This book although quite lenghty was extremely well written. I love how well the author made the material engaging, especially in the beginning. There were definitely dry areas that I kind of just skimmed, but only because I struggle reading huge non-fiction books. I definitely would have liked this one a bit better if it was smaller. I felt like the maps, etc were well chosen and that this book was definitely directed at higher educated people. To read this book one will probably need to be very interested in the subject matter.

Thank you to Netgalley and Perseus Books, Basic Books for an eArc of this book for an honest review. I enjoyed this book so much I preordered a physical copy, which arrived today.

I have always enjoyed Viking history, maybe living in the North East of England where their influence is so evident has something to do with that. I found this book informative and insightful. Neil Price includes diversity and inclusion in a thought provoking way. Providing evidence of LGBTQ+ within the Viking culture. The book challenges the stereotypical idea of who they vikings were and delves info how they changed the places where they travelled and settled.

I really enjoyed the personal references of the archeological digs and research through Neil Prices career that were interwoven to make create this fascinating book.

This book will be delved into for research and pleasure for years to come.

I received Children of Ash and Elm as part of a NetGalley giveaway.

In recent years, a slew of popular media, from novels to television series, has explored Viking culture, from novels to television series. Yet they have focused on centuries-old stereotypes of mindless brutes bent solely on looting, rape, and murder. Price, an academic archaeologist and historian, attempts to add nuance to Viking culture, not just focusing on raiding and violence--though there was plenty of that--but also focusing on the rich cosmology, economic, artistic, political, and spiritual lives of these enigmatic people.

The book, roughly divided into three sections, explores in turn the Viking universe (their understanding of the world, their cultural and political structures, etc.), the "diaspora" period of raiding and expansion, and finally, the development and eventual fading away of this far-flung "Viking Age." The middle part of the book--probably the most familiar to the popular imagination--wanders a bit and sometimes feels like a list of conquered territories and people, but the first part was a fascinating look at a world that simultaneously challenges our previous stereotypes while also raising new and interesting questions about the Vikings and the world they inhabited. A really excellent read, broad and deep but generally not dry, that will be particularly interesting for relative newcomers to the subject.

An insightful and moving account of one of the most interesting periods/culture in history (to me, anyway). Price paints a vivid portrait of 'Viking' society, challenging the stereotypes and common misconceptions of a people that are constantly misrepresented (as Price constantly points out.) The way he weaves together mythology and fact to create a magical account of the Vikings' journey from creation to the slow transition to a Christian society is immersive and thought-provoking, beautiful and succinct. What sets this apart from most historical accounts for me is the case Price makes for diversity and the inclusion of trans and nonbinary identities; it seems, too often, historians and such are eager to bury any evidence of LGBT identities existing in the past, and to have the possibility poised really stuck with me.

Extensively thought out, well-written and clearly stated, with the inclusion of a considerable amount of references, Children of Ash and Elm definitely stands out among the accounts of the Viking Age. Probably my favorite ARC I've received from NetGalley thus far.

This is a very intriguing and in-depth look into the life of Vikings. Blending historical accounts, archeology, and Norse mythology this book dives into the world of the Vikings. Everything from their clothing to their hierarchy system is covered in this amazing book. It is all presented in a fresh and interesting way that keeps the pages turning.

I learned a lot from this and was surprised by several things that I learned from this. I really enjoyed reading through this and I'm glad that I came across it.

5 Stars!

A fascinating cross-disciplinary look at the rise of the Vikings. This book tries to understand how the Vikings saw their world and what motivated them to pursue their raiding and conquering. Price draws on archeology, historiography, genetics, economics, and even climate science to develop as thorough a picture as possible of a culture that did not write it's own history or stories. He traces the Vikings rise from a multiyear winter caused by massive volcano eruptions that caused global climate impacts. He explores the similarities between Viking culture and pirate systems in the 18th century, the rise of sea kings, and the economic impact of raiding and trading on nordic populations. This is a clear-eyed view of what they were and how they saw their world and will realign any fuzzy popularized view you might have of Vikings.

