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Kari's Saga: A Novel of Viking Iceland
Viking Iceland. The year 1000. Civil war looms as pagans and Christians struggle for mastery in the all-island legislature. Zealous King Olaf of Norway embargoes trade and threatens forcible conversion if Icelanders will not convert themselves. In his adventurous youth Kári Sigurdsson won fame, wealth and the nickname Kári the Warrior fighting for King Olaf in two invasions of England. Now a prosperous farmer in his native Iceland, he thinks he has killed enough. But he is embroiled in a vicious feud over an inheritance. With the aid of a young lawyer - his foster-brother – his chieftain’s crippled daughter and a half-Irish slave-girl, both of whom love him, and a mysterious Welsh trader who is interested in more than trade, he tries to resolve his problems through Iceland’s elaborate court system, but is thwarted at every turn by the treachery of his ambitious wife, the jealousy of his chieftain and the unremitting enmity of his adversary, all pagans. Inclining towards the Christians but bound by pagan ideas of honor, Kári is forced into a revenge killing that can only lead to outlawry and death - unless his allies can find a way out.
456 pages, Paperback
First published February 21, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 7, 2017
This is a great historical novel in a time and place rarely covered. I enjoyed the main character Kari, and found him to be well balanced in terms of strengths and weaknesses. I liked that the viewpoint changed at times to give a fuller picture. And this book did a wonderful job weaving in many customs, legalities, etc of the time. There were a few places where the writing was a bit weak, which is why it's not a 5-star rating. But, this book is well worth the having for lovers of historical fiction.
Also, there was very little sexual content. Language was fine. Some violent content, but I didn't feel that it was gruesome or dwelled on overly much.
Also, there was very little sexual content. Language was fine. Some violent content, but I didn't feel that it was gruesome or dwelled on overly much.
July 5, 2012
Intriguing history, so-so fiction,
I love Scandinavian history. I've been studying it for years. The tales of the men of the north and their trips abraod, going a-viking, have intrigued me for a long time. The concept of discovery and the abilities of these people to move freely through the world (their understanding of maritime travel is astounding) is amazing.
I also love historical fiction, especially centered in Europe from 1000-1600.
So, when I saw this novel on Vine, I jumped at it. Mr. Jansson's grasp on the history of Iceland and Norway is great and his ability to explain what we now know to be one of the earliest forms of Parliamentary government is equally impressive. He explains the law process of 11th century Iceland with passion and accuracy. His love of the period is apparent.
The tale that carries this explanation of Iceland is strong, but some of the characters are not well developed. That is not to say that the author wrote them poorly, but that he spent so much time on the intricacies of Icelandic law, that the characters became periphery.
Kari is certainly a well written character and some of the others are developed well enough, but many of the protagonists are not understandable, their actions and feelings are not revealed completely.
Perhaps most interesting of all is the study of the christian movement on the pagan Iceland. Christianity, the Catholic church, was surging through the Scandinavian countries at this time and it was being presented in a not-so-friendly manner; convert or die. The book doesn't so much come out and say this, but this is how it was at this time and Jansson does an excellent job of conveying the emotion involved in a world where religions collide. As an aside, I would recommend, for those interested, History of the Archbishops of Hamburg-Bremen, a work written around 985 AD by a monk that took accounts of the "christianizing" of Scaninavia and put it down. It is a historical work, heavy on catholic liturgy, but also interesting as one of the first documents covering the areas of Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, Denmark, Greenland and even Vinland (now North America).
I would recommend this work to anyone that loves history covering Scandinavia, government or the law as the story is interesting and allows the reader to view these in an entertaining way, but this may fall flat for anyone that is looking for a purely entertaining historical yarn about "the vikings" (I don't like that term but lets face it, that is what people call them).
The story is very deliberate, very methodical, the descriptions of place, people, atire, living conditions and climes accurate. The authors style of writing is very good and I believe that he will be successful as he continues to write in this genre.
The back cover states that the author has written non-fiction works, though I was not able to locate any, so I am curious as to what his area of writing is outside of this novel.
