Review: The Saga of Erik the Viking by Terry Jones

SUMMARY FROM NETGALLEY.COM:

The fantastically brilliant and amazingly adventurous saga of Erik the Viking returns in this special 30th anniversary edition.
Fantastically illustrated by Michael Foreman
As Erk and the crew of The Golden Dragon set off in search of adventure, little do they know that their courage, skill, strength and stamina will all be tested to the extremes...
Includes an exclusive foreword from Terry Jones and newly coloured illustrations from Michael Foreman.
Author Information
Terry Jones is perhaps best known as a scriptwriter and member of the Monty Python team. He is a highly successful historian, performer, director of films plays and even operas and writer for film, radio and television.
His books for children have been enormously popular and include several modern classics, including Fairy Tales, Animal Tales, The Knight and the Squire and The Lady and the Squire.
Michael Foreman’s numerous books for children have earned him widespread recognition as one of the world’s leading illustrators. He has regularly collaborated with Terry Jones, Michael Morpurgo and others while several of his own books are also considered modern classics. Titles include War Boy, War Game, Terry Jones Animal Tales, Michael Morpurgo's Farm Boy and Treasure Island.
Terry and Michael both live in London.

MY TAKE:
Prior to reading this book, I knew a little bit about Norse mythology and knew vaguely about Erik the Red, but I didn't really know a lot about Vikings beyond what is common knowledge.

In The Saga of Erik the Viking, we get to read about the adventures of Erik the Viking and his crew who set sail for the land where the sun sets.

The book was written in 1983, so the stories do feel a little bit old. It's basically a collection of stories, which together tell the story of a Viking crew's adventures. The stories reminded me of the stories of Odysseus and the Greek heroes. I don't know how much of these stories are actually taken from Viking myths but I did find a number of the stories funny or interesting, particularly the stories about the Enchanter and his daughter.

Thanks to NetGalley and Pavilion Children's Books for the e-copy.

THE GOOD:

1. The stories show what life was like for Vikings.
2. The illustrations are richly rendered.
3. It's easy to imagine the story based on the descriptions.

THE BAD:

1. It would probably be better if there had been more illustrations to sprinkled throughout the book.

FAVORITE QUOTE/S:

Then they celebrated with a feast.

READ IT IF:

1. Your child is a fan of Vikings.
2. Your child likes tales of adventures.
3. Your child likes stories wherein the heroes trick the villains.

RATING:


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