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ヴィンランド・サガ [Vinland Saga] #3-4
Vinland Saga Omnibus, Vol. 2
ENGLAND AT WAR
The foolish King Ethelred has fled, and Askeladd's band is one of hundreds plundering the English countryside. Yet victory brings no peace to the elderly Danish King Sweyn, who worries that his untested, sensitive son Canute will never be ready to take the throne. The king's attempt to force his son to become a man places the young prince within the grasp of the gleeful killer Thorkell! Whoever holds Canute holds the key to the thrones of England and Denmark – and Askeladd has his own reasons for joining the fray!
The foolish King Ethelred has fled, and Askeladd's band is one of hundreds plundering the English countryside. Yet victory brings no peace to the elderly Danish King Sweyn, who worries that his untested, sensitive son Canute will never be ready to take the throne. The king's attempt to force his son to become a man places the young prince within the grasp of the gleeful killer Thorkell! Whoever holds Canute holds the key to the thrones of England and Denmark – and Askeladd has his own reasons for joining the fray!
438 pages, Hardcover
First published August 23, 2003
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 352 reviews
March 28, 2025
The story moves to the UK where our darkest anti-hero of all-time Thorfinn spearheads the pillaging of a town in a dark and callous way! This series takes no prisoners (just like the Vikings :D) and depicts the lethal underhand tactics the Vikings used, to mostly kill and pillage ordinary people's towns and villages. The fight scenes, especially one-on-ones are thrilling! I had no expectations of this historical fiction mange but it has impressed me on characterisations, world building and art! A Four Star, 8 out of 12 read.
2025 read
2025 read
September 1, 2025
Like the first, but bloodier. There is no hiding the savage nature of the Danish Vikings in this one, loads of gory battles and raping women in small villages as they go.
Vinland Saga blends brutal Viking warfare with a deeply personal story of grief, vengeance, and the search for a better world. Despite all the violence, this series is unexpectedly thoughtful.
Beautiful flashbacks/dreams with his father. There is such a sensitive theme running through this journey about the costs of war and what it means to be a man. Not that I would know, but it’s wonderful to have these discussions with my son.
Such a great reminder of how lucky we are to have made it this far in history. Especially as a woman, I am eternally grateful to be living during this time period.
Buddy reading with my son.
Vinland Saga blends brutal Viking warfare with a deeply personal story of grief, vengeance, and the search for a better world. Despite all the violence, this series is unexpectedly thoughtful.
Beautiful flashbacks/dreams with his father. There is such a sensitive theme running through this journey about the costs of war and what it means to be a man. Not that I would know, but it’s wonderful to have these discussions with my son.
Such a great reminder of how lucky we are to have made it this far in history. Especially as a woman, I am eternally grateful to be living during this time period.
Buddy reading with my son.
June 7, 2023
I love this series ❤️
September 18, 2024
Really enjoying the direction the story is going in and the way layers of the characters are being revealed. It is building...
June 19, 2017
The Vinland Saga is an epic manga series set in the very early years of 1000 A.D. during the Viking Invasions. The Danish King Sweyn has decided his sensitive second son-Cantue needs to be hardened and sends him off to lead the campaign against the Saxons.
At the same time the renegade Viking Thorkell has allied with the English-for no other reason that he likes a good fight. Thorkell is a great character- a true warrior, in the blood-crazed berserker style. But by far my favorite character is the Icelander- Thorfinn, the very young teen aged killer who has been taken by the Danes. He is the son of a mighty warrior-Thors. Thorfinn is a great character and his fighting style is superb.
While this does use historical events as its backdrop and these characters are involved-but that's just to get the setting of the story correct. Read this for the action and the adventure. There are some complex happenings going on behind the main action- Askelaard's motivations, King Sweyn's motivations regarding his son, the various groups of Vikings who sometimes work together and sometimes at cross purposes...this is a well researched story. From the standpoint of the world they depict. It is dark and violent. Befitting the time and the country it was set in.
If you like your stories violent and the art well done in a great manga style-then do not pass up this exciting story. The Vinland Saga rocks!