Basically, if you know that you enjoy detailed accounts of history, this one will not disappoint; it is accurate to a fault as fact tends to over-ride the story. But, the facts are engaging if you enjoy the topic.
Those interested in early law and government would especially enjoy this tale as it depicts one of civilizations greatest early governments very clearly and explains the processes with depth.
I love Scandinavian history. I've been studying it for years. The tales of the men of the north and their trips abraod, going a-viking, have intrigued me for a long time. The concept of discovery and the abilities of these people to move freely through the world (their understanding of maritime travel is astounding) is amazing.
I also love historical fiction, especially centered in Europe from 1000-1600.
So, when I saw this novel on Vine, I jumped at it. Mr. Jansson's grasp on the history of Iceland and Norway is great and his ability to explain what we now know to be one of the earliest forms of Parliamentary government is equally impressive. He explains the law process of 11th century Iceland with passion and accuracy. His love of the period is apparent.
The tale that carries this explanation of Iceland is strong, but some of the characters are not well developed. That is not to say that the author wrote them poorly, but that he spent so much time on the intricacies of Icelandic law, that the characters became periphery.
Kari is certainly a well written character and some of the others are developed well enough, but many of the protagonists are not understandable, their actions and feelings are not revealed completely.
Perhaps most interesting of all is the study of the christian movement on the pagan Iceland. Christianity, the Catholic church, was surging through the Scandinavian countries at this time and it was being presented in a not-so-friendly manner; convert or die. The book doesn't so much come out and say this, but this is how it was at this time and Jansson does an excellent job of conveying the emotion involved in a world where religions collide. As an aside, I would recommend, for those interested, History of the Archbishops of Hamburg-Bremen, a work written around 985 AD by a monk that took accounts of the "christianizing" of Scaninavia and put it down. It is a historical work, heavy on catholic liturgy, but also interesting as one of the first documents covering the areas of Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, Denmark, Greenland and even Vinland (now North America).
I would recommend this work to anyone that loves history covering Scandinavia, government or the law as the story is interesting and allows the reader to view these in an entertaining way, but this may fall flat for anyone that is looking for a purely entertaining historical yarn about "the vikings" (I don't like that term but lets face it, that is what people call them).
The story is very deliberate, very methodical, the descriptions of place, people, atire, living conditions and climes accurate. The authors style of writing is very good and I believe that he will be successful as he continues to write in this genre.
The back cover states that the author has written non-fiction works, though I was not able to locate any, so I am curious as to what his area of writing is outside of this novel.
Basically, if you know that you enjoy detailed accounts of history, this one will not disappoint; it is accurate to a fault as fact tends to over-ride the story. But, the facts are engaging if you enjoy the topic.
Those interested in early law and government would especially enjoy this tale as it depicts one of civilizations greatest early governments very clearly and explains the processes with depth.
July 1, 2012
A Viking book that's less of a bash 'em, slash 'em book and more of a legal thriller
So, you pick up a book about Icelandic Vikings and what do you expect? Well, if you're like me you expected a lot of men with long hair brandishing swords and axes along with lots of blood and longboats, much like the Saxon Chronicle books of Bernard Cornwell.
Kari's Saga starts out with just that - a failed attempt to burn a rival's longhouse. But, there's a twist. Iceland is trying to limit the the amount of violence that plague the island (revenge killings and so on). There's an active attempt to apply Viking laws and the legal system in a more active way to limit this violence. Notice I said limit, not end it - these are, after all, Vikings...
Read more at: http://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2011/...
So, you pick up a book about Icelandic Vikings and what do you expect? Well, if you're like me you expected a lot of men with long hair brandishing swords and axes along with lots of blood and longboats, much like the Saxon Chronicle books of Bernard Cornwell.
Kari's Saga starts out with just that - a failed attempt to burn a rival's longhouse. But, there's a twist. Iceland is trying to limit the the amount of violence that plague the island (revenge killings and so on). There's an active attempt to apply Viking laws and the legal system in a more active way to limit this violence. Notice I said limit, not end it - these are, after all, Vikings...
Read more at: http://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2011/...
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews