Author: Makoto Yukimura
Genre: Historical Fiction, Manga
First Published on January 21, 2014 (vol 2) and April 29, 2014 (Vol 3)
Book description: The foolish King Ethelred has fled, and Askeladd's band is one of hundreds plundering the English countryside. Yet victory brings no peace to the elderly Danish King Sweyn, who worries that his untested, sensitive son Canute will never be ready to take the throne. The king's attempt to force his son to become a man places the young prince within the grasp of the gleeful killer Thorkell! Whoever holds Canute holds the key to the thrones of England and Denmark – and Askeladd has his own reasons for joining the fray!
Review:
This is recommended for fans of shows like Game of Thrones, and Vikings; it has the perfect historical Vikings atmosphere and is bloody and full of fights. This is the first time I read the manga and I have yet to watch the anime, but there is probably a strong resemblance, I'll try the anime after I make a good dent in the published manga volumes. You can definitely read them one after another, but I am savoring them and spacing them out.
Volume 2
The Danish King Sweyn has decided his sensitive second son-Cantue needs to be hardened and sends him off to lead the campaign against the Saxons. I wasn't sure why he would do that, the prince is a sniveling crybaby and definitely ill-fitted for fighting. It gives secondhand embarrassment to watch him be around such hardened warriors, especially as he is to represent the king and as the Vikings see him as a representation of their royalty.
At the same time, the renegade Viking Thorkell has allied with the English side simply because he likes a good fight and is bored if he's always on the winning side. In reality, he is very confident about the Danish and is looking to fight on the underdog side, so the fight represents a bigger challenge. Thorkell is a great character- a true warrior, in the blood-crazed berserker style. He is built like an Ox and his crazy is compatible with Thorfinn's.
If you're looking for action and adventure, then this is the story for you. But there's also a lot going on behind the scenes - the motivations of Askelaard and King Sweyn regarding his son, and the various groups of Vikings who sometimes work together and sometimes clash. It's clear that this story has been well-researched, as the world it depicts is dark and violent - perfectly fitting for the time and country it was set in.
Volume 3
This volume is just a ton of backstabbing and betraying but in the best way possible. Its main focus is the four main characters pitted against each other in bloody combat. We have the rematch between the two berserkers. It sounds like there will be a lot of action and intense moments. I hope everyone stays safe, though, with all the fighting and potential deaths. It's always interesting when a series starts to really pick up momentum and keeps you on the edge of your seat. Enjoy the show!
We have several oooh moments- be it the fights the one-on-one and the whole scale fights between the two bands have such raw power and everyone is so decided to win that it provides such an exciting read.
We also see Cantue finally grow into his station and power. It does give me a clue he's going to be a force to reckon with. He started as such a lame character and he's still not among my favorite characters but he's not as useless at least. The journey is being shaped. I am eager to find out what comes next.
On a side note: The art is amazing. The story is getting better.
This is used for the challenges:
Around the world- Japan
Translated works
Continue Series
Comentários