At the same time the renegade Viking Thorkell has allied with the English-for no other reason that he likes a good fight. Thorkell is a great character- a true warrior, in the blood-crazed berserker style. But by far my favorite character is the Icelander- Thorfinn, the very young teen aged killer who has been taken by the Danes. He is the son of a mighty warrior-Thors. Thorfinn is a great character and his fighting style is superb.
While this does use historical events as its backdrop and these characters are involved-but that's just to get the setting of the story correct. Read this for the action and the adventure. There are some complex happenings going on behind the main action- Askelaard's motivations, King Sweyn's motivations regarding his son, the various groups of Vikings who sometimes work together and sometimes at cross purposes...this is a well researched story. From the standpoint of the world they depict. It is dark and violent. Befitting the time and the country it was set in.
If you like your stories violent and the art well done in a great manga style-then do not pass up this exciting story. The Vinland Saga rocks!
March 28, 2023
Idk why I put off continuing this for so long, it’s phenomenal.
March 30, 2022
We need more Vinland Saga in our lives.
You know, Makoto Yukimura really capture the care free attitude of the Vikings. Their disregard for human life. Their obsession of battle. And unending thirst for treasure.
He keeps true to th experience, no matter how gut wrenching some of the scenes are.
Although you don’t get to see much of Thorfinn in volume two, you do get some more interesting insight of Askelaad.
5/5 stars.
You know, Makoto Yukimura really capture the care free attitude of the Vikings. Their disregard for human life. Their obsession of battle. And unending thirst for treasure.
He keeps true to th experience, no matter how gut wrenching some of the scenes are.
Although you don’t get to see much of Thorfinn in volume two, you do get some more interesting insight of Askelaad.
5/5 stars.
May 11, 2018
This volume is bigger than the first, giving us a longer time period of jumping back and forth, a little history, and of course some awesome fights.
So the wars are heating up. Our favorite hero is still on his mission to murder the leader of the vikings in a honorable duel. What's great is he isn't a good guy himself. Not the typical hero you'd expect and even among horrible events such as death and rape he doesn't bother getting involved. On top of the main character we got a little background on other characters and how plans on fold. Some major events coming soon.
Good: The art is great. Some big badass fights happen in this one. Also I enjoy watching these adventures, even if they can be a tad slow, they have some seriously interesting characters. Also the ending, the build up, seems like it's coming to something major.
Bad: The pacing can be stilted at times by moments of slowness that they can speed through. Also the humor can be hit or miss.
Overall it's really enjoyable. It's dreadful at times, and sad, but it's still always entertaining. The winter months are slow, and the pacing goes down a bit, but picks back up by the end. A 4 out of 5.
So the wars are heating up. Our favorite hero is still on his mission to murder the leader of the vikings in a honorable duel. What's great is he isn't a good guy himself. Not the typical hero you'd expect and even among horrible events such as death and rape he doesn't bother getting involved. On top of the main character we got a little background on other characters and how plans on fold. Some major events coming soon.
Good: The art is great. Some big badass fights happen in this one. Also I enjoy watching these adventures, even if they can be a tad slow, they have some seriously interesting characters. Also the ending, the build up, seems like it's coming to something major.
Bad: The pacing can be stilted at times by moments of slowness that they can speed through. Also the humor can be hit or miss.
Overall it's really enjoyable. It's dreadful at times, and sad, but it's still always entertaining. The winter months are slow, and the pacing goes down a bit, but picks back up by the end. A 4 out of 5.
August 3, 2021
This went downhill fast.
October 5, 2019
I love this series a lot so far. I like the epicness, the characters are well develop and the story is awesome with an historical background and well balance between storyline and action scene. If you love vikings this is a must read!
November 9, 2022
3.5/5
I still find this series to be fairly run-of-the-mill but there were a few good parts and at least a couple of characters are starting to show some depth. Thorfinn is still overly bland but his interactions with the prince were fun. The highlight for me in this volume was the chapter centering on Thorfinn's sister.
I still find this series to be fairly run-of-the-mill but there were a few good parts and at least a couple of characters are starting to show some depth. Thorfinn is still overly bland but his interactions with the prince were fun. The highlight for me in this volume was the chapter centering on Thorfinn's sister.
