The World of Vikings Hardcover – November 10, 2015

Loved the tv series, so this book interested me. It is an enjoyable summary of the characters and episodes. Many large pictures add to its value as a good reference.

If you loved the show, you'll love this book!

...of which I am one. Saw the show from first episode in 2013 and have been hooked ever since. This book has beautiful photos from the show and so much more. Also ordered Athelstan's cross from Amazon and I love wearing it as well.

The media could not be loaded.  Although my book had arrived with some sort of perfume-y, lotion like substance on it (it was the only item in the box), it's not enough to make me want to send it back. I can't wait to dive right into it!

This book is a wonderful companion to the series!! Gives you lots of insite to the characters! I love it!!

This is an excellent behind-the-scenes look at the research effort invested into developing the television series, which is loosely written around the classic Norse sagas, especially Ragnars saga Loðbrókar and Ragnarssona þáttr i.e. the Tale of Ragnar Lodbrok and The Tale of Ragnar's sons. It provides a very detailed explanation of what was done to produce an accurate picture of the life of the Vikings, and many of the challenges required to adapt the world of medieval era pagan Vikings for a contemporary television audience.

I bought this as a joint Christmas gift to all of The Vikings series addicts in my family, all seven of them! Over the next few weeks we will be passing it along so we will all have read it before Season 4 begins. I got my hands on it on Christmas Day evening and was able to read the first three chapters. Love it so far! Photos are outstanding, as are the insights and comments by cast, producer, director, etc. Definitely worth the $$ - especially when pro-rated among seven people.

This is a really cool book. I really like the show, so getting this expansion of the characters and settings was cool. My only issue was with Amazon sending me a book with damaged corners.

I’ll start by describing the material used to make this book. The hard cover features a faux brown leather spine with raised bands with front and rear covers depicting blood splattered wooden planking, with the metallic Vikings ‘V’ logo on the front and a boxed quote on the back, surmounted by a raven. The inner spine features black cloth. The covers are embossed: amazingly, you can actually feel the grain of ‘wood’. The ‘V’ logo is embossed into the cover. The overall effect is very classy. Inside, the end plates are intricate and feature a black background upon which a complex and detailed silver grey Viking cord design is placed. The pages are glossy so that the text and pictures are printed in ultra-sharp detail, although they do pick up finger prints if your hands are not clean. Suffice to say, the manufacture of this book is quality and visual and tactile delight.Moving onto the content, this contains an in-depth examination of the first three seasons of Vikings. The book is divided into three Sections: Scandinavia, England and Frankia. Within each Section, we have a number of chapters which deal with various aspects of those domains. So there is, for example from Section one, articles on the story of Ragnar Lothbrok; dressing Lagertha; the story of Rollo; the story of Siggy; Floki on the Gods of Asgard and so on. Chapter eight of Section two is pretty much dedicated to Athelstan.There is plenty of artwork and ‘behind the scenes’ stuff as well, which includes commentary from the actors, the director and director of photography etc. on how they viewed and portrayed their characters and filmed the various scenes. Some of the pictures of the actors as they portray their characters are quite extraordinarily breath-taking in their intensity and beauty. I was struck once again by the excellence of the casting; the actors really seemed to be Vikings. Just after the introduction, there are a couple of pages on the source materials used in the production of the show. This demonstrates a genuine attempt by the author, Justin Pollard, the associate producer and historical advisor of the show, to bring history to life. In case you are wondering, no, I have absolutely no connection with the show, other than watching it.In short, this book provides fans of this series with plenty of inside information on how it was created and produced and, just as importantly in my view, it provides a glimpse into the history of the Vikings and how you can find out more. It is a veritable treasure trove of information.Fans of Vikings will know that if there is one thing that makes the show stand out is the excellent quality of its acting and production. This book is no different: very highly recommended.

Vikings has to be one of the best shows on television. At least the first 4 series (the 5th has gone wonky). But I live not far from Glendalough and have hiked up above Lough Tay and near the Guinness mansion. The book really shows off the scenery and it's awesome to picture how they do the overlays and projections in 3D on the natural starkness of the Irish hills. It tells the experiences of the actors during filming and what they thought about their characters and I look forward to another one. I think it covers up to season 3, off hand, so there will likely be more.

Kind of confusing because it mixes the tv series with historical facts that have nothing to do with the tv version such as the exta sons mentioned in the book. The book desperately needs either updating or given a sequel but having said that it has some great photographs and some background to the characters.

The book is just what I wanted (Christmas pressy) but I had to return book several times due to postal damage ?.1st: box and book damage. 2nd & 3rd external box sound but book was chipped and cover damage ?.I feel the book was allowed to move around within the external box.

Wow. If you like the TV show Vikings this is an ideal gift/book. it's super in-depth about the actors and the creator of the show but also the history around that sort of time - so I learned a ton Secret spot behind the scenes but also about the history and about what life was like back then. All I need now is a Ragnar costume.