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Northlanders: Blood In The Snow V. 3 (2010)

by Brian Wood(Favorite Author)

3.93 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

1848565585 (ISBN13: 9781848565586)

languge

English

genre

Historical Fiction

publisher

Titan Books Ltd

series

Northlanders

review 1: Vols 1 & 2 were both following 1 character entirely, however, this volume shifts, and we get a number of smaller (2 issue) stories. I kind of like the change of pace here. First, in "Lindisfarne", we read about a young Saxon boy and his cruel 'Christian' father, and a Viking invasion of the titular town/monastery. It's interesting that we get perspectives on the invading force as a force of salvation and not destruction, as we follow Edwin's path."Viking Art of Single Combat" is a methodical examination of just that. This is a more cerebral one, so I'll excuse what I found to be pretty shit art once things got going. (Then again it might just have been to reinforce the combat aspect). "The Shield Maidens" was probably the best of the bunch here, examining 3 Danish women, o... moren the run after their village is sacked and destroyed by Saxon raiders. They make a stand in a castle, 3 against 50, and in doing so, destroy all notions of weak, meek, mild women, and Wood makes some very powerful observations about Christianity and the treatment of women versus that of Northern peoples. I very much enjoyed seeing strong female characters that don't feel forced, or sexualized."Sven the Immortal" catches us up with Sven from Vol.1, 2o yrs into the future, settled with a family, when some young warriors decide to build their reputations at his expense. This is a different Sven, who feels the need to protect his family, and wants only to live quietly. However, when shit goes down, he's back to all business.Wood does a great job here expanding from the stereotypical view of the Northlanders, showing that the Saxons were just as brutal, that some were happy to join up, that some only wanted peace, and that a culture built on raiding somehow also offered more to it's women. I also loved the rejection of Christianity and the one God and servitude in the face of Norse/Pagan Gods and the promise of so much more.I very much look forward to Vol 4.
review 2: Takes the Sandman route of offering a volume of dense, interesting short stories rather than continually offering extended tales. It's laudable that Wood has chosen to write a series that relies on creating new characters for every storyline, and indeed, it's a major draw for it. However, there is also great satisfaction when he brings back Sven from the first volume in a tale set twenty years later.The artist changes from story to story in this series, and this is particularly true of this volume. However, the art remains consistent enough that it doesn't read like a showcase book, but allows you to concentrate on the story, which is a decent approach. less

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