June 5, 2021
As the invasion of England by Danish Vikings becomes more and more vicious, the young Thorfinn is hell-bent on avenging his father’s death by defeating Askeladd in a duel. In fact, he is so dedicated this, despite not learning from his father’s lesson in that no one has any enemies, Thorfinn leads Askeladd’s men to ransack a whole village, resulting in betraying an elderly English woman who was kind to the young Viking. From the opening chapter of this volume, Makoto Yukimura is telling a story about how selfish desires can lead to brutal consequences, as well as the nothingness to come out of the darkness from humanity.
As deep as the story can be, given its historical context as it features the factual Danish King Sweyn and his son, Prince Canute, Vinland Saga certainly plays loose with the truth, not least in its heightened action. There are aspects of the Shonen battle manga, in that you have a young boy who trains himself to be a warrior who fights forces that are bigger than him, particularly Thorkell, the giant man who loves combat and defects from the Danish army to become a mercenary for the English.
One chapter is dedicated to the Battle of London Bridge, in which Thorfinn has his confrontation with Thorkell and Yukimura’s artwork just shines here with impressive line-work, given the sense of speed and momentum towards these panels. Although Thorfinn ultimately loses – both the battle and his chance to duel against Askeladd – Thorkell continues to be a recurring protagonist as he is able to capture Prince Canute and his retainer Ragnar, which gives Askeladd a chance on a gamble for him and his men to rescue the prince and escort him back to the king.
What’s interesting about this volume is that eventually Thorfinn gets sidelined, despite some moments of drama and humour, such as a sequence of bickering banter between him and Canute. The focus is more towards Askeladd, whose angle in the Danish Invasion is not about profit or pleasure, unlike his fellow Vikings, as we get to know a bit of his backstory from his Welsh heritage, which ties into Roman history, so there’s political intrigue going on.
Although the lack of longevity towards female characters is still a problem, some of the powerful moments of the series is when we do focus on the opposite sex. We actually see what Thorfinn’s sister Ylva is doing after hearing the news of her father’s death as she puts aside her emotions for doing strong work to support herself and her sick mother, all before finally shedding tears for the family she recently lost. The final chapter of this volume shifts perspective by focusing on a young girl who struggles the sin she had committed of stealing a ring from the market, whilst she bears witness to Askeladd’s men killing her entire village. It is both tender and harrowing as it reminds you that the people that you are currently on this journey with are monsters who are once again driven by selfish desires.
As deep as the story can be, given its historical context as it features the factual Danish King Sweyn and his son, Prince Canute, Vinland Saga certainly plays loose with the truth, not least in its heightened action. There are aspects of the Shonen battle manga, in that you have a young boy who trains himself to be a warrior who fights forces that are bigger than him, particularly Thorkell, the giant man who loves combat and defects from the Danish army to become a mercenary for the English.
One chapter is dedicated to the Battle of London Bridge, in which Thorfinn has his confrontation with Thorkell and Yukimura’s artwork just shines here with impressive line-work, given the sense of speed and momentum towards these panels. Although Thorfinn ultimately loses – both the battle and his chance to duel against Askeladd – Thorkell continues to be a recurring protagonist as he is able to capture Prince Canute and his retainer Ragnar, which gives Askeladd a chance on a gamble for him and his men to rescue the prince and escort him back to the king.
What’s interesting about this volume is that eventually Thorfinn gets sidelined, despite some moments of drama and humour, such as a sequence of bickering banter between him and Canute. The focus is more towards Askeladd, whose angle in the Danish Invasion is not about profit or pleasure, unlike his fellow Vikings, as we get to know a bit of his backstory from his Welsh heritage, which ties into Roman history, so there’s political intrigue going on.
