Beyond The Dragonhead is a delightful and captivating read for many reasons: First and foremost, it is written for young people and its content is certainly age appropriate: It vividly captures the brutality, violence and also the beauty and history of Viking culture without it being too graphic for young people. That being said it beautifully paints a picture throughout, and the magic of a well written book is if it will captivate a person whether they are 15 years old or 55 years old like I am.
One of my fave movies is "Braveheart" which that won Best Picture, and was loosely based on the legend of William Wallace. I loved the detail in that movie and "Beyond The Dragonhead" has that same feel. It painted a picture of how hard life was then just to survive, and I found all of the detailed descriptions of Viking vessels, weapons, food, travel, and tribalism fascinating. I always love a good book that "educates" me, and I noticed that the Minnesota Vikings football team is not that mascot by accident: So many of my friends from up there have last names very similar to all the characters in this book and are obviously from Scandinavian descent, and so many of the characters have Nordic sounding names. I also throughly enjoyed reading a running "glossary" at the bottom of the page, which would footnote and explain the meaning of a word or Viking tradition. For example, the term "beserk" we use in the English language to describe someone out of control with anger came from Old Norse. "Berserkers" were those who were said to have fought in a trance-like fury. This was just one example of many but there are several "Norse Nuggets" the reader learns about along the way, including Norse profanity! Another very enjoyable of the book was each chapter would start with a Viking proverb, such as "Any true Viking Warrior must win the battle with himself before he engages his enemies."
No spoilers here, but the adventures of the young Thyra, her father Anders, and the brave and bold Bjorn in the Viking world Nichols and Rockwood have created for the backdrop of the story, is nothing short of reading Valhalla. You can almost feel and hear the fires crackling, the swords and axes clanking together in battle, and smell the delicious aroma of Viking stew being cooked at camp. You can also almost feel the love between father and daughter, the fear of impending conflict and confrontations that await them. This book was obviously meticulously researched, and all of its vivid descriptions are a delight to read, not a bore. I highly recommend this book
Enjoy fast, free delivery, exclusive deals, and award-winning movies & TV shows with Prime
Try Prime
and start saving today with fast, free delivery
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Join or create book clubs
Choose books together
Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
Discover the latest buzz-worthy books, from mysteries and romance to humor and nonfiction. Explore more
About the author
Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
Reviewed in the United States on January 30, 2021
Reviewed in the United States on December 22, 2020
Reviewed in the United States on December 23, 2020
Reviewed in the United States on January 26, 2021
