The Saga of Gunnlaug Serpent-Tongue is the third of Penguin's Little Black Classics, and it is because of titles like this one that I picked up the series, as they represent the kind of books I would maybe not have read otherwise.

The story was quite enjoyable. A young Icelandic noble holds a gap-year (several in fact) traveling to the courts of Europe, where they all love his poetry and shower him with gifts. When he eventually returns he finds that a fellow poet has sneakily stolen his betrothed and he's not pleased with this at all.

While the story is easy to follow it wasn't always an easy read. Because of it being a saga there is a lot of attention for everyone's father and their father and their fathers before them (you get the idea). This combined with the feeling that there were rather a lot repetitive senses made that the flow wasn't really that nice and makes that I wouldn't quickly pick up a full length work of Icelandic sagas. But I think it works quite well in small doses.

Little Black Classic #3

An Icelandic saga following the journey of the poet Gunnlaug as he travels around 10th Century Europe, hoping to return home in time to marry his betrothed, Helga the Fair.

A very good introduction to the Icelandic sagas and Norse Mythology of the time. Not being familiar with this kind of work, I cannot say how similar it is. I will say, however, that it is terribly written, though I assume that is the style of them all. There is no flow to the saga; instead it happens in short, sharp sentences. Whilst this gives it paces, there are too many times when people's family trees are listed off without much gumption. I realise this is the way of sagas, and the appeal is less the writing but the historical benefit and world building prowess, but sadly I do not think Icelandic or Norse sagas are for me.

What I did enjoy, however, was the visits to England as that kind of history will always excite me. I also could see the clear influence this kind of story had on Tolkien.