man an oar.'" There are other instances of rape in the book, as well as quite graphic violence, drunken episodes, pissing in the fire, etc.

I am surprised that this is published by Scholastic and marketed as a young adult book; they have it rated for 8th grade. I realize that the Vikings did rape and pillage; however, I don't expect to find it graphically in a young man's book.

My son said, "No one should have to read that kind of thing", and asked me to let people know.

Thanks for reading, I hope this helps you make a choice about this book.