"𝑯𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒈𝒂𝒊𝒏, 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒄𝒖𝒔 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒍𝒂𝒓𝒈𝒆𝒍𝒚 𝒕𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒃𝒆 𝒐𝒏 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑽𝒊𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒅𝒊𝒅 𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒐𝒏 𝒘𝒉𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒅𝒊𝒅 𝒊𝒕. 𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒂 𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒔𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘𝒑𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒆𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍 𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒔𝒄𝒐𝒑𝒆, 𝒅𝒆𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 (𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒏 𝒋𝒖𝒅𝒈𝒊𝒏𝒈) 𝒂 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝒔𝒐𝒍𝒆𝒍𝒚 𝒃𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒆𝒒𝒖𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒓 𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒎. 𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒐𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒂𝒄𝒉, 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒖𝒕. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒆𝒎𝒑𝒉𝒂𝒔𝒊𝒔 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒎𝒍𝒚 𝒐𝒏 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑽𝒊𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆, 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒎𝒂𝒅𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒎 𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒌, 𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒇𝒆𝒍𝒕."
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The Children of Ash & Elm is an amazing look behind the curtain of mythology and legend to discover what the Vikings were really like. Huge recommend for this one; the prose is confident and heady with descriptions of the people who have so captured our collective imagination. I can't wait to get a physical copy of this book so I can really peruse all the maps and images. As always, thanks to @netgalley
and the publishers for this ARC.
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ℙ𝕌𝔹 𝔻𝔸𝕋𝔼: 𝔸𝕦𝕘𝕦𝕤𝕥 𝟚𝟝, 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟘

Great piece of writing that will captivate young adults and not-so-young adults alike. Highly recommend if you're looking for something new and unexpected.

Amazing, but exhausting.

Right away I'm going to tell you that this book is for people who love history, cultures, and who have the willingness and drive to learn the truth about Vikings. This is absolutely not the book for someone that thinks a viking is a fat singing guy with horns on his head at the opera, or who get misled with what I'll call the modern media version of Vikings we see in things like Assassins Creed: Valhalla and The Last Kingdom TV Show.

The intro gives us Neil's credentials but for those that want to know: "Neil Price is distinguished professor and chair of archaeology at Uppsala University, Sweden. He has been researching, teaching, and writing on the Vikings for nearly thirty-five years"

In other words, he is THE expert on all things Viking.

What I loved about this is that he constantly dispels our idea of who the vikings were. Sure, parts of their culture as represented today are true to form but the portrayals tend to disregard a lot of who they were and how they acted. He also takes a history is written by the winners approach to telling their story, constantly reminding us that a lot of their own texts are in existent and we developed our viewpoint based on the writings of their rivals and neighbors. I also liked how Neil talked about the Norse Mythology which a lot of us are familiar with but in a way that showed how it truly related to the Vikings themselves. These aren't just stories, they are beliefs.

Now, I am going through some personal stuff so although I found this book amazing and fascinating, I also found it really exhausting. I don't know if it's because of my own issues or because the book is extremely heavy with information. I would absolutely recommend this book, but would caution that you have to be really committed to it. I trust Neil with the Vikings the way I trust Zahi Hawass with the Egyptians.

This was a pleasure to read, it gave a very interesting peek into the "vikings" and how they have been portrayed. I was impressed with the writing and how much research the author obviously put in. I would recommend to anyone that likes reading about history and/or cultures.

Children of Ash and Elm: A History of the Vikings by Neil Price is a very highly recommended history and examination of the Viking Age, from 750 to 1050. This is a comprehensive history of the Vikings in which Price looks at who they really were as a people, how they viewed themselves rather than how other cultures defined them. They would not have recognized or identified themselves as "Vikings." In the past many histories that give a history of the Vikings view them through the eyes of another culture, and usually with the result of placing the contact culture in the positive light and the Vikings in a negative light. Price presents a more equitable picture. He draws on historical records, discoveries made at archaeological digs and burial sites across Europe, and the historical observations made by those who had contact with them at the time.

"The emphasis here is very firmly on who the Vikings really were, what made them tick, how they thought and felt. Their dramatic expansion will not be ignored, of course, but its context, its origins, are at the core of what follows. Where better to begin, then, than with the creation itself? The tale of the gods fashioning the first humans from stumps of wood, on the shores of the world ocean, has roots that extend very deeply into Norse mythology. For all the fearful confusion about their identity among those they encountered, in the Vikings’ own minds there was never any doubt at all: they were the children of Ash, the children of Elm."

The comprehensive history is divided into three parts.
"The first part explores this realm through the Vikings’ sense of self, and of their environment, and begins by delineating the contours of its landscape both on the ground and inside their heads. It explores their unique understandings of personhood, gender, and the place of the individual in the many dimensions of the cosmos. This also involves meeting the other beings with whom the Vikings shared these spaces."
"The second part goes back to the early 700s, but follows a different path to seek the major sociopolitical developments and demographic factors that slowly combined to trigger the Viking phenomenon itself. This was the time of the raids and their gradual escalation from isolated attacks to invasions of conquest, in the ever-present context of expanding trade networks. The maritime culture of Scandinavia, the rise of the sea-kings, and the development of uniquely mobile pirate polities are the focus here. The beginnings of the diaspora can be traced in all directions..."
"Part three moves the story to the mid-eleventh century, as the Viking phenomenon diversified across the northern world. Its consequences included an urban revolution in the Scandinavian economies and the reorganization of the countryside, paralleled by the consolidation of royal power and the rising influence of a new faith." Viking cities and power bases were established across the world at this time. The idea of separate identities of Norway, Denmark, and Sweden began and they started becoming a part of Christian Europe.

