Manga Review: Vinland Saga Book Eleven by Makoto Yukimura
Quick recap: It is the age of Vikings. Thorfinn Thorsson, once a warrior single-mindedly focused on vengeance, now pursues a path of peace. His trading expedition has been interrupted by war in the Baltic Sea between factions of the fierce Jomsviking raiders. Thorfinn wants nothing to do with it, but it turns out that he has a rightful claim to the title of chief of the Jomsvikings. And one of his crew is still captive inside Floki’s fortress.
Note: This review contains SPOILERS for previous volumes, you may want to read earlier reviews if you are reading about the series for the first time.
Naturally, when Thorfinn learns that Gudrid is still captive, he decides to go back through the secret passage to rescue her. Hild chooses to go with him, both because she also cares about Gudrid, and also to fulfill her pledge to kill Thorfinn should he break his vow not to slay humans. Sigurd is tasked by the besieging general to secretly follow Thorfinn to discover the secret passage and infiltrate the fortress. Sigurd agrees because this also gives him a chance to rescue Gudrid, his lawful wife.
Gudrid is relatively safe, being disguised as a servant in the quarters of Baldr, Floki’s grandson and the other claimant to the chiefhood. But that won’t protect her for long, and she needs to escape. Baldr wants to help her, but the lad has his own problems to deal with.
Thorfinn’s pacifistic ways are put to the test, as he must face not only the bloodthirsty spear specialist Garm, but the wily Floki, on whose orders Askeladd murdered Thorfinn’s father.
Many scenes of gory violence are leavened with dark humor and quiet moments (even in the midst of battle) where characters muse on the meaning of life and death.
Sigurd gets to show that he’s a competent and brave warrior when he’s not afflicted with his usual bad luck, though he’s certainly not in Garm’s league. And Thorkell finally gets to fight someone bigger than he is!
The art continues to be very good, with plenty of authentic detail.
The exploration of Thorfinn’s character continues, showing both the weaknesses and strengths of his new way of life. We get a bit of background on Garm, who is very much a character type based on the Icelandic sagas; the kid you do not want to play “war” with because he doesn’t understand the concept of “pretend.”
Content note: As mentioned, a lot of gory violence. Slavery comes up just long enough for those particular slaves to be freed.
Overall, another strong volume in a superior series. Still highly recommended.
Oh, and there’s an anime now:
