Review: Vikings: The Viking Age From Beginning To End by Stephan Weaver

Title: The Viking Age From Beginning To End 
Author: Stephan Weaver
Publication: May 17th 2015
Genre: Nonfiction ~ History
Purchase on: Amazon
Rating: 4/5

This review copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.

  

From the invasion of Britain to the siege of Paris, the Viking age is indeed one of the most tumultuous and formative periods of European history. But what of the forces behind the seismic raids and explorations? What of the ingenious craftsmanship behind the longboats that were beyond their time? Often, a farrago of myths and facts continues to portray a rather foggy image of the Vikings; but could the Vikings truly be the savage seafarers that history condemns them to be?

Inside you will learn about…
The History The Raids and Settlements of the Vikings Siege of Paris The Viking Dress Code Viking Homes The Viking Age and Music The Viking Longship The Social Landscape of the Vikings
The Legends Ragnar Lodbrok Erik Thorvaldsson Bjorn Ironside Harald Hardrada
The Gods Odin Thor Loki Frey (Freyr) Freyja (Freya)
And much more!
This book provides a balanced and riveting account of the Viking age—from its dawn to dusk. Without white washing the savagery of the Vikings, it chronicles the many raids that were undertaken. It also presents another view point of these fascinating people. Employing the latest archeological finds and various sources, it paints a different yet factual picture of the Vikings. The book delves into the many cultural aspects of the society: religion—the Nordic gods—social structure, cloth, house and much besides.
Their celebrated ship architecture is discussed at length, myths are debunked, legends are deliberated—many facets of this epoch are dilated in detail.

I must admit that before this book I didn't know a lot about the Viking age but these last few years I've become more interested in it. I do know more about Norse mythology but it was nice to learn more about the invasions and the life of the vikings in general. 

As the previous books I've read by Stephan Weaver, this one also has a lot of striking detail and compelling information. The writing as always is also excellent. There were so many interesting things about the Viking age that I hadn't known before so I loved that. 

I also always enjoy the photographs in these books. So they give that little extra to the book. Another favorite aspect of mine was learning what the Vikings (both men, women and children) used to wear. There was also a list of male and female Viking names and some myths that were debunked. I especially loved those.

So if you want to learn more about this topic, Vikings: The Viking Age From Beginning To End by Stephan Weaver is the book you'll want to read for sure!

       About the Author:

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Dedicated to the craft of writing, Stephan Weaver is a best-selling author who loves to pen anything related to history and mythology. With a love for immersing himself into other cultures, worlds, and even realms, Weaver is a former professor, historian, and archaeologist. It's no surprise that you can now find him tucked away with his laptop writing about these very things with commitment and devotion. Married to a beautiful wife and father to a son and daughter, Weaver loves to spend his free time with family, experience the world by traveling, and, of course, you'll never find him without a pen in hand. From the blinking cursor to the final page, he is deeply passionate about what he does. And it shows.