---
product_id: 228150
title: "The Sagas of Icelanders: (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)"
price: "$54.54"
currency: USD
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 8
url: https://www.desertcart.us/products/228150-the-sagas-of-icelanders-penguin-classics-deluxe-edition
store_origin: US
region: United States of America
---

# The Sagas of Icelanders: (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)

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## Description

The Sagas of Icelanders: (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition) [Robert Kellogg, Various, Jane Smiley] on desertcart.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. The Sagas of Icelanders: (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)

Review: Lots of Adventure and Drama - The price of the book is worth it for the first three sagas alone. Egil's Saga, Vatnsdal Saga, and Laxardal Saga will keep you flipping the pages all day long. You will find that there are names upon names upon names upon names in these stories. Once you start to figure out that you can ignore 90% of the names in these books and just pay attention to what characters are being focused on in the chapters, the stories become much more enjoyable. There is plenty of drama, violence, magic, treachery, and heroism in these stories. I've also read Njal's Saga and Grettir's Saga. I would recommend buying those two purchases as well. How these stories haven't been turned into TV series is beyond me. Could you imagine a season based on each of these sagas? It'd be incredible. Unfortunately Hollywood would screw them up somehow. Buy this.
Review: Breakneck Plotting and Broken Necks - The Icelandic sagas are a magnificent and still underrated landmark of medieval literature. They are unadorned, realistic prose narratives from an age that is otherwise best known for its religious and baroque tendencies; they are concise where most medieval literature is painfully diffuse; they deal with violence in a familiar and unsentimental manner ("He twisted the tail of his cloak around Thorbjorn's throat and bit through it, then snapped his head back, breaking his neck. With such rough treatment Thorbjorn quietened down considerably.") and the plots often move extremely rapidly, but the better sagas also have moments of great psychological insight. In short, they're a must-read. This selection offers good value for money: it includes a lot of sagas, and -- unlike many paperbacks its size -- uses high-quality paper, and is well-bound and not especially liable to disintegrate. It is also just about light enough that you can read it in bed. Some of the most famous sagas -- "Njal's Saga" and "Grettir's Saga" in particular -- have been omitted. Some omissions were inevitable, because of space, but the omission of "Njal's Saga" was still unfortunate. (If you're unfamiliar with the sagas, read Njal's first: it's a much more effective hook than any of the others.) On the other hand, several of the shorter sagas in this volume are excellent and less than famous -- e.g. the saga of Gunnlaug Serpent-Tongue and the tale of Sarcastic Halli. The introduction is thorough if somewhat boring, and the maps, charts, and genealogies are invaluable. The translations range from adequate to solid -- sometimes awkward but at least never archaic.

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Best Sellers Rank | #50,710 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #890 in Family Saga Fiction #1,394 in Classic Literature & Fiction #3,528 in Literary Fiction (Books) |
| Customer Reviews | 4.7 out of 5 stars 1,174 Reviews |

## Images

![The Sagas of Icelanders: (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition) - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91b--qI-C5L.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Lots of Adventure and Drama
*by S***Y on May 2, 2025*

The price of the book is worth it for the first three sagas alone. Egil's Saga, Vatnsdal Saga, and Laxardal Saga will keep you flipping the pages all day long. You will find that there are names upon names upon names upon names in these stories. Once you start to figure out that you can ignore 90% of the names in these books and just pay attention to what characters are being focused on in the chapters, the stories become much more enjoyable. There is plenty of drama, violence, magic, treachery, and heroism in these stories. I've also read Njal's Saga and Grettir's Saga. I would recommend buying those two purchases as well. How these stories haven't been turned into TV series is beyond me. Could you imagine a season based on each of these sagas? It'd be incredible. Unfortunately Hollywood would screw them up somehow. Buy this.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Breakneck Plotting and Broken Necks
*by S***N on October 22, 2008*

The Icelandic sagas are a magnificent and still underrated landmark of medieval literature. They are unadorned, realistic prose narratives from an age that is otherwise best known for its religious and baroque tendencies; they are concise where most medieval literature is painfully diffuse; they deal with violence in a familiar and unsentimental manner ("He twisted the tail of his cloak around Thorbjorn's throat and bit through it, then snapped his head back, breaking his neck. With such rough treatment Thorbjorn quietened down considerably.") and the plots often move extremely rapidly, but the better sagas also have moments of great psychological insight. In short, they're a must-read. This selection offers good value for money: it includes a lot of sagas, and -- unlike many paperbacks its size -- uses high-quality paper, and is well-bound and not especially liable to disintegrate. It is also just about light enough that you can read it in bed. Some of the most famous sagas -- "Njal's Saga" and "Grettir's Saga" in particular -- have been omitted. Some omissions were inevitable, because of space, but the omission of "Njal's Saga" was still unfortunate. (If you're unfamiliar with the sagas, read Njal's first: it's a much more effective hook than any of the others.) On the other hand, several of the shorter sagas in this volume are excellent and less than famous -- e.g. the saga of Gunnlaug Serpent-Tongue and the tale of Sarcastic Halli. The introduction is thorough if somewhat boring, and the maps, charts, and genealogies are invaluable. The translations range from adequate to solid -- sometimes awkward but at least never archaic.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Better then I expected
*by M***L on October 23, 2013*

This book has already provided hours of enjoyable reading for both myself and my 15 year old son and we aren't even half way done. The book consists of 9 complete sagas, and 6 tales, two introductions-- one very in depth, reference maps and images, a short glossary of nordic terms and an index of all the characters involved--a very important addition considering there are sometimes 5 or 6 characters with the same name. Some characters interweive in multiple sagas which I found a fun way of figuring the timing. I was afraid the stories would either be dry like a history book or fantastical and unrealistic like mythology. I was pleasantly surprised, however, to find the tales flow very well, never drag, and are believable and brilliantly practical. Like a well written and researched novel, this book is hard to put down and I find myself mourning when I reach the death scenes of characters I grew to love in each saga: such as the handsome and lucky Ingimund; the violent, ugly, but ultimately loveable Emil Skallagrimsson; and the unwanted slave's-son, Thorkel Thorgrimsson Scratcher, who despite everyone's heckling, grows up to be wise and heroic enough to lead his whole people. If you love imagining Vikings and want a better understanding of their thoughts and ways, this is a fun way to learn more about them and gain insight into the adventurous settling of a small but important nation.

## Frequently Bought Together

- The Sagas of Icelanders: (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)
- Njal's Saga (Penguin Classics)

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*Store origin: US*
*Last updated: 2026-03-02*