I searched for this book for YEARS. I read it from the library in high school and it kick-started my craze for Norse and Icelandic literature. Then I tried to find it again as an adult and it turned out to be aggravatingly rare. But I finally got my hands on a reasonably-priced copy so I can relive my first Viking saga.

The Saga of the Volsungs is surprisingly sophisticated for a piece of 13th century literature. The chaos caused by Sigurd's multiple marriages and the ensuing downfall of three great families is complex enough both technically and emotionally to make for a brilliant novel or TV series even today. Which I suppose is why it inspired both Wagner and Tolkien.

Brynhild is a brilliant tragic heroine (and my favourite) but Gudrun and Signy are powerful female characters who move the plot forward in their own right, and are just as grim and fearsome as their brothers or husbands.

The Saga of Ragnar Lodbrok, as Margaret observes in her introduction, is not as good as the saga that precedes it. If you've watched the Vikings TV series then you'd probably be surprised to find out he rashly invades England against everyone's advice like a dumbass and then dies ignominiously in a snake pit. It's his sons that really shine, especially Ivar the Boneless who is perhaps the most accomplished despite not being able to walk. Ivar, and Ragnar's second wife Aslaug, another fearsome woman, make this saga worth reading. ( )