I thought Children of Ash and Elm was an interesting and informative book. I love history but my knowledge of the Vikings was lacking. I learnt so much from this book about the Vikings lives and mythology. I did find it was a little too long and there were parts what were a bit long winded. The ebook format didn't quite work for me. Whilst I liked seeing the pictures I often got confused between the description for them and the body of the book. I think I would have much preferred reading a physical copy of the book.

Anybody who studied ‘The Vikings’ at primary or secondary school will have some idea of what these apparently violent men from the North did in the so-called ‘Axe Age’, but after reading 'The Children of Ash and Elm' one realises this school history is misleading because it is extremely superficial. In this excellent work, author Neil Price not only tells us what the Norse who went a-viking did, but why.
The book opens with a brief look at some of their fundamental mythology, giving us a glimpse at the gods, spirits and demons that in many respects governed their thinking. This moves on to the major climate event that devastated their land and socio-cultural groups in the sixth century. We then read about where they lived and how, and then onto trade – which was so much more sophisticated and far-ranging than I believed. Essentially, Price is re-educating readers about the Viking period, their Scandinavian world and world-view. What he reveals makes compelling reading.
Without question, this is one of the best history books I have ever read. I shall be buying a hard-back copy to re-read and keep.
Unfortunately maps, illustrations and some formatting scrambled on my Kindle. The e-book needs attention for basic Kindle readers.
The book itself is highly recommended.

I featured this title in a nonfiction roundup and will provide the specific details directly to the publisher in the next round of this process.

Neil Price is an Distinguished Professor of Archaeology at the University of Uppsala and his other books include “The Archaeology of Shamanism” (which has been on my to-read list for a couple of years now) and “The Viking Way: Magic and Mind in Late Iron Age Scandinavia”, which I found about shortly before I started reading “Childrens of Ash and Elm”, and sounds like a must-have title too.
“Children of Ash and Elm” is separated into three parts.
The first one is dealing with the years preceding the Viking age (750-1050), the so-called Migration period, full of turbulent events like the fall of the Western Roman Empire, several eruptions of supervolcanoes and etc, and its focus is to show the reader how a pre-Viking-age person in Scandinavia probably viewed the world and his/her place in it. This included a really deep dwell into mythology and religion which I enjoyed enormously.
The second part deals with, like Price put it, what brings “Viking” in the Viking age - raids, economy, trade and all aspects of the so-called Viking diaspora.
The third, and last, part focuses on the colonies of the Vikings and their lasting influence over Europe, Asia and even North America.
Neil Price has written a really important book, not only because of his approach to these peoples he writes about, and his focus on their worldview and the underlying causes of their cultural and economical development (and not exclusively on their raids and wars), but especially because he doesn't separate the theatre of action into Western and Eastern (as most authors do), thus showing that it was the same group of people that laid the foundations of Russia, and populated Iceland and Greenland.
The author never lost his professionalism and not once condemned or praised the actions of a historic peoples, something which is bafflingly rare and it shouldn't be. A fascination with certain people should not lead to romanticization of their acts.
Instead he has created a very believable depiction, the Vikings, as Price views them, are cosmopolitical, creative and opportunistic people, who believed in a certain reality of the world that needed blood sacrifices and raids.
What is one thing the author is very good at, is asking questions, or creating new interpretations, of archaeological situations and material culture, for example I was really captivated by his idea of funerals as drama, the sacrificed animals, humans, the notable dead and all his/her belongings - all characters or set pieces.
I have always been amazed at how much an archaeological situation can tell us, for example, a Vikings burial holds the tales of a saga. Be it a single Buddha statue found in the Helgo treasure or a runic monument left by a woman, who went to travel to Jerusalem, material culture can tell so many stories if we are there to listen. And Price listens. And I thank him for this.
Price is also very familiar with the textual sources, as if by heart, and he keeps analyzing them throughout the book, thus introducing much more context for often overlooked aspects of Viking life.
His style of writing is really enjoyable, for a book of 600+ pages it never felt dry or boring even for a moment, in fact his sentences were quite poetic at times, and I really appreciate that. As a truly modern skald he has given his work a soul, which is rare for nonfiction, and this ability is what separates him from the rest who had endeavoured such an adventure into the Viking world.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read such and excellent example of a non-fiction history book, it was a pleasure.

