Product Description

An historical adventure in the heady tradition of Sir Walter Scott, James Fenimore Cooper, and H. Rider Haggard, this book sweeps the reader back to a time when bold men hazarded rough and unknown seas in search of treasure and glory.

Denied his birthright at home, Sigtrygg Thorgilsson, orphaned grandson of Leif Eiriksson, must seek his due overseas -- in Leif's half-forgotten land-claim of nearly 50 years before, on the shores of the New World. Urged on by his beautiful young cousin, Thjodhild, and aided by a mysterious, one-eyed seaman, with a knack for spell-casting and dream interpretation, and a local ruffian armed with an unusual axe, Sigtrygg flees the ice-clad fjords of coastal Greenland just ahead of his greedy uncles who would keep his inheritance from him. Arriving in the new land, the adventurers find they must carve a place for themselves amidst the warring native tribes who rule there. Though disconcerted, at first, by the strangeness of these tribal people, they soon form an uneasy alliance with one side to save themselves and the daughter of one of their enemies.

Yet they are not fated to be the only Norsemen in the land as they shortly discover when Sigtrygg's kinsmen suddenly arrive to contest his land-claim and the place he has made for himself among the tribes. Then only the passion of the head-strong and willful Thjodhild stands in the way of an irrevocable breach between the two Norse factions. But even she cannot easily win Sigtrygg back from the native woman who has captured his heart. Forced to choose between two women, two peoples and two lands, Sigtrygg wavers perilously as a native host gathers, like storm clouds overhead, and the two Norse factions stand poised on the edge of a blade which, once drawn, cannot be sheathed again -- until it has been bathed in kinsmen's blood. Then not even the invincibility of an enchanted axe or the wisdom of sorcerers can avert the doom which awaits those who walk in the shadow of Leif Eiriksson's greatest achievement . . . and that curse which lies across the l and he took for his own.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #787269 in Books
• Published on: 1998-07-19
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 637 pages

Midwest Book Review, Fall 1999
Mirsky keeps us glued to this excellent first novel, using a subtle yet powerful story-telling technique that recalls old-time adventures involving swordplay, fair maidens in distress, relatives who are scoundrels, a misunderstood hero engaged in epic exploits, strange lands full of mysterious and wonderful peoples, and the power of good versus evil. The King of Vinland's Saga is a book the reader can't stay away from . . . and mourns when it is finished.

from the SFSite in Canada
THE KING OF VINLAND'S SAGA is a wonderfully rich adventure novel, with memorable characters, a storyline that is faithful to the mediaeval Icelandic sagas, and enough sword- and axe-play to please even the most jaded of adventure readers. Mirsky's work compares well to that of his predecessors, both in terms of capturing the gloomy mood of the saga and the larger-than-life heroes, while avoiding any blatant historical inaccuracies

IDUNNA Magazine, Summer '99
The King of Vinland's Saga .earns a place on the bookshelf beside other neo-sagas such as Eric Brighteyes by H. Rider Haggard and E. R. Eddison's Styrbiorn The Strong. Mirsky has an excellent command of the saga style and spins a fine, page-turning tale

Customer Reviews

High class swashbuckling - a superb first novel.
This book came very highly recommended to me - and I'd always fancied giving the Norse sagas a bash - so I decided to give it a whirl.

It is very ambitious in its scope and in its style; in the style of writing and dialogue Mirsky has undertaken to emulate the sagas to give his book an authentic feel - a very difficult prospect for a writer - it could go badly wrong. That Mirsky apparently pulls off this stylizing of his story is a testament to both his meticulous research and his pure writing skill.

I read somewhere (I think on Amazon.com) that this very weighty first novel was the equivalent of a first-time mountaineer climbing Everest. That may be true, but that certainly doesn't mean the resulting book presents a similar challenge for the reader. The story is not dense nor bogged down by the obvious supreme knowledge of history infused into its pages. The characters aren't particularly complex, but then were norse warriors complex people? Some characters are very much larger than life, caracatures even, which you might think is at odds with the strive for realism. Not so. Historical accuracy is one thing, but the book is first and foremost a great yarn - a story packed with high seas, blood, lots of blood, implacable warriors, honour and considerable buckling of swashes.

We follow the exploits of an unlikely band of mercenaries and erstwhile viking warriors setting sail from Greenland for the promised land of Vinland (North America) - a semi-mythical fertile and fruitful land of plenty bequeathed to the central character Sigtrygg. The story seemed similar to the Seven Samurai in that this band of warriors are subsequently enlisted by the native populace to tame a local warlord. But the challenges, carnage and confrontations don't end there. The storyline is elegantly simple and satisfying, as is the message of the book - that the failings of human nature will always cause people to find ways to divide themselves, take sides and, ultimately, destroy themselves.

Outstanding! Breathtaking!!
There is a dearth of fine historical writers, and when you find one you tend to go on an on with wonderful, marvellous, outstanding. So I will trot them all out to describe this bold work of Viking lore in the tradition of Eric the Red and Lief Erickson. This is full adventure Saga set in Greenland, coastal Canada and Maine in the US, and is based in ancient Norse Myth and Lore, a period that is often neglected. It is especially interesting because it depicts "first contact" between the Norsemen and the Indians of the US. The story unfolds centring around a man, with his two feet in two separate cultures and his love for a woman from each. It is based on the little known work of Edward Reman,a Scandinavian sailor, who putting forth the idea Vinland's directions were misinterpreted and by his reckoning put it off Grand Manaan Isle, off the Maine Coast.

This is a very sweeping saga, that brings to life a period that was thrilling, but alas, suffering from the lack of neglect. The Norse were one of the biggest influences in Europe, British Isles and into the US, supposedly visiting the US long before Columbus, and yet there is little done about it, so little fiction or history. So when a special gem like this comes along it's like a beacon in the darkest night.

Stuart W. Mirsky has a feel for the period, and is very able to give you his vision. Highly recommend this wonderful tale!!

So if you enjoyed Eaters of the Dead,and want something MORE... you will love this!! Also, I highly recommend Maggie Davis' Winter Serpent. Another excellent Viking Fiction.

Original, finely-crafted, and just all-out wonderful.
Written with a cool detachment that lends dignity to its characters, this is an epic story of Vikings and Indians (now I've seen it all). Our hero is Sigtrygg, black sheep of the family of Leif Erikson's descendants, who finds the farm that is his rightful inheritance cut from under him by his relatives. In return he is offered a ship to sail to Vinland (the good ol' USA). Even this is contested, and Sigtrygg's troubles increase exponentially as he sets out.

The compelling saga is full of adventure, with a strong but unintrusive plot. Whilst the themes are operatic (Love, Death and Fate feature prominently), the narrative is stoically understated. The climax is powerful and moving, not through any special-effects gimmickry, but because of a hard-earned sense of tragic inevitability. I finished it in the small hours and went to bed sniffling and biting my quivering lip.

The book itself is tragically under-exposed. If you can afford it, buy it. Full stop.