Iceland Books

Laxness is Iceland's most famous author, though that may not qualify him as being overly famous. He won the Nobel prize for literature in 1955, largely on the strength of _Independent People_, which became famous in the US as a Book-of-the-Month Club selection in 1953.

I mention this pedigree because Laxness is otherwise obscure, and most people don't just pick up Icelandic fiction off their friendly neighborhood bookshelf. But they should. _Iceland's Bell_ tells the story of a ne'er-do-well named Jon Hreggvidsson, who becomes involved in a long-running court case between two powerful figures in Iceland and their allies in the Danish court.

The book is loosely based on true events of the late 17th century, and represents a kind of modern updating of the medieval Icelandic saga. That may sound off-putting, but in the hands of a master the story comes alive. The only challenges that the setting pose for the typical reader are references to people and events that most Icelanders would recognize but that require an explanatory note for outsiders. Those notes, keyed by page number, are collected at the end of the book.

The book is often quite funny. Laxness eagerly pokes fun at everyone, and despite the book's setting the characters and Laxness's satires are timeless. He also manages to pull off the difficult trick of conveying a deep fondness for all his characters, heroes and villains, high and low, while making fun of them.

It's a wonderful book. Take a plunge and read it.

Halldor Laxness's novels never fail to amaze me. As one reviewer has said, I believe he's arguably the John Steinbeck of Iceland. His works convey an atmosphere, setting, society, and culture that is like nothing else in the literature that most Westerners are familiar with. Whenever I want to take a break from reading novels by the most well-known and widely read authors of world literature (such as Dickens, Austen, Twain, etc.), I delve into the world of Halldor Laxness. I wish this author's status as a modern pioneer of contemporary literature was more acknowledged and recognized in the U.S. Just like Iceland's sagas, Halldor's Laxness are works to be treasured for its novel originality, fresh insight on common themes, and distinct style and literary beauty. On my list this is my 3rd most favorite Halldor Laxness novel (#1 is World Light, #2 is Independent People). Buy it, borrow it, read it, enjoy.

I can't heap scorn and obloquy on the judges of the Nobel Prize for NOT recognizing the genius of Halldor Laxness, because they did! In 1955! So it's the anglophone readers and publishers who get the blame for the fact that hardly any of his books were translated or distributed in America until recently. This neglect has been corrected now by Vintage International, with half a dozen excellent translations on bookshelves near you, or at least on amazon.

Laxness is a modern viking, though as far as I know he never sailed in a dragon ship. His world is the viking world, stretching from Scandinavia across the North Atlantic to Iceland and in the book "Paradise Reclaimed" as far west as Utah. But the scene for most of his work, and most of the book "Iceland's Bell", is his native Iceland, which he knows to the smallest crevice of space or time. This novel is set at the end of the 17th Century, when Iceland was the grittiest outpost of the Danish Kingdom, a land of stark poverty and stubborn self-image. This was the era when the Icelandic sagas were rediscovered by antiquarians; one of the chief characters is in fact a collector of fragmented manuscripts from cow sheds and church cellars across Iceland. The effort rescued from oblivion all the sagas that we now cherish, at the cost of looting them from Iceland to museums in Denmark and England.

A little familiarity with the style and content of the Icelandic sagas is of great help in understanding Laxness's novels,especially "Iceland's Bell". Perhaps more than a help, almost a necessity, like a little knowledge of the Christian Bible is a necessity for appreciating Milton, Melville, or Mann. Laxness's style comes straight from Njall's Saga - hard-bitten, no fluff, grimly humorous, highly allusive. Emotions are never cheap in the sagas or in Laxness. Melodrama would be incomprehensible to a viking. Every character in "Iceland's Bell" exactly fills all the personal space allotted him or her, and fiercely resents any meddling intrusion; there is little tenderness or compassion, and what there is of such feelings is treated with suspicion. Some readers will conclude that Laxness's world is too grim to make enjoyable reading, but along with his grimness he offers absolute emotional honesty and a fabulously dry, sly sense of humor. If you don't find yourself laughing, or at least smiling bitterly, by page five, you probably should read something else.

There's also a lot of history in Laxness's work, and this book alludes frequently to the histories both of Iceland and of Denmark. That may cause difficulties for readers who insist on understanding every allusion, in which case I'd urge them to read one of Laxness's other novels: "Paradise Reclaimed", "The Fish Could Sing", or "The Atom Station".

Despite all those caveats, I love this novel. It's one of my favorites of all 20th C fiction. Here's a little sample; three farmers are being held in a dark cold cell, awaiting punishment for various infractions:

"It's an honor to be beheaded," said Holmfastur Gudmundsson. "Even a little churl becomes a man by being beheaded. A little churl can recite a verse as he's being taken to the chopping block.... and his name will live on as long as the land is inhabited. On the contrary, a man who is flogged is belittled. There's no man so gallant who is not humiliated by the whip."
"I wasn't belittled in the least be being flogged," said Jon Hreddvidsson. "and nobody laughed at me. I was the only one who laughed."
"It does nothing to a man, to the man himself, to be flogged," said Asbjorn Joakimsson. "But you can't deny that it must be slightly disturbing for the man's children to learn, when they've grown up, that their father was once flogged....I have three little girls. But after three or four generations, it's forgotten. At least I don't imagine that Asbjorn Joakimsson is such a remarkable name that it will be written in books... I'm like every other nameless man, healthy today, dead tomorrow..."

Three or four generations!?! That's Iceland.

Halldor Laxness is probably one of the most obscure Nobel Literature Prize winners a native reader of English can encounter. He lived into his nineties, and his writing spanned much of the 20th Century. Like many of Laxness's books, Iceland's Bell has not been available in English until very recently, and it is a shame that it has not.

Rather than summarizing the plot, I will simply note that Iceland's Bell dates from the period immediately following World War II, during which Iceland finally obtained her independence after centuries of rule by other Scandinavian countries (first Norway and then, after 1380, Denmark). Although Iceland's Bell is set in the 1600s, the tone of the stinging criticism of Iceland's colonial rulers uttered by several of the novel's characters is like the two-headed Byzantine eagle, looking forward and back at the same time. The general sentiment of the novel is that Iceland's people have been, under colonial rule, more like prisoners of the unforgiving land than true inheritors of that land, strangely haunted by their unique cultural heritage while not completely aware of its breadth and depth -- the ongoing search for written remnants of Icelandic saga and ballads and the transport and sale of those remnants away from Iceland and Icelanders is criticized, as is the Danish monopoly on Iceland's whale-oil trade and the periodic looting of priceless metallic artifacts (which are treated as mere raw material to fuel the Danish crown's incessant warfare). One gets the impression that Laxness is fighting a rearguard action against all colonialism in the way that he describes the capricious interference of the Danish crown into the indigenous affairs of Iceland's own executive and judicial systems, prompted by some misguided sense of "we must save those poor Icelanders from themselves" ("White Man's Burden" redux?).

I didn't know much about Iceland, in the "macro" sense, before reading Iceland's Bell. I probably still can't claim that I do, in spite of all the authentic touches employed in this translation (such as retaining the original Icelandic spelling of the names of most places on the island). But I have been left with the impression of a people who are quite like my own Irish kinsmen -- stubbornly proud of their heritage even as they recover from the effects of a predatory colonial regime. Not even adding six extra letters to the "normal" alphabet can make the characters I have read in "Iceland's Bell" seem like strangers to me.

I read Independent People a few years ago, after returning from a trip to Iceland and was intrigued. I enjoyed this novel more than Independent People, which I liked a lot. It's much faster moving and loaded with interesting characters that I really got into. After seeing the prosperity of modern-day Iceland, it's amazing to consider how poor off the country was, not even that long ago. The condition of the people is every bit as bleak as the landscape Laxness paints in Iceland's Bell. I won't try to summarize the story, as other reviewers have already done that.

The novel draws you in and keeps you there the entire time. I hated to have it end. What more do you want in a book? I see several more Laxness novels have been translated, so I think I'll order a couple more. Try reading one of the sagas, such as Njall's Saga before reading Iceland's Bell, you'll get a better appreciation for the importance of those early writings in Iceland's history and culture, and enjoy the book even more. If you enjoy Steinbeck, give Laxness a try. You'll be glad you did.

I recommend this fantastic book to anyone intersted in Iceland. Forget the other guide books, none of them compare to this complete guideto Iceland.

"This is simply the best guide for the independent traveler yet published. The information is cogent, well organized and well presented - especially for anyone who wants to fly to Iceland, rent a car and just explore the country independently without a set itinerary. The nine chapters divide the country into geographical sections organized around the "Ring Road" (the highway which encircles the country) and are packed with pertinent facts and interesting information. The choices are laid out knowledgably and interestingly. There are numerous maps showing auto routes, hiking trails and places of interest. There are suggested walks and sidebars on Icelandic history and nature in each chapter plus a fact file in the back that tells you everything else you need to know. The chapter on Reykjavík not only includes a multitude of things to do in the capital itself, but outlines suggested interesting day excursions one can make by car or bus with Reykjavík as home base... really great for the first time visitor unfamiliar with distances and the time it takes to travel them. Another chapter focuses on traveling through the uninhabited highlands and includes detailed maps and notes on auto routes, jeep routes, walking trails, mountain huts, camping areas and more. Author Cathy Harlow, lives in Iceland, has trained there as a tour guide and since 1987 has shared her enthusiasm for the country with hundreds of visitors. Perhaps that is why the Landmark Visitors Guide so beautifully intuits exactly what the independent traveler needs to know. This is a wonderful guidebook and long overdue.....

Having just spent more than 2 weeks in Iceland, I've had a good opportunity to see which guides worked and which ones didn't. To begin with, Cathy Harlow's excellent book is more along the lines of the DK Guidebooks: excellent pictures, printed on heavy glossy paper, and short on up-to-date, detailed info on accommodations and restaurants.

In other words, this is a book to read and enjoy BEFORE going to Iceland, but it takes up too much weight for the info it conveys. Let's face it, the 20-kilo weight restriction for international flights, together with the even more severe practical limitations for people who use public transportation where there are no porters or native bearers are strong reasons to travel as light as possible.

Nonetheless, I enjoyed reading this book and would strongly recommend both the texts and photographs as an excellent introduction to a fascinating travel destination. Used in conjunction with the Rough Guide to Iceland or, even better, the updated Lonely Planet Guide to Iceland, Greenland, and the Faroe Islands, it is a worthwhile book to read and to keep for reference.

I bought this book after I'd been here for a couple of months. Luckily, I already had the Lonely Planet's Guide to Greenland, Iceland and the Faroe Islands. The Landmark Guide has good pictures, but not much else. I'd only recommend it if you already have the Lonely Planet Guide and some experience with the island. It will not help you find a good hotel or good restaurant, and for some reasons skips a lot of the good places to see. A big disappointment.

The hardest thing for me to find in a guide book is a good balance between what is written and the pictures. I hate lenghty descriptions. This book does it better than any other I have seen - really outstanding pictures that save many words describing the locations, simple maps but enough to give you an idea and a lot of helpful advice and tips. Really feel that if you are only going to buy one book to plan your trip to Iceland - this should be it.

This is a great reference! It is written by "The Expert" in the field and is both factual and interesting! If you like reading about the vikings---look no further!!

If you're looking for a book which discusses various aspects of the culture and society of Medieval Iceland, look no further! I found this book to be a wonderful read, providing many of the details I was looking for. It does just what a good book should do imho - provide valuable insight AND additional references to other books which illuminate others areas I'm interested in.

Jesse Byock's work provides a fresh insight into a fascinating subject. A "must read" for anyone interested in the vikings and medieval Scandanavia.

The twilight world of the great Icelandic sagas can be difficult for an outsider to understand. We are so fixated on the values of the Western European mainland that it is easy for us to overlook Iceland's many contributions. The great 13th century sagas like Burnt Njal, Laxdaela, and Egil are high water marks of medieval literature -- far more sophisticated than the Arthurian fantasies circulating in Britain and France at the time.

To read and understand these sagas properly, one requires a key. And this is precisely the value of Byock's work: It places the sagas in a societal context and shows us that -- while Europe was stuck in a feudal rut -- Iceland was a unique republic in which power was distributed among many 30-50 chieftains. If a chieftain failed to be responsive, a landowner could change his allegiance to another, irrespective of his location. Because there were no standing armies in the time of the sagas, it was the responsiveness of the chieftain in assisting with disputes that was the prime determinant of his power, and not brute force.

Byock shows us how the system worked by a series of helpful extended examples taken directly from the sagas. These are by far the best parts of the book. Read this book, and you will see that at the heart of the great sagas are tales of how conflicts were resolved, sometimes over a period of many generations. Although many lives were lost, the fabric of society remained whole and relatively undisturbed because a consensus was finally reached.

I look forward to reading Byock's other Icelandic book on Feud in the Icelandic Saga.

If you're looking for a book which discusses various aspects of the culture and society of Medieval Iceland, look no further! I am finding this book to be a wonderful read, providing many of the details I was looking for. It does just what a good book should do imho - provide valuable insight AND additional references to other books which illuminate other areas I am interested in.

A little long, and it jumps around in time, and it can go off on tangents, but gives a nice feel for the history of Iceland and it was helpful to read before a trip to Iceland.

I greatly enjoyed this book. It was fun to read and very interesting from a historical point of view. I'm going to Iceland soon and I feel that I understand the background and culture of the country better than before I read this book.
I highly recommend it !

This book was much more pleasant to read in many ways than most history books. It blends history with various cultural aspects such as sausage making and other traditional pasttimes and holidays. As a result, it does quite a bit to soften the sometimes drier moments of history. It is one of the few history books I have read that make me feel I would know something useful about a place if I were to travel there. Also, because the historical aspect is why I bought the book, I was not to be disappointed, the Cod Wars, the Settlement, Christianization, it is all there along with an especially interesting section on the first settlement of Greenland. I recommend this book.

If you are looking for a well-organized history of Iceland, you probably don't want this one. I get the feeling that the author wants it both ways: to be folksy AND legitimate. It doesn't fly. . . I have read several books on Iceland and this is my least favorite. ...

This book is an excellant assortment of history, culture, and personal experience. Each chapter can stand by itself but all the chapters tie in together. The details in this book are amazing. It is great for anyone who is interested in learning more about Iceland and it's rich cultural and historical background. Also, for research, it is set up in such a way that you can find exactly what information you are looking for quickly. This is my favorite book about Iceland so far. It was the most well organized and comprehensive.

This book had everything you could want in a book. It included murder, adventure, history, and mystery. I can't wait to read the next books by this author.

I really enjoy reading Finn Zwake books, and this mystery in itself is intriguining. Finn and his mystery-writer Uncle Stoppard are on a trip to Iceland chasing the last reminants of rumors as to where Finn's parents are. Of course they have to go somewhere potentially dangerous, this time it is the Haunted City of Tquuli. Finn isn't spooked about the legends about the Haunted City and the Vikings that once lived there. That is, he isn;t spooked until a member of their rock-climbing expadition vanishes while hanging off the side of a mountain in a sleeping bag... another disapperence and some odd footprints...
Ah ha! Now see how alluring it is. Believe me all is explained and if you read carefully and think critically you might just solve the mystery before hand. Enjoy!

I really enjoy reading Finn Zwake books, and this mystery in itself is intriguining. Finn and his mystery-writer Uncle Stoppard are on a trip to Iceland chasing the last reminants of rumors as to where Finn's parents are. Of course they have to go somewhere potentially dangerous, this time it is the Haunted City of Tquuli. Finn isn't spooked by the legends about the Haunted City and the Vikings that once lived there. That is, he isn;t spooked until a member of their rock-climbing expadition vanishes while hanging off the side of a mountain in a sleeping bag... another disapperence and some odd footprints...
Ah ha! Now see how alluring it is. Believe me all is explained and if you read carefully and think critically you might just solve the mystery before hand. Enjoy!

The Viking Claw like many of the other Finnegan Zwake Mysteries is very interesting to read. Micheal Dahl just keeps you guessing until the very end. In The Viking Claw, Dahl fills the book with useful facts from history and also to techniques in mountain climbing. Once you pick this book up and read a chapter you will never put it down again. In this book you start to think one person is the killer when another is causing the mischief. The person you least expect comes out at the very end as the crook. So I would highly recommmend it.

When Finnegan Zwake and his famous mystery-writing uncle, Stoppard Sterling, go on an exhibition to Iceland in order to find Finn's parents and to discover the lost Viking city of Tquuli (pronounced too-cool-ee), they aren't sure what they'll find. But from the moment the plane lands (and Stoppard ends up with mints up his large nose) things start to get intersting. The two Minnesotans are introduced to the King of Ice Cubes and his wife, who are tagging along on this exhibition so that they can find new ice for their famous cube company: Roobick's Cubes (which can make even the most terrible soda taste good). After that, they meet the rest of their crew (none of whom would seem like the murderous type). Finn even makes a new Icelandic friend: Hrór Hrolfson. The climb is going great, and they are almost to Thor's Belly Button (where Finn's parents were last seen) when one of the members of the dig vanishes from his sleeping bag--which wouldn't be so odd if the sleeping bag was on the ground. But this one was on a "hammock" hanging to the side of an icy cliff 100 feet about the snowy ground. Once they reach Thor's Naval, will they be able to solve this strange mystery? Or will it lead them to even more mysteries and murders? Find out in this exciting volume in Finnegan Zwake Mysteries! This book was so funny and thrilling! If you read the first three, you need to read this one right away. It leaves you dying to read the next book, The Coral Coffin, which will not be out until probably November. I recommend this for fans of humorous books and mysteries.

It's not easy to dive cold into the world of the Icelandic saga. One of the advantages of reading HRAFNKEL'S SAGA and the shorter sagas and tales in this volume is that you get a good idea of the best of the genre in less than 150 pages. According to Magnus Magnusson in his excellent book ICELAND SAGA, "it is nothing short of a masterpiece, a brilliantly wrought short novel that has been published and translated and written about more than any other saga."

Given that, what can you expect? In the strange world of the Icelandic saga, there is little mention of the deity other than in passing: To the Icelanders of the classic age, all that mattered is what strength and cunning and stamina YOU had, and whether you could rely upon any stouthearted friends of like mettle in a pinch. At the heart of every saga are one or more conflicts. The better man does not always win; justice does not always triumph. Hrafnkel is heroic, but he is no hero: In our time, he would be a convicted felon for slaughtering his shepherd Einar. In the age of the Vikings, he was a stern man of his word in whom people could rely.

Curiously, even in today's Iceland, adherence to the Judaeo-Christian tradition is seen only as an alternative, one imposed from without. The minister at the pulpit is as likely to discuss Hrafnkel and the other great Saga heroes as he is the Gospels. In a way, the sagas are taken as scripture.

The oddest thing of all is that most of them were probably written by Medieval monks: Christianity there underwent a strange sea change into something rich and strange.

So as you read these instructive tales, consider that they represent a different world view in a tiny island nation whose people know them by heart. The Icelandic language today is virtually identical to the Old Norse spoken by the first settlers of Iceland. Imagine if English were identical to the Anglo-Saxon of BEOWULF!

This short volume provides a good introduction to the area of Icelandic Saga literature. Centring around Hrafnkel's Saga, but including six other bite-size tales, the style of writing may be a little dry for some tastes. However, for me, the plain-speaking narrative reflects a harsh way of life on the North Atlantic island. The action revolves around individuals, their families and followers, and reveals a surprisingly political edge to early life in Iceland. It is not a case of epic plots - the issues are at a personal level. These tales were recorded for a later audience , perhaps as salutory tales - instructions, not just stories. The characters are often abrupt in word and deed, but I found this a refreshing, and often amusing, change from less prosaic fantasy adventures - after all, these are (mostly) real people, and real life. This book encouraged me to read more sagas, and I haven't been disappointed.

The best way to start reading the realist fiction of medieval Iceland is to read the short stories. Slowly acclimating oneself to Icelandic literature with small doses will definitely yield greater enjoyment when the you decide to tackle the sometimes lengthy and tedious masterpieces of the genre (Njal's Saga, Egil's Saga, Laxdaela Saga, The Saga of the Volsungs, Gisli's Saga, etc). These stories are from thirteenth century, the Golden Age of Saga writing, and explore the key themes and values of Medieval Icelandic culture. Often, Icelandic stories describe actual historical events (with liberal use of the imagination). The seven stories in this volume can be divided into two groups. "Hrafnkel's Saga", "Thorsteein the Staff-Struck", and "Ale-Hood" are set in the native Iceland. While "Hreidar the Fool", "Halldor Snorrason", "Audun's Story", and "Ivar's Story" describe the adventures of Icelanders at the royal courts of Norway and Denmark (8). This volume has extensive and useful footnotes, a wonderful introduction, lists of characters (for even the short stories have tons of names), and maps.

"Hrafnkel's Saga" is the longest story in the volume and is structured similarly to the longer sagas. It follows the actions of Chief Hrafnkel (a real historical person) and the conflict that emerges between him and Bjarni. The fued begins when Hrafnkel's kills Bjarni's kinsman who rode Hrafnkel's special horse. This story introduces key features of Icelandic society: the Althing, the Law-Rock, lawyers, and lengthy family feuds.

The story of "Thorstein the Staff Struck" follows similar lines. A vicious feud begins at a horse fight when Thorstein does not avenge his honor when Thord (a servant of another man named Bjarni) strikes him with a horse goad. This time women play a major role in manipulating their husband to continue the feud. Bjarni's wife Rannveig prods her husband into fighting a duel with Thorstein. The key feature of this lengthy feud is the conflict that arises over new and Old Icelandic traditions. Bjarni and Thorstein clearly doe not want to fight to the death, which should normally happen in this situation. Thorstein's father who adheres to the older values prods him on.

The short story "Ale-Hood" centers on a central point of conflict in many Icelandic sagas, the breaking of the law. Ale-Hood, a poor carpenter and blacksmith, accidentally burns down a forest (more like a few shrubs considering Iceland has no real trees). Thorstein decides to defend Ale-Hood against the property owners of the forest and the rest of the story describes the exchange of insults and eventual reconciliation.

"Hreidar the Fool" is the first of the stories in the volume that take place primarily abroad. The plot follows events at the court of King Magnus of Norway with Thord and his brother Heidar the Fool the main characters. Thord continually attempts to keep Heidar from messing up his own relation ship with the King. However, the King is interested in the "big-built man, ugly and with the look of a criminal, and immensely strong; but [...] very even-tempered" (97). This story illuminates for the reader the importance of traveling away from Iceland and the relations between Icelanders (who had no Kings) and the kings of the lands of their ancestors. Travel was a way to become immensely wealthy and respected.

"Halldor Snorrason" furthers the exploration of the conflicts that arise between Kings and Icelanders who have chosen to travel to their courts and become liegemen. Here, a man name Bard spreads false accusations against Halldor (an Icelander) about his disloyalty to King Harald of Norway.

"Audun's Story" is by far the most entertaining and interesting. The main character, Audun, decides to travel to Greenland and spend all his money on a massive exotic polar bear. He then decides to give this amazing gift to the King of Denmark - stopping along the way at the court of the King of Norway who is at war with the Danish sovereign. Audun's gift giving transcends the personal animosities between the two Kings and eventually brings about the return to a semblance dialogue between them. This story is a mere 7 pages but has extraordinary depth and a very interesting (and unique) subject matter.

The last story, "Ivar's Story" (3 pages long) describes without much conflict Ivar's relationship with King Eystein of Norway and his desire to return to his native country.

The word "saga" doesn't necessarily mean a long story. This book collects seven of the Icelandic classics into about a hundred pages, plus some historical commentary by the translator.

Iceland around 1000 AD was a remarkable place. It was a rough, Norse culture, but had an effective democracy and system of courts. Many sagas, including most of these, are dramatic stories of pride and revenge. That still leaves room for courtroom manueverings (as in the Ale-Hood story), for protection by powerful lords (as in Hreidar the Fool), and for several kinds of uneasy peace (as in Halldor Snorrason).

Hrafnkel's Saga is by far the longest in the collection, and the widest ranging. Fortunes are made, upset, and reversed again. Revenge is hot and bitter. It's almost a soap opera, with tales of adventure mixed in. That's probably why these stories have lasted through all those centuries when story-telling was the form for recalling history and for passing the long Nordic winters.

The translations are smooth and readable, and the stories are exciting. This is a brief, enjoyable, and thought-provoking read. It's also an enjoyable introduction to this wonderful tradition of stories.

//wiredweird

Hrafnkel's Saga is one of the classics of Icelandic literature, and for good reason. It tells the story of a man with a not-too-pleasant character who must endure--and learn from--the misfortune caused by his own actions. Hrankel's Saga is very rich in terms of the insight it gives into Old Icelandic society and its understanding of honor and justice.

As is usual for the family saga genre, the writing style is spare and terse. Much is implied rather than stated outright, and a close reading is often necessary to catch the subtleties of characterization. Because of its short length, Hrafnkel is a great place to begin saga reading, even better in my opinion than the similarly short but more "romantic" Gunnlaug's saga which is often the first saga assigned to beginning students. I've read both several times, both in English and in Old Icelandic, and I find Hranfkel's Saga much more complex and satisfying.

Kari's Saga is a very well written, easy read, very informative story about life, society, law & justice and government in Iceland, and to some extent, the Nordic world in the 1000AD era. The accuracy seems very crediable. The story is fast moving with excellent character portrayal and an interesting and believable story line. The evolution of law, government and religion is akin to what seemingly is going on in Iraqi today even to the extent of taking the law into ones own hands. I would recommend to anyone who enjoys history conbined with a suspensefull story. You will not be able to put it down.

Kari's Saga is excellent. Very readable and yet intricate so I will enjoy reading it again in the future. I was fascinated to learn about the verbal law system and other attributes of the ancient civilization.

I feel that Kari's Saga as a very well done Historical Novel is better history than many "histories" in that most histories have a significant amount of fiction, speculation and down right errors that are not admitted while the narration in this book ties the historical facts together and makes it most readable.

Kari's Saga unfolds the tribulations of a young Viking warrior. The story moves rapidly fueled by the energy of a complex legal code in conflict with Viking honor, loyalty versus treachery, and a struggle for dominance between Pagan beliefs and late blooming Christianity. The author has meticulously researched the Viking society and legal systems of Iceland of the period 1000 A.D. providing a completely credible backdrop for his richly developed cast of characters. Excellent debut historical novel, a first rate saga.

"Kári's Saga" tells the story of a young warrior-turned-farmer living in early medieval Iceland. The adventure is fast-paced, the characters are vividly portrayed and the action should satisfy all but the most jaded player of video games. There is love and lust, trust and betrayal, and violence never far from the surface. The author has done his homework on Icelandic society of the times and lawyer-readers will appreciate the more or less continuous litigation, but perhaps not the clear difference between law and justice evident in the Althing procedings. The story builds to a strong climax with more than one surprise.

I have many of Bruce McMillan's stories each of them stands alone as wonderful additions to a class library. Especially the Problem with Chickens, it was clever, kind and funny. My class of third graders loved it. It is a class favorite now.

Let's say you have a favorite artist that you have discovered all on your own. Your favorite artist is Icelandic and likes to paint chickens. You, in contrast, are an author/illustrator of children's books. Normally, you illustrate your own work. In this particular case, however, you have decided to convince your favorite artist that they should put their paintings into your newest picture book. Now, if they refuse then you are no poorer off then you were at the start. However, if they agree you might end up with something along the lines of, "The Problem With Chickens". Written by Maine resident Bruce McMillan and illustrated by Icelandic one-namer Gunnella, this book is the duo's first collaboration and (in both cases) best-known work. Chickens are inherently silly fowl, and in this book they become rather adorable to boot. One of the finest examples of chicken/Icelandic women relationships.

Now there once was a small Icelandic village that had a problem. Though there were plenty of eggs nearby, they were laid primarily by the wild birds that nested in the crags of the cliffs where the female villagers could not reach them. As a solution, the women decided to buy some chickens from the big city. At first this arrangement worked out well. The chickens were happy and the women were getting lots of yummy eggs. Unfortunately, this all changed when the chickens stopped acting chickens at all and began imitating the women. Even then, the women didn't mind. That is, until the chickens stopped laying eggs. Desperate times call for desperate measures, so the women come up with a solution. They slyly teach the chickens to exercise, then bodily throw them into the air to remind them what they are. Before long, the chickens are laying their eggs on the cliffs like the other Icelandic birds, but now the ladies have a solution to this problem. A solution, and a new method of chicken-related travel.

McMillan was a fan of Gunnella's art long before they collaborated on this particular work together. Somehow when I read the review of this book in the New York Times, I fell under the impression that Gunnella had created the illustrations entirely on her own and Bruce McMillan had constructed a story around them. This is only partly true. Says McMillan on his website, "With so many paintings with chickens I knew I could develop a story. I did and Gunnella liked it. Then Gunnella filled in the few gaps where we needed new art". I would like to be able to say that the fact that most of these pictures came about before McMillan wrote a story for them isn't obvious. Unfortunately, when you pick up the book and read through it you often find yourself frowning slightly over pictures that don't quite match their narratives. At one point the text says that the chickens were happy with the women and that the, "ladies were overjoyed to have so many eggs for cooking. Their cakes were delicious. That is when the problem started". The picture that accompanies these words, however, is of a woman holding a child on her lap. There are chickens in the background, yes. And eggs are in the woman's basket. But there aren't any cakes (bread and croissants instead) and the picture really strikes you more as a work of art than a scene in a book. People will debate me over whether or not this is really a problem. Is it a crime for art to look like art in a picture book? Of course not! But it has to make sense with the text. And in this case, it fails to do so.

None of this is to say that the art is bad. Not a bit of it. It's charming. Some of these paintings (like the one that appears when the chickens first stop laying any eggs) are really extraordinarily beautiful. It's not difficult to understand why McMillan loved Gunnella's work long before the two collaborated on this together. The chickens are especially adorable. With their beady little eyes and inquisitive expressions, it's not hard to find yourself wishing for more chicken pics. I was especially fond of the illustration in which the chickens sing with the women to the sheep. Their little mouths are open in an "O" shape and the sheep look mighty contented. It is a little off-putting, though, that some of the pictures are painted on canvasses with a lot of texture (as with the last image in the book) and some are painted without any texture at all.

And then there's the text itself. So let's review: The chickens stop laying eggs so the women come up with a "very clever idea". They get the chickens to exercise, then throw them in the air and say, "Remember, you are birds". The chickens then, for some reason, decide that because they are birds they must nest on the cliffs where the other Icelandic birds would go. That makes sense, but the way in which McMillan presents this information is a bit herky-jerky. It feels, quite frankly, like a translation. Plot ideas jump about so quickly that it's hard to follow the book's linear structure. I mean, why were the chickens imitating the women? Did they like them or envy them? Did they think it would be more fun to act like humans? I'll give McMillan this much. When the chickens stop laying the book reads, "That's when the ladies said, `We have a problem'." I love that line.

The book is beautiful and might actually make for a rather nice readaloud. It's just silly enough to entice some of the younger brood. However, none of this is to say that it's one of the better written titles. McMillan is just too herky-jerky with his plotting and writing to allow this puppy to proceed smoothly. It's a lovely little book, but certainly an odd one. Pleasant but I would also love to see Gunnella pair with a different author someday.

Really good book for the younger set. Even as an adult I found it intersting and funny.

This is one of my three-year-old daughter's favorite books. The expressions on the faces of the ladies, who are caring for some upstart chickens, are so funny and endearing. And you can't help but admire the ladies' pluck and creativity in solving their unusual problem. Also, the drawings of the Icelandic landscape are beautiful and make me yearn to see it for real someday.

This is a terrific study of an often overlooked subject. Truly groundbreaking work in fact. If you are trying to understand women in literature, this is a great study to look at.

As far as Garland compliations go, this is one of the better ones. Collected essays span topics from goddesses and eddic lore to the roles of everyday women in the sagas. A couple exceptional articles, many quite good, an essay wrought with 1970's feminist theory I honestly could not wade through. Overall worth a read for divergent takes on Women in Norse Culture.

"Cold Counsel" is an outstanding collection of essays on Norse women. I found many of the articles thought-provoking and informative. It's still very difficult to find good information on Viking Age women - some of the best research is only published as journal articles, and it's only in the past 4-5 years that books on the topic of Norse women have begun to appear. This volume is fairly expensive, but very well worth it for anyone studying women in the Viking Age. Articles include:

(1) Introduction: "og eru köld kvenna ráð"; (2) "En hon er blandin mjök": Women and Insults in Old Norse Literature; (3) Hildigunnr's Lament; (4) Women's Voices in Old Norse Literature: The Case of Trójumanna saga; (5) Taming the Shrew: The Rise of Patriarchy and the Subordination of the Feminine in Old Norse Literature; (6) The Re-emergence of Women's Voices in Icelandic Literature, 1500-1800; (7) Vikings Westward to Vinland: The Problem of Women; (8) "Þegi Þú, Þórr!": Gender, Class, and Discourse in Þrymskviða; (9) Fathers, Mothers, and Daughters: "Hver er að ráða?"; (10) A Good Day's Work: Laxdoela saga, ch. 49; (11) Women's Counsel in the Riddarasögur: The Case of Parcevals saga; (12) The Woman Who Knows: Female Characters of Eyrbyggja saga; (13) Male Bonding, Female Body: The Absenting of Woman in "Bisclaretz ljóð"; (14) Ambiguously Gendered: The Skalds Jórunn, Auðr and Steinunn; (15) Women Outside: Discourse of Community in Hávamál; (16) Saga World and Nineteenth-Century Iceland: The Case of Women Farmers.

Having read the first edition of this book,Rob Armstrong has expanded his book in the 3rd Edition to produce an essential guide to all Irish golf courses,tours to see the best of the country,hotels,and restaurants.I heartily recommend this book to those who are taking golf holidays in Ireland. Donald Holmes.

Very personal acoount of the author's favorite Irish golf courses. I bought the book to help plan my Irish golf vacation. Just about everything he said about the courses, I agreed with. He rants about shabby treatment towards Americans & women at some courses that we did not experience. Some of the phone numbers are now out of date and the book could really use a map of Ireland with the location of the golf courses. Excellent reference book, but not the bible of Irish golf.

I found this book to be a very useful resource in planning my golf vacation to Ireland. He covers courses by county - my one criticism of the book is that there is no map to help you plan your itinerary. I had to buy a more general guidebook for Ireland with a map to plan our itinerary. Other than that, Rob Armstrong is very familiar with Ireland and the golf courses covered. His descriptions of the courses are thorough and enticing. I like the fact that he covers all of the major/well known courses, but many lesser known, excellent courses that you wouldn't ordinarily hear about. This book is well worth investing in.