The Wolf Age: The Vikings, the Anglo-Saxons and the Battle for the North Sea Empire

This was a great books to read

Interesting history that is very popular now and that I knew little about. A popularized history but not condescending. Enjoy

All I knew (or remembered) about the second wave of Viking attacks on England were the many failings of Ethelred the Unready. As this excellent book demonstrates, that is only part of the story. While it is impossible to rehabilitate Ethelred, it is possible to understand why so much that he did or did not do went wrong. And, then there is Cnut, who is best known probably for supposedly ordering the tide not to come in. His northern empire would have made him, on paper anyway, one of the most important rulers in Europe, and yet it all fell apart in one generation, leaving it to the Normans instead of the Danes to conquer England. This book is the fascinating tale of how all of this came about. I noticed only one small error. The author (or the translator) wrote that Ethelred was the longest reigning king in medieval England, at 38 years. That, of course, is not correct. Probably what was meant was longest reigning Anglo-Saxon king. Anyway, this is a page-turner, and I enjoyed it very much.

An immersive book loaded with information about a period of history that isn't generally covered getting lost in the drama around Hastings and the Norman conquest of England. Even better, the book reads like a true-to-life Game of Thrones drawing you into several of the leading characters, Dane, Norwegian, and English. Some of the facts you pick up from the Sagas referenced are gold - like Valkyries being described as having "eyes of fire". Many histories are dry and overloaded with facts. The Wolf Age is so good that I'll reread it and use it as a reference book about the Empires in the North.

I'm only 100 pages in and this book has me hooked. Excellent writing compiled from many sources. Glad I bought this one. OK, I finished it. Overall a very good read. At one point about two-thirds through it got kind of lost and back-tracked, but then got back on track and ended well.

The review is about this edition: the font of the book is very small

The most readable text and most engaging on the Viking kingdoms. It takes some concentration to gain an understanding of the players.

Thank god I finished. Not a bad book by any means, just a bear to tackle if Nordic-medieval history isn’t your thing

Großartig!!

A very enjoyable read. Well written and gives a good account of the history of the Vikings and their impact on the countries they raided, settled in and fought for as mercenaries.

漫画の幸村誠『ヴィンランド・サガ』とほぼ同じ時代を扱う、西暦1000年前後のヴァイキング史。 導入が13世紀のアイスランドで、口頭で伝え継がれていた何々サガを文章にまとめた人物から始まりますので、Kindleのサンプルを読み始めたときは少し面食らいましたが、本編はヴィン・サガと同時代です。 巻末の参考文献にヨムスヴァイキング・サガはあるのですが、本文にはヨムスヴァイキングもヨムスボルグも出て来ず、それは残念。 とは言え、ノルウェーのオラフ・ハロルドソンが主役的な存在感であるものの、クヌートは準主役あるいはW主演であり、トルケルもたっぷり出て来ます。 出来事や人物の動きを追いながら、周辺知識の解説もごく自然に施されるスタイルで、平易で、面白く、勉強になり、原著がノルウェーでよく売れたというのも頷けます。 ただ、あとがきに 〈In other words, much interpretation and many academic deliberations lie hidden behind the text.〉 337頁 とあるそのhiddenの部分にこそ興味のある方には、物足りないかもしれません。 （また、同じく、よく売れた、国の成り立ちに大きな意味を持つ時期を扱った、一般向けの本でも、たとえば中公新書の『応仁の乱』とはスタイルが違います。） しかし、ヴィンサガの同時代を扱った入門書を探している方には、候補に入れることをお勧めしたい1冊です。

Excited to read this. Book was delivered undmaged.

By far this is the most readable history I have ever read. The author is able to capture the character of the age and portray the figures of the men (for unfortunately there are few sources to tell us about the women) who shaped events and the lives of their contemporaries and shaped the future.