This review was recently done by a New York Librarian. The original can be found at: http://www.revish.com/reviews/0978589297/Max/

"Excellent treatment of an Old Subject

Quick, what come to mind when you see the word Viking - hairy men leaping from long boats, sacking monasteries and pillaging English towns? You might even remember the 1958 Kirk Douglas/Tony Curtis movie, The Vikings, which put those images indelibly in my memory.

Those are not John Halsted's Vikings but that's not to say that the story is less entertaining. To the contrary, it has battles, thrilling escapes, hidden cities, likable characters, wonderful descriptions of distant lands, history woven into the narrative, and romance. You can't ask for more than that.

Before discussing the story, let's look at the book itself. I unwrapped it at at the mailbox and stopped in my tracks to look it over. It wasn't what I expected. It is 7 inches high (18 centimeters if you are a cataloger or not from the U.S.) by four and a quarter inches wide, much smaller than the typical hardcover. It may seem an odd thing to remark on, but there is a satisfying heft to the book and it is easy to carry around, fitting nicely in a pocket in my windbreaker. The dust jacket is very attractive with a Viking helmet superimposed on a relief map of the area traveled by the characters. The drawing of the helmet (no horns, thank you very much) is very well executed. The paper is smooth and heavier than typical. It took me a while to realize what is was about the paper that gave me pause. More than fifty years ago I received (and still have) a British edition of The Jungle Book and the pages have the same feel. I got a feeling of nostalgia just holding this book. A segment of the route map is faintly printed on the top corner of each page. As someone who loves the printed book, I appreciate the care and detail that went into producing Legend of the Last Vikings.

Legend of the Last Vikings: Taklamakan is set at the end of the Viking period after King Harald Hardrada of Norway was killed at the Battle of Stamford Bridge in 1066 in an attempt to conquer England. The survivors were allowed to leave England after promising never to attack England again. Ulf Uspakson, adviser to Harald, decides to go A-Viking one last time and is joined by a select group of comrades. Their goal is to find the resting place of the Swedish Viking Ingvar Vittfarne who left to explore to the west, around the Caspian Sea and into Asia.

They find clues to their quest in the library of Kyiv (Kiev, the capital of the Ukraine) where their research is aided by an Arab prince and scholar, Ibn Rashid al-Arslan who has knowledge of the lands and peoples where they need to travel. They begin their journey in earnest at Kiev, heading south to the Black Sea then west into the Caspian Sea. Ibn joins them in the expedition, tutoring them in Arabic, and explaining the customs of the people they will encounter. They travel further west, along the Silk Route, and eventually into the Taklamakan Desert in present day China. Along the way they attract the attention of the Black Scorpions, a quasi-religious organization of pirates, assassins, and thugs who dog our heroes' steps through most of the book and want them destroyed.

As they travel from city to city, they make new friends, suffer betrayal, adding to their knowledge of Ingvar Vittfarne, find love, and escape some pretty tight situations.

Legend... is a thoroughly enjoyable book. Why do I recommend it? Well, one obvious reason is that it has Vikings and Vikings are always cool. We get a fuller picture of the Vikings from this book. While we think of them mainly as warriors, they were also traders with extensive networks in Russia, the Mediterranean, and Middle East. In fact, the Vikings were mainly traders. Vikings also made up the Varangian Hoarde (or Guard), the bodyguard of the Byzantine emperor. Harald Harrada is one of the most well known Norsemen to serve in the Varangian Guard.

Another aspect of the book that I enjoyed is the history, culture, and physical descriptions of the lands it contains. Halsted did a remarkable amount of research and works it into the story without having it read like a textbook. I learned quite a bit and, more than once, went to Wikipedia to find out more; the Varangian Guard was new to me.

Then there are the characters. Ulf, the warrior scholar, fluent in many languages including Latin and Greek, is particularly interesting but you can't help but imagine sitting around a tavern table with the rough but intelligent and good humored men and listening to their stories. There are strong women characters and it is fun to see Ulf meet his match in the Hephthalite/Greek woman Lydia Iskander

I think Legend of the Last Vikings would be a fun book to read with a young person. Besides being a good adventure story, there is enough historical background to last a school year. There is an appendix that includes maps; place names, geographic features, units of measurement with old and current equivalencies; and major characters, places, and events. Personally, if Halsted took his research and turned it into an activity book I would purchase it. There is one explicit sex scene that a parent would want to skip over depending on the age of the child.

There is a nice web site supporting this book: http://www.vikinglegend.com/"

See http://www.revish.com/reviews/0978589297/Max/

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Reviews done before joining:

This is a wonderful blend of fact and fiction, putting flesh on the dry bones of history, demonstrating the insatiable restless human desire for discovery, adventure and the pursuit of knowledge.
Be drawn into a classic sojourn which spans many religions and beliefs and incorporates the ingredients of friendship, dignity, honour, love, betrayal and greed; against the backdrop of a hostile environment which gives no quarter – just what one expects from a Viking.
An intellectual read, leaving the door open with a promise of more to come … Riveting stuff!!
Paul Sweetland


EXCELLENT! The book tells a story that captures the reader on several levels. What appears to be an historical novel becomes an adventure set in a background of rich experiences and wide diversity. This adventure, alongside the stories of the different settlements and religions, and that of a moving love story, means that this book provides a compelling and exciting journey of discovery for both the characters in the book and the reader themselves.
Laura Stannard ( )