David Greig’s novella starts with a savage Viking attack on a small island off the coast of England. The monks in the isolated monastery are butchered and their meager religious valuables ransacked. The Vikings capture the women who kept the chickens and farm animals who supported the monastery and put them aboard their dragon ship to sell as slaves.
After the Vikings sail away, we discover there are three survivors: a young boy who was in training to be a monk, the wife of the blacksmith, and a surprise survivor. Greig then spends most of the rest of The Book of I showing how the survivors repair the wreckage and learn to work together.
Of course, a year later, the Viking ship returns and all hell breaks loose again…but with a different result. If you’re in the mood for a clever story with an unusual cast, The Book of I delivers a quick and compelling reading experience. GRADE: B
I don’t know him, but it does sound interesting.
Jeff, THE BOOK OF I is a quick read. I read the 139 pages (with plenty of White Space) in a little over an hour!
Is Europa a (no kidding?) a European publisher? And is this a paper or electronic book? Where’d you come across it?
Todd, I read a positive review of THE BOOK OF I in the WALL STREET JOURNAL and talked my local Library into buying it. Here’s the link to Europa’s web site: https://www.europaeditions.com/book/9798889661276/the-book-of-i
Those Vikings were a rollicking lot!
Bob, I saw THE VIKINGS in 1958 (I was 9 years old) and became a fan of swashbuckling every since!