The Golden Horn Review - Journey of Finding the Best Books

Hello Fellow Journeyers,

Next on the journey, I found myself interested by The Last Viking trilogy by Poul Anderson, which begins with The Golden Horn.

What makes this particular story difficult to review is that it is as frustrating as it is interesting. The basic premise is similar to that of War of the Gods, but the reasoning is different: Harald Sigurdharson is unable to become king at the time the book begins. One event leads to another and he is forced to leave his lands and head to Constantinople to become a skilled warrior, leader, and gather wealth. The plot and premise are simple, and this continues throughout for better or worse.

I'll say this, because while much happens, it doesn't necessarily feel all that important to know what happens often in the story. When events do happen, they are really good and quite interesting to read. But as was the case for many readers, it reads much more like historical narrative fiction that is more based on a historical recounting than a story with emotional depth and a plot that is riveting. For example, there is an entire chapter devoted to expositional detail of Harald's "antagonist" and how he has fared while Harald was in Constantinople, but it's all told like a history textbook, when I feel it could've been shared more invigoratingly.

But even as I say this, I'm baffled because I enjoyed the events that took place. They were very interesting, learning of what befalls Harald as he works for the Roman Empire, but where is Anderson's signature lovely writing? It's sprinkled throughout, but much is left to be desired when you have a high standard for what the writing should be. Gone are the longwinded descriptions of poetic detail. There are short and simple sentences that get the point across only. Rare is it when Poul's writing is not interesting, but it was simply missing that Poul Anderson flair I've come to know and love.

★★ 2 Stars - Overall, a very fine book. The plot and events are fun, interesting, and at times quite emotionally impactful. That being said, it doesn't seem like essential reading because all of the incredible depth that Poul Anderson usually puts out is not in this one.

Recommended For: those who enjoy historically accurate Viking stories.

Let me hear from you! If you like what you read, want to hear more thoughts on this book, other reviews, or talk book recommendations and Essential Reading, leave a comment below.

Rating system:

★★★★★ 5 Stars: It was amazing; I loved it. Read this book; it is definitely Essential Reading!

★★★★★* 4.5 Stars: It was fantastic, I really loved almost every aspect of it.

★★★★ 4 Stars: It was very good and worth reading; highly recommend.

★★★★* 3.5 Stars: I enjoyed a lot of aspects of this story, but it was lacking in certain areas.

★★★ 3 Stars: It was good, but could've been better or improved upon significantly.

★★★* 2.5 Stars: I wanted to enjoy it. Certain aspects were good, it was worth finishing, but many issues.

★★ 2 Stars:  It was okay, I didn't feel strongly about it.

★ 1 Star: I did not like it. It was not worth finishing or I did not finish it.

*I round up based on the system on Goodreads. Also, there is no 1.5 Stars because it does not seem to have enough differentiation.