An enjoyable exploration of the Vikings, packed with easy-to-digest information for both the Viking enthusiast and those who are marginally interested in learning more about them.

Although the book sends a mixed message as to its purpose, there are many good qualities that ultimately make “Armies of the Vikings AD 793-1066” something I can recommend.

I was not entirely sure of the target audience for this book. It feels like the author compiled the highlights of this era from the readings in the bibliography and presented them in a readable historical format that emphasizes the major episodes that occurred. Author Gabriele Esposito chose to not delve deeply into the whys and wherefores of the people who left their mark on history, which was mildly disappointing but was overcome by the cohesiveness of the chronological presentation.

An explanation at the beginning tells readers that “Gabriele Esposito is a military historian who…is an expert specializing in uniformology.” Thus, the book has many pictures of re-enactors dressed in period clothing. While these were interesting, I found no rhyme or reason to their presentation. Perhaps their use during the time span of the book would have been helpful (placing the uniforms in chronological order). There were also pictures that repeated later, sometimes in a different pose, other times with a small change in clothing. If all the armor pictured was used between 793 and 1066, grouping the similar types along with small changes (a shirt change or the addition of a helmet) would have helped rather than scatter similar pictures throughout.

Overall, this book is an informative read for those new to the subject. This would include adults as well as younger readers in their pre- and early teen years. Mr. Esposito took care to cover all the exploits, both on the main European continent as well as the excursions throughout different areas in England, Ireland, and Scotland. If you are considering this book and this would be your first read on the Vikings, it will give you a good overview of their exploits into different lands and countries. Four stars.

Addictive essay about war times in Viking Age. Well written, easy to follow, and full of interesting information. I would have liked a bit more into the female role in viking armies.

Article for Teacher Librarian Magazine

Timely Take-Aways for Life-Long Learners

Explore three new works of nonfiction focusing on the Viking experience.

Armies of the Vikings, AD 793-1066: History, Organization & Equipment
Gabriele Esposito, October 2021, Pen & Sword Military
Themes: history, Vikings, Europe, military
Exploring the military history (AD 793-1066) of the Vikings, this accessible work of nonfiction examines their global impact including key campaigns, battles, and warriors. Of particular note is the use of high quality color photographs of re-enactors and emphasis on strategy, tactics, weapons, armor, and clothing.

The Viking Heart: How Scandinavians Conquered the World
Arthur Herman, August 2021, Mariner Books/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Themes: history, Vikings, Europe, Scandinavia, expeditions
From their role as foreign invaders to their contributions as settlers and global citizens, Herman effectively engages readers in the history of the Vikings as they explored the world seeking both conquest and a better life for their families.

The Last Viking: The True Story of King Harald Hardrada
Don Hollway
September 2021, Osprey/Macmillan
Themes: history, Vikings, medieval, military, biography
This fast-paced work of nonfiction narrative weaves together a wide range of historical accounts and legends to tell the true story of King Harald Hardrada of Norway. This larger than life Viking warrior traversed the world seeking vengeance, passion, and power.

Let’s explore seven timely take-aways for life-long learners:

1. The significant contributions of Vikings and their Scandinavian descendants are often overlooked in favor of a narrative focusing on violence and domination.
2. While sometimes associated with white supremacy and neo-Nazi groups, DNA investigations have found that the Norsemen of the Viking era never formed a single race or national identity. Instead they can be defined by their shared cultural and spiritual way of life that transcends physical traits and specific locations.
3. While many other cultures placed emphasis on gender, birthright and status, the Vikings stressed leadership, loyalty, and courage in battle. As a result, diversity was the norm giving women and individuals not native to Norway the opportunity to excel.
4. Human-trafficking was common among Viking raiding parties contributing to their wealth. Slaves were a significant commodity in the domestic economy.
5. The term Viking didn’t become popularized until the nineteenth century.
6. King Harald Hardrada of Norway was a Viking warrior who took center stage near the end of the Viking era.
7. It’s often difficult to separate the fact from the fantasy when studying the Viking era. Historians must synthesize memoir, historical accounts, oral history, and Norse sagas to create an accurate narrative.

Whether helping educators keep up-to-date in their subject-areas, promoting student reading in the content-areas, or simply encouraging nonfiction leisure reading, teacher librarians need to be aware of the best new titles across the curriculum and how to activate life-long learning. - Annette Lamb

A supposed descendant of mighty Vikings, particularly Erik the Great, I am always curious and interested in historical research related to Vikings. Armies of the Vikings, AD 793–1066, did not disappoint! The content is informative and brings these warriors to life. The explanations of their plights, reasons, and rationales for some choices were helpful. I love that it covers a lot of land and it written in a way that non-academics can enjoy. Saying that, the images were vivid and stunning and can hold the attention of any reader. I appreciated the re-enactors bringing these warriors to a contemporary audience.
I received a complimentary advanced copy from the publisher via NetGalley and all opinions expressed are my own, freely given.

Any book about Vikings is pretty much guaranteed to get at least 4 stars from me. "Armies of the Vikings, AD 793–1066" managed to get the top rating by bringing Viking armies to life. I almost expected to see a couple of Vikings charging through my living room! It's written in a style that makes it easy to read, it's entertaining, and the photos are an added bonus. Great stuff!

My thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley. This review was written voluntarily and is entirely my own, unbiased, opinion.

Armies of the Vikings, AD 793–1066 is a capsule survey of the expansion and exploration by Scandinavians, collated by military historian Gabriele Esposito. Due out late Oct. 2021 from Pen & Sword, it's 176 pages and will be available in hardcover and ebook formats.

This is one of a series of books on ancient military history by the publisher with similar layout and historical overview. They're accessible to the average layman with some background in military history and the language is clear and understandable. The work is not rigidly academic; it's not annotated and there are no chapter notes. The author has included an abbreviated bibliography including some contemporaneous primary sources, but most of the work he's based this work on are secondary histories and modern re-enactors (primarily five different groups of modern living history re-enactors: Jomsborg Vikings Hird from Poland, Brokkar Lag from Spain, Sjórvaldar Vikings from the United States of America and Confraternita del Leone/Historia Viva from Italy); there are also resources and links appended to some of the sources. That's not necessarily a *bad* thing, but it is something to know going into the read.

There are a number of photographs; they're mostly from the aforementioned modern historical re-enactor groups. I found the actual information was presented somewhat haphazardly and difficult to find again. The timelines hop around quite a bit, and the chapters end quite abruptly. The photographs (which are the book's best feature) are scattered throughout the text capriciously.

Four stars. I think this would make a good choice for modern readers interested in costume re-enacting groups like the SCA, serious cosplay, and similar. It would also be a good choice for readers who are already invested in this series from the publisher.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

If you are looking for a definitive guide of the Vikings from 793-1066 AD, please check this book out. I’ve learned so much from this book, more than I ever thought possible. You do learn about the spread of the Vikings, how certain groups went to Britain, Ireland, Normandy, Brittany, Germany, Jutland, and even coming so far as to the shores of North America, long before any other sea-faring explorers.
One of my favorite quotes from this book was, “Consequently, we can say that all Vikings were Norsemen, but that only some Norsemen were Vikings.” That really hits when we hear all those people who have their ancestry traced back to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, and automatically assume that their family were part of the ancient Vikings. We learn that not all Vikings went raiding and left their homeland. Some stayed and were farmers, they had villages, etc. It was only a portion that left.
You also learn what happened to different groups that left their homeland. We learned about their mindset for example, when a group realized that in order to get a foothold in what’s now called England, they would have to band together and fight the different kingdoms, they couldn’t do it on their own, that separate, they were too small.
We learned not only what was happening abroad, we learned what happened in their homeland as well. We learn about such battles as the Battle of Nesjar in 1016; the reign of Cnut the Great, ruler of not only England, but Denmark, Norway, and Sweden before finally passing in 1035.
No, we can’t talk about a Viking book that doesn’t talk about what the Vikings did later on when they hit the Kingdom of the Isles, Britain, Ireland, and all the minor islands. But the Vikings of course didn’t refer to them in those terms because no one did at that time. The Vikings referred to them as the “Northern Islands” and the “Southern Irelands”. The Northern Islands were the Shetlands and the Orkney Islands (mainly Norwegian). And the Southern Islands were the Hebrides, Islands of Firth and Clyde, and The Isle of Man (mainly Scandinavian). If you want to know what went on with all these islands, please check out this book. Like I stated previously, no school history book taught me so much.
The history of the area has been mostly a wild and hostile one at that time. There were always wars, battles, fighting. The Vikings were great raiders, and this was the first time I heard them referred to as pirates, but it makes sense.
I could go on and on, but if you want to really want to take a deep dive into the Vikings from 793AD until the beginning of the Middle Ages, please check this book out, Mr. Esposito has done a great job.
**I received an ARC of this story and this is my honest and voluntary review.

Perhaps the most misunderstood race of people in history, the Vikings continue to fascinate us nearly a thousand years since they first terrorised England and Europe.
The first documented Viking raid on the British Isles occurred in 793 when a force ravaged the island of Lindisfarne. Their reign of terror ended in the turning-point year of 1066, when the Vikings saw their power diminished after defeat at the Battle of Stamford Bridge.
Gabrielle Esposito’s excellent book takes us from the early invasions and occupation of Mercia, East Anglia and Northumbria, through several battles between the Vikings and Saxons ending in a peace treaty and the creation of the Danelaw state in eastern England.
Several Scandinavian warlords enjoyed stints as Kings of England, culminating in the long reign of Cnut the Great from 1017. Eventually, Norman influence began to be felt in England with the reign of Edward the Confessor, culminating in the subsequent conquest of England by William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. This decisive event marked the end of the Vikings’ plans to fully conquer England.
There are also chapters on the Viking presence in Wales, Scotland and Ireland, a section on the “Kingdom of the Isles”, (the name given to the islands surrounding the British Isles which were under Viking rule, such as the Shetlands and Orkney), and an overview of the Vikings in Europe. Their prowess as Medieval explorers is also explored.
A short, easy but informative read, Gabrielle Esposito has written an accessible guide to the Vikings which eschews the more fanciful myths in favour of hard facts. The book also includes many colour photos from the members of reenactment societies depicting the appearance of Viking warriors from various regions. In case you were wondering, horned helmets are conspicuous by their absence.