Children of Ash and Elm is a wonderful look into the history of the Vikings. There is so much information discussed that is looked at with a close, anthropological, and archeological eye. This book is not there to portray them in any fantastic or mystical light but to see them for how they truly were and lived.

I would definitely recommend this book as a place to start when wanting to learn about the true history of the Vikings.

This is a scholastic reference book, so expect it to read accordingly; that said, I found it to be fairly interesting and engrossing as it reinforced what I already knew and added substantially to it. While the scholarship within this book is fairly evident, it remains accessible to the 'layman' with how it is presented to the reader. This means that readers who have more experience with some of the historical disciplines combined by the author may find themselves skimming over significant parts of the book while the author brings the rest of us up to speed. It does drag considerably once it gets into the various Viking raids (I am sure there is something I missed in all that while skimming).

Most of the literature about the Vikings has focused What they did and not Why they did it. This book attempts to rectify that oversight. It begins by exploring the actual etymology of the term Viking before trying to identify exactly who the Vikings were and highlight some of the accretions that get us to how to see Vikings today. Rather than defining Vikings by the encounters they had with more than 50 peoples, this book tries to example the similarities within Vikings culture using a few interactions as examples of the whole. But first ... let's talk about what we know and how we know it (and of course the limitations of how we know it). Probably the most significant limitation of any Viking Era research is the scarcity of written material from within its predominately oral culture (nearly all of the written histories are from "foreign contemporaries" who wrote about them).

To get an idea of the Viking mind, the other begins with an exploration of Nordic Cosmology/Mythology. As something of a Nordophile, I already knew most of this material and found it to be clearly stated and inline with my expectations after skimming through most of it. The difference here is the author's more pragmatic approach to these myths that tries to identify how these myths are linked aspects of ordinary Viking life instead of a foundation for religious life (which was also inline with my expectations). In other words, he tries ot make distinction between appearance/perception and reality. What I found most helpful here was the author's ability to combine, explain and contrast different aspects of Viking Era beliefs.

After this, the author explores what set the Vikings in motion. Citing various environmental and political changes that severely impact the North around the 6th century, we find wide spread evidence of a population under stress; with a reminder that populations under stress usually start migrating elsewhere (in this case, potentially accompanied by former Roman auxiliaries; or perhaps simply Roman armed former allies). [Fimbul]Winter is coming ... and Scandinavian communities needed to reinvent themselves to survive, and what emerged was a very different society.

One aspect explored where I learned quite a lot was the intersection of law, magic and sexuality. I am sure some of the material is controversial, but it did explain a number of concepts that have puzzled me before ... such as the whole idea of women's magic (seithr) and why men were not allowed to practice it. Just as important, the author highlights several instances of Viking behavior (typically around funerary practices) for which we may never have a satisfactory explanation. In the end, I came away with a better understanding of the Viking Age.

I was given this free advance reader copy (ARC) ebook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
#ChildrenofAshandElm #NetGalley

This book is VERY extensive, but still easy to read and with very interesting information. By not going too deep into any details, we keep the overview at all times, but still have the necessary examples. The only thing I don't like, is that the Norse religion is so dominant in the first part (including the title), it would be better placed at the end for those interested.

