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12 of 14 found the following review helpful:
A Rippin' Good Yarn Mar 16, 2008
By James T. Mcilwain
"Kári's Saga" tells the story of a young warrior-turned-farmer living in early medieval Iceland. The adventure is fast-paced, the characters are vividly portrayed and the action should satisfy all but the most jaded player of video games. There is love and lust, trust and betrayal, and violence never far from the surface. The author has done his homework on Icelandic society of the times and lawyer-readers will appreciate the more or less continuous litigation, but perhaps not the clear difference between law and justice evident in the Althing procedings. The story builds to a strong climax with more than one surprise.
6 of 6 found the following review helpful:
 A Viking book that's less of a bash 'em, slash 'em book and more of a legal thriller (a history teacher's review) Nov 29, 2008
By DWD
"DWD's Reviews"
So, you pick up a book about Icelandic Vikings and what do you expect? Well, if you're like me you expected a lot of men with long hair brandishing swords and axes along with lots of blood and longboats, much like the Saxon Chronicle books of Bernard Cornwell.
"Kari's Saga" starts out with just that - a failed attempt to burn a rival's longhouse. But, there's a twist. Iceland is trying to limit the the amount of violence that plague the island (revenge killings and so on). There's an active attempt to apply Viking laws and the legal system in a more active way to limit this violence. Notice I said limit, not end it - these are, after all, Vikings.
Throw in the threat of political change (invasion from Viking kings back in Denmark - Icleand had no king, just a loose collection of weak semi-feudal lords) and religious change (Christianity was supplanting the Viking gods and the desire to make Iceland Christian was one of excuses used to threaten the invasion from Denmark) and you have an interesting storyline with lots of twists and turns.
The author, Robert Jansson, does a great job of explaining the political, religious and legal issues involved. His battle scenes, while few, are well done. He adds in greed, lust and love to make this a worthy read. I'll be adding it to my Listmania list of historical fiction that I recommend for use in high school history classes.
5 of 5 found the following review helpful:
Intriguing history, so-so fiction Oct 22, 2008
By G. Stewart
"Debussy & Sibelius Freak"
I love Scandinavian history. I've been studying it for years. The tales of the men of the north and their trips abraod, going a-viking, have intrigued me for a long time. The concept of discovery and the abilities of these people to move freely through the world (their understanding of maritime travel is astounding) is amazing.
I also love historical fiction, especially centered in Europe from 1000-1600.
So, when I saw this novel on Vine, I jumped at it. Mr. Jansson's grasp on the history of Iceland and Norway is great and his ability to explain what we now know to be one of the earliest forms of Parliamentary government is equally impressive. He explains the law process of 11th century Iceland with passion and accuracy. His love of the period is apparent.
The tale that carries this explanation of Iceland is strong, but some of the characters are not well developed. That is not to say that the author wrote them poorly, but that he spent so much time on the intricacies of Icelandic law, that the characters became periphery.
Kari is certainly a well written character and some of the others are developed well enough, but many of the protagonists are not understandable, their actions and feelings are not revealed completely.
Perhaps most interesting of all is the study of the christian movement on the pagan Iceland. Christianity, the Catholic church, was surging through the Scandinavian countries at this time and it was being presented in a not-so-friendly manner; convert or die. The book doesn't so much come out and say this, but this is how it was at this time and Jansson does an excellent job of conveying the emotion involved in a world where religions collide. As an aside, I would recommend, for those interested, History of the Archbishops of Hamburg-Bremen, a work written around 985 AD by a monk that took accounts of the "christianizing" of Scaninavia and put it down. It is a historical work, heavy on catholic liturgy, but also interesting as one of the first documents covering the areas of Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, Denmark, Greenland and even Vinland (now North America).
I would recommend this work to anyone that loves history covering Scandinavia, government or the law as the story is interesting and allows the reader to view these in an entertaining way, but this may fall flat for anyone that is looking for a purely entertaining historical yarn about "the vikings" (I don't like that term but lets face it, that is what people call them).
