Customer Reviews

Saga: A Novel of Medieval Iceland

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As a lover of the Icelandic sagas, and fiction that aims to emulate them, I awaited my copy of this novel from amazon.com with a burning impatience. It finally came and I plunged right in. I was not disappointed.

Jeff Janoda has written a fine piece of fiction, moving and powerful and true to the feel and spirit of the old sagas. As a writer of this sort of fiction myself (well, I've written one novel along these lines, anyway), I came to this one with some preconceptions, some personal prejudices. Indeed, I would not have approached the material as Janoda did, preferring to hew a closer line to the original saga voice. But Janoda won me over. While writing with a markedly modern sensibility and retaining the modern novelistic conventions, many of which stray far afield from the old saga techniques, Janoda brilliantly evoked the older saga form from which this novel arises.

Here is the story of two Icelandic chieftains as Arnkel Thorolfsson struggles to increase his influence and standing at the expense of another chieftain, Snorri Thorgrimsson, known as Snorri the Priest in the literature, that sly Icelander who appears in so many of the great sagas (Njal's Saga (Penguin Classics), Laxdaela Saga (Penguin Classics)). This particular tale is from Eyrbyggja Saga (Penguin Classics) and is only one of several interwoven plots found there. But Janoda has teased it out and put flesh on the bare saga bones, creating a rich and compelling modern novel of real human beings contending with one another in a harsh and unforgiving land. In the process he has recreated that world in all the rich detail and grim coloration that is only limned in the traditional sagas.

The beauty of what he's done is seen from the start as we enter the mind and heart of Ulfar Freedman, former slave of a local farmer who ekes out his livelihood on a holding that lies precariously adjacent to Arnkel Thorolfsson's steading and that of Arnkel's father, the brutal and vindictive Thorolf Lamefoot. Arnkel has his chieftainship as the result of a deal in which his father, Thorolf, sold Ulfar his property in order to buy Arnkel his position (chieftainships could be bought and sold in old Iceland). But Arnkel, who is not only proud and fierce but a good deal cleverer than his father, sees that his chieftainship came at a very great cost, the break-up and diminution of Thorolf's land holdings, thus impairing Arnkel's future inheritance. Arnkel is not prepared to pay that price and wants his full inheritance back. In fact, Thorolf, Arnkel's father, actually gained his formerly vast landholdings by killing Arnkel's grandfather in a duel after brutalizing and abandoning Arnkel's mother, the old man's proud and arrogant daughter, Gudrid. Gudrid, for her part, desperately wants her father's lands back in their entirety, too, wishing only ill on Thorolf, her former husband and tormentor, and has raised Arnkel with these things in mind.

And thus the hapless and somewhat timid Ulfar finds himself an unwitting pawn in a struggle that pits Arnkel against his father, and both of them against Ulfar's own former master, Thorbrand and his six sons. Though neighbors of Arnkel godhi, the Thorbrandssons are aligned with the famous Snorri of Helgafell, in hopes of counterbalancing Arnkel's growing strength in the district. Old Thorbrand, Ulfar's former master, also has designs on Ulfar's farm since, under Icelandic law, it reverts to him as the former master, if Ulfar dies without an heir. But Ulfar has found himself a wife and has thus inadvertently set in motion the wheels that will grind him into dust between these harsh men.

The story unfolds with much greater focus and depth than is found in the original sagas and this is part of its genius. Janoda has found what may very well be the true story of human struggle, in its endless complexity, that lay beneath what is merely a brief sub-plot in the original Eyrbyggja Saga. There the story is tersely told. It's not always clear who has done what to whom, or why. But Janoda has fleshed out the events with real people including Auln, Ulfar's betrayed wife and Halla, the arrogant daughter of Arnkel who has inherited the domineering persona of her grandmother Gudrid but who can't help desiring Thorbrand's youngest son, Illugi.

The complex game plays out as these people strive for primacy over one another, destroying lives and hope for those around them in the process. The sagas are wonderful in the richness of the stories they have to tell and it's Janoda's great strength that he has found the rich vein of human greed, folly and striving that is buried deep within the best of them. Here he has dug out the ore and refined it to purest narrative gold. If you like sagas and the novels that derive from them, this is one of the best.

SWM
author of The King of Vinland's Saga

Jeff Janoda proves himself to be a master storyteller as he brings tenth-century Iceland brilliantly to life. SAGA is a powerful and absorbing read, rich and authentic in detail, sharply insightful, and brimming with finely rendered characters whose lives are intricately bound through the ties of loyalty, kinship, duty, and above all, the Law. Janoda deftly handles the complexities and harsh realities of life in the early Free State, peeling away layers of motives and shrewd cunning that drives men's actions -- be it born of wisdom, high ideals, and ethical strength; greed and a lust for power and land that leads to treachery, betrayal, and bloodshed; or a more basic need to appease the gods and dark spirits that haunt the land and even, at times, the restless wanderings of the dead. This is storytelling at its best. In short SAGA is superb!

This is one of those books that you get so into while you're reading that you don't want it to end. Janoda has fleshed out a portion of the Eyrbyggja Saga, giving depth and dimension to the Snorri Gothi, Arnkel Gothi, and Thorbrand factions feuding, scheming, betraying and killing for possession of two farmsteads and a precious birch forest on a peninsula in 10th century western Iceland. The saga has everything a Norse and medieval history buff would want, including some really "creepy" stuff with a vengeful ghost and dark elves who live in the shadows and feed off the evil the Norse perpetrate.

