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Title: The Vikings - Wolves of War

Subtitle: Critical Issues in World and International History

Author: Martin Arnold

Narrator: Todd Curless

Format: Unabridged

Length: 4 hrs and 26 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-09-16

Publisher: University Press Audiobooks

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 1 votes

Genres: History, European

Publisher's Summary:

This concise and balanced history traces the 300-year saga of the pirates and warlords who poured out of Scandinavia between the eighth and 11th centuries, terrorizing, conquering, and ultimately settling vast tracts of land throughout Europe. Undaunted by the might of the Arab caliphates and the Byzantine Empire, they founded Russia, originated the bloodline that came to rule France, and created a North Sea empire that included England. They also established settlements across the North Atlantic, notably in Iceland and Greenland, and their adventurous spirit and extraordinary seafaring skills led them to explore and briefly build colonies in North America. These were the Vikings, initially ferocious pagan warriors seeking land and booty under the banners of their gods, but eventually belligerent Christian kings commanding vast armies.

Martin Arnold provides a lively and accessible account of the early medieval period that became known as the Viking Age. Arnold vividly illustrates the two faces of the Vikings: on the one hand, savage, greedy, and implacable; on the other, adventurous, innovative, and artistic.

Critic Reviews:

"The Vikings: Wolves of War will provide readers with an accessible and learned account of the Viking Age, distilling current scholarship on the subject into an enjoyable and stimulating narrative." (Phil Cardew)

"A remarkable and up-to-date survey of the Viking Age, covering both Viking history and culture.... The book is authoritative yet written in an accessible and highly readable narrative style. " (History In Review)

"The most accessible and up-to-date account currently available of the Viking phenomenon." (Thomas Shippey)

Members Reviews:

A Pretty Neat Trick Denies a Five-Star Rating

Martin Arnold's new book, The Vikings: Wolves of War, is a splendidly researched and written overview of the entire Viking Age and, as such, stands out as superior in many ways to most general histories of the period. I especially like his sense of organization that allows one chapter to flow into the next in a very organic way.

One of the most enjoyably readable works on the subject I have ever encountered, it is still spoiled by a glaring error [...].

On page 74, Arnold states "When Edward died childless in January 1066, Godwin had little trouble persuading the council of nobles, the witan, to set the crown on the head of his soldierly son, Harold." My first thought was literally, "Pretty neat trick for a guy who'd been dead for thirteen years!" By 1066 Harold Godwinson's reputation as the Earl of Wessx and true power behind the English throne was so well established that he did not need the influence of his father (who had as many enemies as friends by the time of his demise in 1053) to obtain the witan's and, witnesses said, Edward's deathbed blessings.

I understand that little errors can occasionally creep into the works of even the best historians, but this one was of such magnitude that it casts doubt over every other fact presented in the book, making the reader wonder what other errors he or she might have missed. That having been said, the Viking Age, particularly Eleventh Century England, is my area of specialization, so I can say with some authority that I still very highly recommend Arnold's book.