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Reviews
American Vikings: How the Norse Sailed into the Lands and Imaginations of America by Martyn Whittock
storykotori's review
1.75
Disappointed. I expected a more in depth dive into history and sociology. It felt like a rehash of common knowledge and things found easily on an afternoon browsing wiki.
The first half had a few interesting points, but the second half was 90% filler to make the book longer.
I don't really need a list of every MCU movie with a Norse Pantheon character or a recap of said movie's plot. Not tedious enough? Let's list every character and coresponding actor in any series from Vinland Saga to American Gods.
The first half had a few interesting points, but the second half was 90% filler to make the book longer.
I don't really need a list of every MCU movie with a Norse Pantheon character or a recap of said movie's plot. Not tedious enough? Let's list every character and coresponding actor in any series from Vinland Saga to American Gods.
hotskeletonwinter's review against another edition
4.0
This book discusses the ship routes taken by the peoplx we call ‘Vikings’ and also the long fascination we’ve had with them. We know they were the first to discover America. The sagas aren’t just stories, they contain actual history; some of the places mentioned are thought to be places in America, and Canada. What is it about these ancient peoplx that fascinates us so much? This book delves into that question, exploring the many things they are found in today, including sports, movies, tv shows, comic books. It also talks about the darker side of this obsession. Think the American Nazi Party in the 1930s, fascism then and now, not just in America but other countries as well; the ‘QAnon Shaman’ from January 6, 2021 at the Capitol is also mentioned. Very interesting historical read but the question remains: why the obsession?
beth_simmons's review
adventurous
informative
slow-paced
3.25
I learned some things about Vikings and their history in North America, as well as their current influence on US culture, and it was a fairly easy read, but I honestly found it difficult to stay engaged and it felt a little bit like academia geared toward the masses.
michaelmarshall's review
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
Moderate: Genocide, Hate crime, Racism, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Xenophobia, Religious bigotry, and War