Janoda's prose is fluid and effortless, and he writes as a master storyteller. I HOPE HE WRITES ANOTHER BOOK LIKE THIS ONE ON ANOTHER OF THE SAGAS!

Highest Recommendation

Jeff Janoda's wonderfully crafted retelling of the ancient Icelandic Sagas is a perfect example of what a skilled writer can do to bring history alive. This tale of ruthless fueds between competing clans is neatly interwoven with fantastical elements like spririts and elves. The story effortlessly melds together the daily fight to survive in a harsh land, with profound insights into the beliefs that shaped the creation of a distinct culture and society in Iceland. Whether describing human treachery or the spirit world, Janoda effortlessly holds the reader's attention. This book will appeal to both lovers of history and those with an interest in how the supernatural, or rather belief in supernatural events, affects human beings. This is a refreshingly original historical epic, particularly for those who have grown weary of the cookie cutter volumes crowding bookstore shelves. Highly recommended.

One of the most interesting things about SAGA is that it follows the story line of an old Norse tale. This gives the book a much different feel than a historical novel made out of a Hollywood plot and costumed characters. The novel feels ancient, otherworldly, Norse. For this to be a book worth reading, however, it must also function well as a novel, and doing both these things is a real achievement for Jeff Janoda. The novel does work well. The writing is clean, uncluttered, and focused on the story and characters. Certainly there are the scene and gear descriptions that every historical novel needs to re-create an ancient world, but thankfully, this is no plot smothering catalogue of tools and tent pegs. Rather, the book is taken up with following its many characters as they try to out maneuver each other without tearing the thin veil of civility covering Iceland. The intrigues, threats of violence, and of course violence, provide unrelenting suspense and surprise. Mr. Janoda has successfully brought an ancient story into the future by bringing us Vikings who are not screaming lunatics, but men.

I've studied Icelandic and Nordic history and culture for many years, and I think that Jeff Janoda has captured the essence of the Icelandic Viking extremely well. The description of the land is great, and gives me the feel of actually being on a fjord in Iceland. The characters are well developed and true to the time and class structure of the ancient gothi. Auln is my personal favorite character, but nonetheless very human, and the one that grabs at your soul. The references to Thor and the elves give the reader a good insight to the beliefs of the time, and the use of a character (Hrafn) who has found Christianity in a foreign land helps to define the change that is going on in the world at that time. The Thing (yearly court)is used well and gives the reader insight into the extremely honorable and structured lifestyle of the Viking culture as it developed in the Free Land. For anyone who is curious about Iceland and it's historic sagas, Saga is the modern telling that will help you understand this ancient culture.

Janoda's retelling of a classic saga is unlikely to become a bestseller given its esoteric subject matter, but that is truly a great shame as evolved readers of any stripe will surely delight in the author's wonderful skills.

Saga is about a very small community in Iceland around 965 CE, and for an historical novel, comparatively little happens--there are no grand battles, epic journeys, allusions to well-known historical events, or famous personages. The cast is limited to a dozen or so main characters and the pace of events might fairly be considered glacial. Yet for all that, the story is oddly, almost paradoxically compelling. Somehow the sparseness of the material, the humble (even dreary) circumstances within which the story unfolds, and Janoda's supremely economical--even frugal--use of language are all superbly suited to the tale and imbue it with a veracity and vigor that mere research can never match.

Like one of his humble farmer characters, Janoda painstakingly tends the unpromising soil and climate of his setting and scratches out of it a miraculous harvest of which which we lucky readers are the beneficiaries--a quirky masterpiece that transcends the seeming limitations of its subject to yield a tale that is by turns suspenseful, moving, shocking, and utterly convincing.

Great way to bring life to this saga. Read this book more than a year ago (twice) and it still sticks. Great great stuff. Let's have more!

Saga should sit comfortably among the best historical fiction. That is, Janoda wraps the human condition as he sees it, its power and frailty, around historical fact. The story and the characters within are complex rendering the book a riveting read. The day-to-day struggle of these warriors / farmers in the fragile and hostile Icelandic environment really comes to life in this informative and entertaining book. On the historical side, Janoda cites only one academic source, and I would have appreciated a longer reading list. I also enjoy when the authors of historical fiction provide a debriefing for the reader that helps sort fact from fiction. This is not meant to temper my praise for the book, but perhaps the author will consider expanding the afterword in his next literary effort, which I eagerly await.

Jeff Janoda proves himself to be a master storyteller as he brings tenth-century Iceland brilliantly to life. SAGA is a powerful and absorbing read, rich and authentic in detail, sharply insightful, and brimming with finely rendered characters whose lives are intricately bound through the ties of loyalty, kinship, duty, and above all, the Law. Janoda deftly handles the complexities and harsh realities of life in the early Free State, peeling away layers of motives and shrewd cunning that drives men's actions -- be it born of wisdom, high ideals, and ethical strength; greed and a lust for power and land that leads to treachery, betrayal, and bloodshed; or a more basic need to appease the gods and dark spirits that haunt the land and even, at times, the restless wanderings of the dead. This is storytelling at its best. In short SAGA is superb!