What Life Was Like When Longships Sailed: Vikings Ad 800-1100 (What Life Was Like Series)

Rating:
Summary: Bad
Review: Hello,
I am very disturbed with this book. I am a mother of two and have written three books. I am disgusted by the information. It is all opionated. I do not recommend that you read this book. Thank you

Rating:
Summary: DEFINITELY NOT FOR THE KIDS!
Review: I own ten WLWL books and most are entertaining, but I found this one to be somewhat bizarre. As with all books in this series you will enjoy beautiful color imagery. There are numerous examples of Viking artifacts - household objects, swords, clothing, longships, intricate wood carvings and the like. The text focuses on daily lives, settlements, and Viking ingenuity. Particular attention is paid to their vicious, warlike nature and the various mythological gods and pagan rituals surrounding them. Here I was struck by some overt and completely gratuitous sexual references. A few examples:"(The god) Rig was greeted by a man in his prime called Father, who was...beside an elegant woman called Mother, who sat admiring her...As was his custom, Rig stayed three nights and slept between the couple in their bed. Nine months later Mother gave birth to a boy..." This scenario is repeated several times; on page 28 Rig impregnates a great-grandmother! All of this comes from myth preserved in the Icelandic poem Rigsthula, but with the vast wealth of Viking lore to choose from, why would the author select this information? Pages 74-76 detail the cremation of a Rus chieftain and an unwilling slave girl. "The slave girl drank herself into a stupor...before being put to death she visited the tents of several men close to the chieftain and had intercourse with them...at the last moment the victim appeared to waver...Two men held her feet and two grasped her hands, while the Angel of Death looped a cord around her neck and gave the crossed ends to the other two men for them to pull. Then the old woman seized a broad-bladed dagger and plunged it repeatedly between the victim's ribs, and the men tightened the cord until she was dead..." Time-Life has long been a trusted source for young readers. Unfortunately, explicit references (without a hint on the dust jacket or table of contents) make this book a poor choice for them and a potential embarrassment as a gift. In addition, though the photos and drawings are great, the text sometimes gets a little boring even for adults. Recommended only for mature readers with a very strong interest in this subject.

Rating:
Summary: The best book in the series other than Egypt
Review: When I read this book I became obsessed with vikings, everyone who likes mideaval history HAS to read this book.