Njall and The One-eyed Lord

Njall and the One-yed Lord is a story of violence and adventure set against the backdrop of life in the late ninth century North Atlantic. However, it is more than just a lurid tale of blood and lust, the standard fare of most "Viking" novels. It is ultimately the story of one man's journey from adolescent heroic fantasies to more mature time-transcending wisdom. Based primarily on the opening chapters of the Orkneyinga Saga, this book is peopled with such larger than life characters as Harald Finehair, Rognvald the Wise, Aud the Deep-minded, and Ketil Flatnose. But it also describes the common folk of the Orkneys -- Norse, Picts, and Celts -- their day to day activities, loves, hopes, and sorrows in this remote time and place. This book is a must read for anyone interested in the Vikings, ancient Scotland, and the Northern Isles.