The Vikings (Elite Series)

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Trip to the Viking World
Review: Excellent detail on the construction of ships and the prevalence of archery, as well as the usual info on swords, shields, and armor. I recommend this as a first book on Viking sailing and fighting, as well as to the deeper researcher.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Trip to the Viking World
Review: Excellent detail on the construction of ships and the prevalence of archery, as well as the usual info on swords, shields, and armor. I recommend this as a first book on Viking sailing and fighting, as well as to the deeper researcher.

Rating:
Summary: A great overview of the Viking period!
Review: I have always been a big fan of the Osprey series books, and a fan of Angus MacBride's work.
This book is a good overview of the evolving nature of Viking warfare, from the first raids on the British isles, to the end of the Viking period.
Included is a useful collection of photos of Viking weapons, armour annd other artifacts. But for me, the star of the show was the colour plates, what amazing work! MacBride gives us a diversity of glimpses, such as Viking home-life, building a long ship, the aftermath of a raid, and a great sea-battle, and the end of the Norse adventure in North America.
This is a great book for anyone interested in the Viking period!

Rating:
Summary: Imagine the terror of seeing these guys arrive in your town
Review: Like other books in the Osprey Elite series, this one held my interest throughout. Therefore I finished it very quickly. The illustrations help me visualize what real life Vikings must have looked like.

The description of the Viking rite of "carving-the-blood-eagle" was something that I had never read anywhere before. Imagine the terror of seeing these guys arriving from over the horizon ca. 950 A.D.