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The Long Ships  By  cover art

The Long Ships

By: Frans G. Bengtsson, Michael Meyer, Michael Chabon
Narrated by: Michael Page
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Publisher's summary

Bengtsson's hero, Red Orm-canny - courageous and above all lucky - is only a boy when he is abducted from his Danish home by the Vikings and made to take his place at the oars of their dragon-prowed ships. Orm is then captured by the Moors in Spain, where he is initiated into the pleasures of the senses and fights for the Caliph of Cordova. Escaping from captivity, Orm washes up in Ireland, where he marvels at those epicene creatures, the Christian monks, and from which he then moves on to play an ever more important part in the intrigues of the various Scandinavian kings and clans and dependencies. Eventually, Orm contributes to the Viking defeat of the army of the king of England and returns home an off-the-cuff Christian and a very rich man, though back on his native turf new trials and tribulations will test his cunning and determination.

Packed with pitched battles and blood feuds, and told throughout with wit and high spirits, Bengtsson's book is a splendid adventure that features one of the most unexpectedly winning heroes in modern fiction.

©1954, 2010 Frans G. Bengtsson; translation copyright 1954 by Michael Meyer; Introduction copyright 2010 by Michael Chabon (P)2017 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

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Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful story

What a marvelous audiobook. Author, translation, narrator all top notch. This is not one of the over-testosteroned novels of violent theft and rape that are so popular these days. It’s the story of a Nordic man of the Middle Ages; his life, his adventures, his family. Yes he goes a-Viking, but it also follows the small things of his life. And the author does so with a dry, wry, ironic sense of humor that pervades the entire tale. Worth every penny and every second!!

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97 people found this helpful

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Great Old Book!

This is a fun tale. It is not a page turner like Cornwell's Saxon Stories, but it is a lovely yarn that has subtle humor and lots of insight into the people of the Viking era. Less violence, less lust, more love - both fraternal and romantic, plus likable characters and interesting locales. If you enjoyed Poul Anderson's Three Hearts and Three Lions and his viking stories, you will probably like The Long Ships. Very nice performance.

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81 people found this helpful

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Elegant

Wonderful elevated language, suitable for a Norse saga. Unexpected in a translation, and makes me wish I could read in the original. The story is episodic but takes one main character from his childhood with an overbearing mother through unlikely adventures in exotic cultures and placid interludes with his wife and children. I hope the author, translator and narrator won satisfactory plaudits for this timeless work.

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61 people found this helpful

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Doesn’t get any better

This is a Scandinavian Saga modified so the occupants of this century can ride along. Both story and voice talent are peerless. A treasure. But a note of caution: should you reach the final page do not expect to be the same person that turned page one much earlier.

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50 people found this helpful

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Not exactly a page turner

It began interesting enough, but about halfway through, it sorta died. Unlike a good story which a reader doesn’t want to end, I was actually wanting The Long Ships to end.

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47 people found this helpful

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A great road trip companion

We chose this book wanting to have something similar to Louis L'amour's Walking Drum and an epic like the Lord of the Rings. Historical fiction set in 900-1000 AD. It started a little slow, but was engaging in its history, culture, story, and characters. A good swashbuckling novel.

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41 people found this helpful

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Great book if looking for a story

If you are looking for a story more so than a history book The Long Ships is the right book. I listened to most of this book while at work and would get side tracked from my work by daydreaming due to the imagery. The only note that I have is that sometimes I found myself getting lost due to the amount of story. Wonderful book however

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37 people found this helpful

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Finally a great audio edition of this great book!

Loved this audio of a fantastic book! A classic adventure finally has it's audio edition.

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33 people found this helpful

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ALL THUMBS UP!!!😀😀😀😀😍

AWESOME STORY!!!!!
Very engaging from the first page all the way through to the last page.
This book won't disappoint at all.
ENJOY!!!

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28 people found this helpful

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Beautiful

This is a beautifully written book but only to be matched by the way it was read. Can’t wait for the movie... whenever that day may come.

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