I have literally pages of notes from reading Children of Ash and Elm. Certainly I can't share everything, but I would encourage anyone who is interested in an equitable history of the Vikings to read Children of Ash and Elm. I was engrossed in the whole book and all the finds and research Price includes. It is a fascinating and extensive examination of the Vikings, children of the great ash tree Yggdrasill, their culture, explorations and sweeping travels. The final publication will include a 16 page color insert, maps, chapter notes, references, and index.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Basic Books.
After publication the review will be posted on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Children of Ash and Elm is a wonderful exploration of a stereotyped and misunderstood peoples. They were not just aggressive conquerers, but a diverse, dynamic, and adaptable people who explored large parts of the world.
Not only is this a history of the Vikings, it is also a cultural history of Scandinavia. It explores the politics, religion, myths, life ways and shared beliefs of these amazing people. (As a side note, it also talks about gender roles and equality.)
Overall, a brilliantly executed book on a fascinating subject.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the ARC! What a great read. Can't wait to read more by this author.

History of the Vikings in full. Their myths, religion, material world, politics, way of thinking, correlation between gender, which was very equal for the time.
Vikings are very much known as aggresive marital conquerors but actually they were also great explorers and in the process they adapted to new circumstances and changed themselves.

The book is very interesting and has interdisciplinary approach, I loved it.

Rather than a history of Vikings as I knew them, this was more a cultural introductory study of Scandinavians with many new insights into a frequently misunderstood people. I would definitely recommend this as a good introduction as it will surely lead to an increased interest. Thank you to the publishers for providing me with this drc and I look forward to its release.

Absolutely loved this take on history and culture. It was un-put-downable! A must read for Vikings fans!

Really good history book, written with a sense that the past not only defines civilization but we can always find things to learn from it.High recommended for history buffs and general audience.

I never knew the Vikings were so diverse and time enduring. From the early conquests to the later times of the Rus and the Byzantine empire they were raiding and plundering. They were also populating areas that were abandoned or too hard for the locals to do so. Vikings were hardy people , and their legacy endures today.
I especially enjoyed the Norse Myths and their influences and comparissons with the Viking conquests. The whole religious background of the Viking Age was well explained and thought out. I learned more than a few things about the Norse Gods by reading this. One thing I didnt see explained was the inclusion of Denmark in the tales. I know Denmark was a major player in the Viking sagas but the maps of the Viking age dont show it. Also the comparison of the Nazi use of Viking themes in their propaganda was discussed. Using the Viking warrior as an example for them to recruit men for their conquering of Europe and fight against Communism. Really after reading this title I had a better understanding of what motivated the Vikings . Reading was easy and it felt as though the author was explaining a tale by the fire to his friends. For anyone interested in Norse Gods or Viking history you cant go wrong reading this title.

Children of Ash and Elm is a wonderful book about Viking history. Viking history is one of the misunderstood and understudied history. We were taught that Vikings were first people to sail and they were violent. But they are more than that.. this book explores the definitive history of vikings, their religious belief, their way of living and the advances in their civilisation. Glad i got a chance to read throughout rich history of Vikings. The author has done a good job in contemplating evidences in this well researched book.
Thank you NetGalley, Neil Price and publisher for the ARC. This review is my own and is not influenced in any way.

Having just finished what is definitely the most thorough history on this topic that I have ever read, period, I look upon author Neil Price’s decision to subtitle “Children of Ash and Elm” as merely “A History of the Vikings” as a major understatement on his part. The reach of this work is exhaustive, covering everything from the social pressures that led to the first coastal raids to the surprising amount of gender fluidity that existed in Viking society. Every facet that is tackled is done so using the full combined weight of the existing archaeological and historical record, and as a result, I was able to finish every chapter feeling confident that no stone had been left unturned.

Besides being exhaustive, this book is aggressively objective in a manner that I fast grew to appreciate. Price specifically targets all the major stereotypes and misconceptions but does so in a way that neither glorifies nor denigrates. He just focuses on presenting the Viking’s story as has been told to us in the present by the existing historical and archaeological evidence that has been left behind, and it is neither the story of mere crude seagoing brutes nor anyone that should be put upon any pedestal. It’s a story of a specific group that had their very own unique combination of complexities and contradictions, as all peoples do. And frankly, this story as is told by the evidence ends up being vastly more fascinating than any of the one-dimensional symbols that the Vikings have been pigeonholed into over the centuries.

Eventually, further research and archaeological finds will further build upon all that Price covers here, eventually making “Children of Ash and Elm” an incomplete overview. However, I don’t see this book being dethroned as arguably one of the best existing histories on the Vikings anytime in the foreseeable future. Its completeness feels unmatched for the time being.