Rating: 
Summary: Hilarious, Humane Adventurer
Review: A madcap adventure, with an interesting and sensitively-drawn subtext. Carter performs some "living anthropology/archaeology" by recreating the voyage of Leif Erikkson, making plausible revisions of the historian's accepted version, but for me the most interesting insight might well be to remind us that someone is at home, holding down the fort (or, in this case, holding twin toddlers and a newborn infant) while the Viking (then, or today) is out making his discoveries.
Rating:
Summary: Glad I Read This Book
Review: A thoroughly enjoyable book. This account of a modern day group of (mostly inexperienced) men undertaking to recreate as closely as possible the Viking voyages from Greenland to Newfoundland is written in a mostly light-hearted vein and is liberally sprinkled with bits of Viking lore and history, making it both entertaining and enlightening. Amusing instead of macho. Makes me wish I'd been along on the trip.
Rating:
Summary: Glad I Read This Book
Review: A thoroughly enjoyable book. This account of a modern day group of (mostly inexperienced) men undertaking to recreate as closely as possible the Viking voyages from Greenland to Newfoundland is written in a mostly light-hearted vein and is liberally sprinkled with bits of Viking lore and history, making it both entertaining and enlightening. Amusing instead of macho. Makes me wish I'd been along on the trip.
Rating: 
Summary: On the Viking Trail
Review: As one directly involved in publicizing the second - and triumphant - voyage of the Snorri, and privileged enough to witness in person, its arrival on the shores of L'Anse aux Meadows, I found the book captivating and could not read it fast enough!Hodding Carter paints an original and incredibly entertaining picture of the voyage and managed to keep me in suspense the entire time - even though I already knew the outcome! I was riveted by Hodding's vivid descriptions of the crew's first nights at sea, and touched by his words of devotion to his wife and children. However, I am a little disappointed that the book does not contain any color pictures of the Snorri at sail or the landing at L'Anse aux Meadows (where hundreds of local Newfoundlanders gathered to greet the conquering crew). Sounds nitpicky, but to see the Snorri and crew at full sail was awe inspiring -- almost relegating Hodding and crew to second billing! Nonetheless, the book was skillfully written and thoughfully assembled. The only question I am left with is, how in the world was Hodding Carter able to maintain such a detailed account of the journey considering the Arctic conditions?
Rating:
Summary: the hero as doofus
Review: Finally, a real adventure with a sense of humor and some humility! I just picked up this new book by Hodding Carter and read it straight through. It's the story of Carter's admittedly crazy idea to build a Viking cargo ship ("knarr") and retrace Leif Erikkson's historic voyage discovering North America ("Vinland"). From it's conception as an eccentric lark, born mostly of boredom from working at a post office, to it's successful completion -- Carter raised half a million dollars, built the 50 odd foot boat and sailed all the way from Greenland to Newfoundland over the course of two summers with a mostly inexperienced crew -- the story is hilarious and, at times, moving. Carter's style is uniformly informative, unpretentious and graceful. It was a pleasure to read and got me interested in history in a whole new way! I highly recommend this book. It was especially refreshing to see an addition to the adventure genre completely free from the macho posturing of the so-called adrenaline junkies.
Rating:
Summary: He'll inspire you to dream up your own adventure.
Review: Hodding Carter's tale of his adventures in building and sailing an "authentic" replica of a viking knarr is a wonderful story of how all one needs for adventure is passion and friends. The very best part of this book is that it truly makes you believe that you could have done it yourself or at least that you can make your own crazy dream come true. Too often, the travel adventure stories we read are written by men with more means or skills than the average man can muster. Hodding Carter had no significant sailing skills or money yet he raised over $500,000 and with his passion and research put together a rag-tag group of viking wannabes and assembled a team committed to building their boat and reliving as best possible a true viking voyage. Carter's writing style is quite funny and he in fact makes fun of himself at pretty much every opportunity. His dedication to making the knarr, the voyage, and even his attire as historically accurate is truly admirable and makes for a wonderful read.
Rating:
Summary: He'll inspire you to dream up your own adventure.
Review: Hodding Carter's tale of his adventures in building and sailing an "authentic" replica of a viking knarr is a wonderful story of how all one needs for adventure is passion and friends. The very best part of this book is that it truly makes you believe that you could have done it yourself or at least that you can make your own crazy dream come true. Too often, the travel adventure stories we read are written by men with more means or skills than the average man can muster. Hodding Carter had no significant sailing skills or money yet he raised over $500,000 and with his passion and research put together a rag-tag group of viking wannabes and assembled a team committed to building their boat and reliving as best possible a true viking voyage. Carter's writing style is quite funny and he in fact makes fun of himself at pretty much every opportunity. His dedication to making the knarr, the voyage, and even his attire as historically accurate is truly admirable and makes for a wonderful read.
Rating:
Summary: He'll inspire you to dream up your own adventure.
Review: Hodding Carter's tale of his adventures in building and sailing an "authentic" replica of a viking knarr is a wonderful story of how all one needs for adventure is passion and friends. The very best part of this book is that it truly makes you believe that you could have done it yourself or at least that you can make your own crazy dream come true. Too often, the travel adventure stories we read are written by men with more means or skills than the average man can muster. Hodding Carter had no significant sailing skills or money yet he raised over $500,000 and with his passion and research put together a rag-tag group of viking wannabes and assembled a team committed to building their boat and reliving as best possible a true viking voyage. Carter's writing style is quite funny and he in fact makes fun of himself at pretty much every opportunity. His dedication to making the knarr, the voyage, and even his attire as historically accurate is truly admirable and makes for a wonderful read.
Rating: 
Summary: Something just a bit shy of an Epic Journey
Review: I first became acquainted with the author and his quest from the earliest published excerpts in the Land's End catalogs. Crossing the ice choked Davis Straight in an open Norse boat is no easy feat and such a story well told could be a great book. Somehow the author missed the boat in this book. The development of the individual crew members never really does more than scratch the surface. The maps and photos are interesting, yet the book does not sustain one's interest. I had earlier read and highly recommend Tim Severin's The Brendan Voyage. It's the true story of the crossing of the North Atlantic in a replica leather boat in the effort to recreate the ancient Irish monks journeys from Ireland to North America.
Rating:
Summary: Something just a bit shy of an Epic Journey
Review: I first became acquainted with the author and his quest from the earliest published excerpts in the Land's End catalogs. Crossing the ice choked Davis Straight in an open Norse boat is no easy feat and such a story well told could be a great book. Somehow the author missed the boat in this book. The development of the individual crew members never really does more than scratch the surface. The maps and photos are interesting, yet the book does not sustain one's interest. I had earlier read and highly recommend Tim Severin's The Brendan Voyage. It's the true story of the crossing of the North Atlantic in a replica leather boat in the effort to recreate the ancient Irish monks journeys from Ireland to North America.
| 