The story is very deliberate, very methodical, the descriptions of place, people, atire, living conditions and climes accurate. The authors style of writing is very good and I believe that he will be successful as he continues to write in this genre.
The back cover states that the author has written non-fiction works, though I was not able to locate any, so I am curious as to what his area of writing is outside of this novel.
Basically, if you know that you enjoy detailed accounts of history, this one will not disappoint; it is accurate to a fault as fact tends to over-ride the story. But, the facts are engaging if you enjoy the topic.
Those interested in early law and government would especially enjoy this tale as it depicts one of civilizations greatest early governments very clearly and explains the processes with depth.
Enjoy!
4 of 4 found the following review helpful:
Seeking Justice: A Timeless Theme Oct 14, 2008
By R. Crane
In primitive times life was harsh and people depended on the land and trade to survive. Founded by Viking Norwegians, Iceland was a land of pagan Gods and customs, but a progressive legal judicial system.
Set in medieval Iceland, this is an extraordinary novel about a Warrior turned farmer, seeking justice through the legal system instead of by customary physical force. Simultaneously, political pressure from Norway and other countries which had already converted to Christianity, threaten the security of Iceland: adopt the new Christian religion or risk being ostracized and lose all trading partners and goods essential to sustaining life.
The new political realities create havoc within the society and within the legal/judicial system as those in power struggle to determine the right course of action: maintain the old beliefs and customs or become Christian and change their way of life. Who are whose allies? Who are the enemies? This trickles down the court system so that the Godar (roughly the judges, formerly also the priests of pagan beliefs) weigh court cases and "justice" through such lenses.
Into this setting Kari the famed warrior brings his original case to seek justice against Gisli who refuses to honor a settlement and has since attacked Kari's homestead and injured Kari. This evolves into other trials and appeals, so like today's modern system of justice. Except in medieval Iceland, there is always an alternative to determine justice through physical force.
The author draws us into the warrior's life and his noble intentions. Always honest, straight forward and full of integrity, Kari stands out like a sore thumb next to those motivated by guile and greed, at all levels of society. He is a Viking Candide, always naïve and always a victim of those around him--his shrew wife, his neighbors, judges etc. Yet nothing deters him from following his own moral and ethical high standards.
What is most intriguing about the book, besides the fascinating story, is the actual court trials. These are as interesting as any Perry Mason fan might want, albeit set in medieval times. The lawyers and judges are cunning and political. Their arguments are riveting.
In the background is a medieval game of geo-politics and spying. There are many supporting characters, all of them interesting and authentic. It is a credible tale, very well-written and aptly titled. This is indeed a saga, and one worth reading.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
Viking Law Oct 01, 2008
By Serene
This was a great book. It is a historical legal fiction story set in ancient Iceland and starring an ex-raider named Kari. When his farm is nearly raided by a vengeful neighbor, Kari tries to seek a peaceful solution to his problems. Unfortunately, the trial causes more problems for Kari, as politics and jealousy rears its ugly head, threatening to tear him down.
I found the story a bit slow at first. Kari is a nice guy but not particularly exciting. His farm is in a remote area, and his relationship with his mean wife Helga seemed difficult to believe. I can't imagine Kari allowing her to push him around so much, or her denying him relations. It just seemed so modern. But after about 100 pages this story began to really interest me and I found it difficult to put down. Who knew politics and Icelandic law would be so interesting?
I was interested in reading about the Icelandic legal process and about the way the characters live. There is a great deal of discussion about Christianity and converting to Christianity.. None of the characters are strongly Christian or even really understand Christianity which made their discussions about it sort of entertaining. I admit I would've liked a bit more pagan stuff, and discussion of everyday life for women. But, overall a surprisngly good read. I would love a sequel. Perhaps about Odd?
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