The Long Ships

More about the book

Frans Gunnar Bengtsson’s <i>The Long Ships</i> resurrects the fantastic world of the 10th century when the Vikings roamed &amp; rampaged from the northern fastnesses of Scandinavia down to the Mediterranean. Bengtsson’s hero, Red Orm—canny, courageous &amp; above all lucky—is only a boy when he is abducted from his Danish home by the Vikings &amp; made to take his place at the oars of their dragon-prowed ships. Orm is then captured by the Moors in Spain, where he's initiated into the pleasures of the senses &amp; fights for the Caliph of Cordova. Escaping from captivity, Orm washes up in Ireland, where he marvels at those epicene creatures, the Christian monks, &amp; from which he then moves on to play an ever more important part in the intrigues of the various Scandinavian kings, clans &amp; dependencies. Eventually, Orm contributes to the Viking defeat of the army of the king of England &amp; returns home an off-the-cuff Christian &amp; a very rich man, tho back on his native turf new trials &amp; tribulations will test his cunning &amp; determination. Packed with pitched battles &amp; blood feuds &amp; told throughout with wit &amp; high spirits, Bengtsson’s book is a splendid adventure that features one of the most unexpectedly winning heroes in modern fiction.