Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
London : Jonathan Cape, 2014.
Description
"The Northmen s Fury tells the Viking story, from the first pinprick raids of the eighth century to the great armies that left their Scandinavian homelands to conquer larger parts of France, Britain and Ireland. It recounts the epic voyages that took them across the Atlantic to the icy fjords of Greenland and to North America over four centuries before Columbus and east to the great rivers of Russia and the riches of the Byzantine empire. One summer s day in 793, death arrived from the sea. The raiders who sacked the island monastery of Lindisfarne were the first Vikings, sea-borne attackers who brought two centuries of terror to northern Europe. Before long the sight of their dragon-prowed longships and the very name of Viking gave rise to fear and dread, so much so that monks were reputed to pray each night for delivery from the Northmen s Fury . Yet for all their reputation as bloodthirsty warriors, the Vikings possessed a sophisticated culture that produced art of great beauty, literature of abiding power and kingdoms of surprising endurance. The Northmen s Furydescribes how and why a region at the edge of Europe came to dominate and to terrorise much of the… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member Eyejaybee
This book offers a history of the Viking world, and plots the growth and then diaspora of the various sub-groups encompassed by that term. They certainly made extensive forays, reaching eastwards into Russia, and even reaching Istanbul (known to them as Mikkelgard), while also reaching south to
Parker has clearly researched his work deeply, and makes extensive use of the wealth of literary sources from Old and Middle English, Old Icelandic and Middle High German.
I felt, however, that his account seemed very dry. Considering the fascinating subject matter, he seemed to wring out any sense of excitement or wonder, and reduced his story to a very flat series of descriptions of rais, casualties and thefts.
Show More
Normandy and Brittany, and southwest to Britain. Their voyages westwards are noiw well documented, though this account places greater emphasis than many on the failed colonisation of Greenland.Parker has clearly researched his work deeply, and makes extensive use of the wealth of literary sources from Old and Middle English, Old Icelandic and Middle High German.
I felt, however, that his account seemed very dry. Considering the fascinating subject matter, he seemed to wring out any sense of excitement or wonder, and reduced his story to a very flat series of descriptions of rais, casualties and thefts.
Show Less
LibraryThing member PDCRead
When you hear the word Viking, you think of tall blond Scandinavian man with a horned helmet, an aggressive attitude, a round shield, a sword who has just stepped off a longboat. Most of those facts are right, apart from the horned helmet. These men came out of nowhere in the 8th century to wreak
Whilst they were bloodthirsty and brutal, they also possessed a sophisticated culture that was capable of subtle art, complex literature and had whose culture held for many hundreds of years. Not only that, they were expert sailors not only crossing the North Sea to the UK, but also sending ships to Shetland, the Faroes, Iceland Greenland and even to America, way before Columbus. Their influence crossed Europe too, as they navigated down the rivers they even reached Constantinople, played a fundamental part in the birth of Russia and came to dominate the politics of the continent.
In this interesting book book Parker has laid bare the Viking influence across Europe and the Atlantic ocean. They were a pretty brutal bunch, having no qualms about wholesale slaughter if needed, whilst having a strong belief in their gods and culture. There is plenty of details on the the various factions that settled in England and the battles between the various native tribes and the invaders. It does feel a little dry at times, but that is down to the immense amount of detail in the book scoured from the sagas, their stories and tales of myth and legend. Their influence on the UK is still felt today, with place names in certain parts of the country having Viking origins, as well as leaving a lasting genetic trail in the population. Good overall and worth reading if you like anything to do with history.
Show More
havoc and bloodshed across the lands of England, France and Ireland. People who lived close to seas and rivers were fearful for their very lives at the sight of a sail on the horizon.Whilst they were bloodthirsty and brutal, they also possessed a sophisticated culture that was capable of subtle art, complex literature and had whose culture held for many hundreds of years. Not only that, they were expert sailors not only crossing the North Sea to the UK, but also sending ships to Shetland, the Faroes, Iceland Greenland and even to America, way before Columbus. Their influence crossed Europe too, as they navigated down the rivers they even reached Constantinople, played a fundamental part in the birth of Russia and came to dominate the politics of the continent.
In this interesting book book Parker has laid bare the Viking influence across Europe and the Atlantic ocean. They were a pretty brutal bunch, having no qualms about wholesale slaughter if needed, whilst having a strong belief in their gods and culture. There is plenty of details on the the various factions that settled in England and the battles between the various native tribes and the invaders. It does feel a little dry at times, but that is down to the immense amount of detail in the book scoured from the sagas, their stories and tales of myth and legend. Their influence on the UK is still felt today, with place names in certain parts of the country having Viking origins, as well as leaving a lasting genetic trail in the population. Good overall and worth reading if you like anything to do with history.
Show Less
LibraryThing member stevesbookstuff
A book that tries to encompass the whole sweep of Viking history in under 400 pages is going to be packed with information. Philip Parker does an amazing job covering the geographic breadth of the Viking conquests while managing to put "Viking" into the context of early medieval history. But he
So just know that there are parts of the book that read really easily, and parts that can be a slog. The chapters on the Viking's origins, their myths and legends (and boats), the stories of Iceland, Greenland and North America were all excellent. The chapters on the Vikings in France and England, in Russia, and in the Byzantine Empire suffered from an overload of people's names, and place names, and battles here and there. At times it's overwhelming. I had to pause and re-read more than once in those chapters.
There are maps at the start of each chapter that are of some help in following the story, but many of the place names mentioned don't show up on the maps, which was somewhat frustrating.
Despite all of that I enjoyed the book and really learned a lot. For a small example, I had never heard of Greek Fire before reading this book, so now I know where the "wildfire" in the Game of Thrones comes from. For a larger example, I did not realize the geographical reach of the Vikings - through the whole of Europe, into Russia and down to Constantinople as well as north into Greenland, Iceland and east to North America. As "outsiders" to the rest of Europe who appeared "out of nowhere" in their "marauding ships" they struck terror - and that's the extent of what many of us know of them. This book helps provide a better understanding of who the Vikings were and what they accomplished.
Show More
tackles a subject matter so broad that it's bound to bog down in spots. So just know that there are parts of the book that read really easily, and parts that can be a slog. The chapters on the Viking's origins, their myths and legends (and boats), the stories of Iceland, Greenland and North America were all excellent. The chapters on the Vikings in France and England, in Russia, and in the Byzantine Empire suffered from an overload of people's names, and place names, and battles here and there. At times it's overwhelming. I had to pause and re-read more than once in those chapters.
There are maps at the start of each chapter that are of some help in following the story, but many of the place names mentioned don't show up on the maps, which was somewhat frustrating.
Despite all of that I enjoyed the book and really learned a lot. For a small example, I had never heard of Greek Fire before reading this book, so now I know where the "wildfire" in the Game of Thrones comes from. For a larger example, I did not realize the geographical reach of the Vikings - through the whole of Europe, into Russia and down to Constantinople as well as north into Greenland, Iceland and east to North America. As "outsiders" to the rest of Europe who appeared "out of nowhere" in their "marauding ships" they struck terror - and that's the extent of what many of us know of them. This book helps provide a better understanding of who the Vikings were and what they accomplished.
Show Less
Subjects
Language
Physical description
xii p.; 25 cm
ISBN
9780224090803