Manga Review: Vinland Saga Book One by Makoto Yukimura
It is the Eleventh Century C.E., and Europe trembles in fear of the raiders from the north, who we would call Vikings. This is the story of one such Viking, the youth Thorfinn Thorssen.
This thick volume opens with a battle in the Frankish Kingdoms (later France) as Askeladd’s band of mercenaries offer their services to Lord Jabbath. Among the raiders is Thorfinn, who is far deadlier than any beardless boy has a right to be. But Thorfinn serves Askeladd for one reason only, to someday be allowed to kill his father’s murderer in a fair duel.
We then flash back to Thorfinn’s childhood in Iceland, and how it was that his father, the mighty Thors, was treacherously slain. But we also learn of old Erik and his tales of a land beyond the sea, without slavery or war. This “Vinland” remains a place that Thorfinn cannot bring himself to search for until he has had his vengeance, reckless of the cost.
The art is excellent, and the creator has done his research (no horned helmets here!) On the other hand, he does take some liberties with history (this will become more apparent in later volumes.) This is an exciting tale of vengeance and violence, although it should be acknowledged that most of the people in the story just aren’t good people. The one truly heroic person in this volume is the reluctant warrior Thors, who believes that a true warrior should not need a blade to lead a good life.
Note: While there is no rape in this volume, given the subject matter, I would not be surprised if it came up later in the series. As is, there’s plenty of blood spilled and heads flying off; it’s rated 16+, and I’d advise parents to stick to that.
I recommend this volume to fans of Viking tales and lovers of violent action stories.
