Friday, 21 October 2011

[T973.Ebook] PDF Ebook Harald Hardrada: The Warrior's Way, by John Marsden

PDF Ebook Harald Hardrada: The Warrior's Way, by John Marsden

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Harald Hardrada: The Warrior's Way, by John Marsden

Harald Hardrada: The Warrior's Way, by John Marsden



Harald Hardrada: The Warrior's Way, by John Marsden

PDF Ebook Harald Hardrada: The Warrior's Way, by John Marsden

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Harald Hardrada: The Warrior's Way, by John Marsden

One of the greatest medieval warriors Harald Sigurdsson, nicknamed Hardrada (Harold the Ruthless or hard ruler) fell in battle in an attempt to snatch the crown of England. The spectacular and heroic career which ended at Stamford Bridge in Yorkshire on 25 September 1066 had taken Harald from Norway to Russia and Constantinople and saw him gain a kingdom by force and determination rather than right or inheritance. He was one of the most feared rulers in Europe and was first and foremost a professional soldier, who acquired great wealth by plunder and showed no mercy to those he conquered. "Harald Hardrada: The Warrior's Way" reconstructs a military career spanning three and a half decades and involving encounters with an extraordinary range of allies and enemies in sea-fights and land battles, sieges and viking raids across a variety of theatres of war. John Marsden's superbly researched and powerfully written account takes us from the lands of the Norsemen to Byzantium and the Crusades and makes clear how England moved decisively from three hundred years of exposure to the Scandinavian orbit to a stronger identification with continental Europe following the Norman invasion.

  • Sales Rank: #1851238 in Books
  • Published on: 2007
  • Original language: English
  • Number of items: 1
  • Dimensions: 9.21" h x .39" w x 6.14" l, 1.26 pounds
  • Binding: Hardcover
  • 242 pages

Most helpful customer reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful.
Excellent, readable biography of the poster-child Viking
By Lars Johansson
OK, so "readable" is a relative term, but this is a fine book. As noted by another reviewer, this is not a novel; it is thoroughly researched and told in painstaking detail but is not dry by any means. Marsden has done a great service to fans of Norse history by revealing the extraordinary life of Harald Hardrada - whose remarkable fate put him at historic crossroads repeatedly and made him the last Norse king of the Viking Age. The telling of his life contains all the ingredients of the best historical fiction, except that it's true, as Marsden so credibly relates. This is the Norse/Viking experience in spades - singular, powerful characters, royal intrigue, ambition, vengeance, travels to foreign lands, fierce battles - all set in the rich historical years that close out the Viking Age. It is particularly interesting in showing how much of the Norse/Viking story lives in the lands to the east of Scandinavia, in the founding of what would become the Russian empire and in the story of the Byzantine empire at the crossroads of Asia and Europe.

That said, this book is a detailed reference work, told in a measured voice. While it lacks the enthusiastic and sometimes challenging prose of Brent's, The Viking Saga, the telling of Hardrata's life and times by Marsden is in another class entirely - expertly done and a valuable contribution to historical literature.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful.
Informative, enjoyable read for history buffs
By Justin
I just ordered this book a few weeks ago and didn't really know what to expect because I couldn't find any reviews for it, but upon reading it turned out to be a pleasant surprise.

Most general history books on Hardrada's era relegate him to peripheral status, a footnote as "the other would-be King" of 1066, and a comprehensive biography of the man has been long overdue for years now.

But with "The Warrior's Way," John Marsden has filled this void capably, painting a complete portrait of the man all the way from his childhood to his death at Stamford Bridge. It's a VERY thorough examination of Harald's life that separates the facts of his life from the exaggerations of his skalds. Marsden has painstakingly examined every last shred of historical data available in his research. If you, like me, enjoy learning about the obscure little minutiae of the old Viking kings, you'll love this book.
He provides a very detailed, thorough account of the Battle of Stiklestad, and he paints a vivid portrait of Hardrada's service as a Varangian in Rus and Byzantium. He uses a broad range of sources that must have been difficult to sort through and compose in an easy-to-read fashion, but Marsden managed to pack in plenty of information without confusing the reader.

I don't have any complaints about the book, but I'm a history buff who prefers a flood of raw facts, even if they come at the expense of the narrative. I like to read primary sources, and I rarely read novels, so I don't mind plowing through dry prose that other people might find tedious.
Marsden's book was written for readers like me; his storytelling is pretty direct and to-the-point, and he doesn't waste time with colorful or suspenseful prose.

That's why I put "enjoyable read for history buffs" in the title of this review. If you are a history buff who wants an informative account of the life and times of Harald Hardrada, you'll like this book, and you'll be hard-pressed to find a better biography of Hardrada anywhere.
But if you want an enthralling novel about a Viking king that will keep you on the edge of your seat, this might not be the type of book you are looking for.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful.
A really interesting look at Harald's life through the focus ...
By bluesummergirl
A really interesting look at Harald's life through the focus on his military experiences and campaigns. I especially appreciate the author's setting things in a coherent timeline with explanations not only about what the original sources say but what they don't say as well. If you want a solid book about a spectacularly overlooked historical warrior, try this one.

My main take away from this entire book so far is that Harald Hardrada needs his own Hollywood movie, because a Hollywood movie will never be as outlandish as his actual life. Unless they add a talking horse. ... Actually, a talking horse still wouldn't be as crazy as a 19 year old Viking Prince sailing into Byzantium with 500 warriors and taking a job with the Emperor's Varangian corps, working his way up to one of the captains a few years later on getting to personally blind an actual Emperor. In the street. In broad daylight. Because that happened. ... And then he sneaks out of Byzantium in the middle of the night to go pillaging his way back to Norway and reconquer his dead brother's kingdom. In eighteen months. Because that happens too.

How long would it take YOU to conquer a kingdom of dark ages vikings, do you think?

Look, you should read about him and make your own opinion. I'm just saying that Harald Hardrada was probably Dark Ages Jason Bourne and Machiavelli in a blender. Shame about that unfortunate timing in 1066. If he'd landed after William of Normandy, history would probably have gone a lot differently.

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