Children of Ash and Elm by Neil Price is a fascinating , well written and thoroughly researched account of Viking history and society. It is very detailed and quite scholarly but not to a degree that would alienate a lay reader. there is a lot of depth to sink your teeth into but is never overwhelming. The title comes from a creation myth and over the course of the book the author looks at the roles mythology and religion played in all aspects of Viking culture. I loved that the author did not just focus on the facts of the various raids etc but tried to figure out what would have motivated the behaviour. I also found the chapter titled "Border Crossings" with its discussion of gender roles and expectations particularly illuminating and interesting, as was the chapter dealing with death and burial rites.
In a time where the media portrayal ,be it in television shows like Vikings or even movies like Marvel's Thor films, has made Vikings more popular than ever, this is a great book to look at the history and culture in more death.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

What an interesting book! I really had no idea about the socio-cultural impact the Vikings had throughout history and how they've influenced modern society. What a truly timeless and remarkable people.
I originally requested this book because I recently finished watching 3 seasons of the hit TV-show “Vikings” and was very intrigued by their culture and way of life and wanted to learn about their history. I was so lucky to stumble upon this ARC. Author Neil Price does an exemplary job in navigating the ways of the Vikings, their journeys and at times brutal conquests. He is able to do this in a way that is thought-provoking (tying them to modern culture) and engaging. He is so informative and descriptive that you can feel his hard work and passion on every single page. I can't imagine the amount of hard work and research that went into writing this book. He is thorough and his research is well supported. Although the Vikings are often described as “brutal” and “savage”, Price lets us see them for who they truly were- a people trying to survive, modernize and conquer (just like every other people throughout history). Reason for the 4 stars- at times I lost interest and wanted to skip through some sections (but I didn't!!!); however this is simply personal opinion.
Highly Recommend!
ARC received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Detailed, multi-faceted study🤓

Quite comprehensive: there's so much information compiled here that it's definitely a scholarly rather than entertaining read. The famous exploits of Viking raiders in the British Isles and their westerly explorations are just a small part of this history. The height of the Viking era is so much more; Price's book details both the historic exploits and their everyday social life.

If you want to know more about the full range of their trading and expansion, or how they lived at home, this book covers it all. It's loaded with fact and best conjecture when evidence requires interpretation, and quite heavy reading; if you are looking for entertaining adventure tales, I would say this is not the book you want.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest review.

"Children of Ash and Elm" is a wonderful history of "Vikings" by Neil Price. I was looking for a history of Vikings that was recently published when I stumbled on this one from Goodreads which began my venture with NetGalley. I am happy to say that this book is hitting every aspect of a Viking history that I was looking for. From a creation story of the universe (or "Ginnungagap", the yawning void), to the creation of mankind with Askr (ash) and Embla (elm), as well as a history of the culture and military. This book is all encompassing and is a must read for those interested in the history of this Scandinavian people. This is a book that does not require any prior knowledge to appreciate it to its fullest extent.

As a person of proudly Swedish descent, I have recently been delving into Scandinavian history, and was so thrilled to have such a well-researched book on the Viking people. Though Vikings are the central figures, Price does a great job at delving into pre-history, and also touching on the global Viking impact. I'm not the biggest reader of history books, the dates & places & rulers type of information often bores me, but there was enough other content in this book to keep me very interested. I love the way the author weaves archeological, scientific, and literary evidence to tell a compelling story about the Viking people. He addresses everything from their belief systems to their daily life to their sea-faring expeditions. It was definitely a long book, but one that kept my interest from start to finish. If you have any interest in Viking or Scandinavian history, you will enjoy this book!

Some really good references. A good look to the more day to day stuff of viking life - funerals, clothing, geography, status, crimes and more. A great reference for readers who want to have a more rounded look at Vikings.

A dense and informative book from Neil Price giving a detailed history of the Viking Age covering the Norse gods, raids on England and France, migration to Iceland and Greenland and Vineland, and travel and trade to places as far away as Constantinople. This is a great read for anyone wanting to learn more about the Viking influence on the shape of the modern world.