Although the lack of longevity towards female characters is still a problem, some of the powerful moments of the series is when we do focus on the opposite sex. We actually see what Thorfinn’s sister Ylva is doing after hearing the news of her father’s death as she puts aside her emotions for doing strong work to support herself and her sick mother, all before finally shedding tears for the family she recently lost. The final chapter of this volume shifts perspective by focusing on a young girl who struggles the sin she had committed of stealing a ring from the market, whilst she bears witness to Askeladd’s men killing her entire village. It is both tender and harrowing as it reminds you that the people that you are currently on this journey with are monsters who are once again driven by selfish desires.
July 9, 2023
It does get a bit more nuanced. Primarily, this shifts to being about the roving mercenaries siding with Danes attacking London and the fallout of it, introducing a few more characters. What I like the most about this is the short bursts of historical knowledge peppered in. It makes the setting very interesting. It needs to be, as the plot remains pretty meandering. Eventually there will be revenge. Other than that, who knows - honestly - what will happen. There is a nice little twist later on that spurs it on too. The artwork remains absolutely stellar, helping it further. Solid, probably better than the first volume. But still waiting, and hoping, for it really start to shine.
June 23, 2023
o losieee, jak ja to kocham😭😭😭😭
October 5, 2025
i should consider starting a new series or continuing my ongoing ones instead of rereading this but i’ve been missing Thorfinn a little extra lately
May 17, 2022
King Arthur! King Arthur!
January 4, 2015
Wow! This just keeps getting better and better. I don't think a manga has excited me this much since Death Note. It's really not fair to compare the two series as, aside from generally excellent art and story, they really don't have much in common. Yes, the action is kicked up a notch from traditional historical sagas, but it's grounded in such seemingly thorough research that it works. Characters are quite believably motivated, even the ones who are clearly onstage just to be defeated. And characters who seem like inconsequential set dressing can become surprisingly relevant to the story. There's a strong sense of time and place without being showy about it. I hadn't realized that Makoto Yukimura also did Planetes, another favorite series of mine. His artwork has certainly evolved since then. Be warned: the middle of this volume will have you in tears. Can't wait for Volume 3!
August 22, 2021
*the only one standing there with a crossed-arms alpha stance, wearing armor and not some peasant clothing*
"how do you know i'm the leader?"
well...
"how do you know i'm the leader?"
well...
May 15, 2025
This is the twilight of the world, Bjorn. Might as well raise some hell.
REREAD 2025. 4.5 stars. Loved this! Definitely not as much as I loved the first volume, but still, this has such a special place in my heart. I could immediately tell that I'd reread the first volume way more times, because when it came to this one, there were so many things that I'd forgotten, whereas in the first one, I could almost always tell what was coming next. That made the reading experience for this volume even more special in a way, since I couldn't tell what was about to happen. I'd forgotten how casually brutal and violent this series could be; it sometimes made me really sick and sad. This volume introduced two of my other favourite characters: Thorkell and Canute! The Thorkell and Thorfinn fight was so good, and I love that I can't remember what exactly came out of their talk, if/when they do actually talk. And the Thorfinn/Canute dynamic is so fun, with then being the same age, and Thorfinn being the only one who can get Canute out of his shell. I remember shipping them so much, lol.
Some spoilery thoughts:
I have to mention the art once again: it's so beautiful and arresting, especially when we see the landscapes. And the fight scenes are fluid and easy to follow along with, which can't be said for all action manga. I devoured this in one sitting, and I can't wait to continue.
Content warnings:
January 29, 2018
What an addictive read ! Awesome !
August 15, 2023
Kada naglas, nesvesno, sami za sebe komentarišete kako je ono što čitate jako dobro, onda znate da ste naišli na nešto što je zaista izvanredno. Drugi tom “Vinland Sage” prepispituje veru na mestu gde vlada brutalnost i bezbožnost, kao i ljubav na mestu gde takva reč ni ne postoji i gde ljudi ne znaju njeno značenje. Sukob paganskog sa hrišćanskim daje ovom broju dubinu koja prevazilazi okvir mange, te ulazi u domen religijske filozofije. Likovi poput Askelada i Thorfinna su svakom stranicom bili podrobnije istraženi, a oni novi, koji su tu da ostanu, podjednako su upečatljivi kao i oni potpuno sporedni koje glavni likovi ostavljaju za sobom. Sam Makoto Yukimura kaže da je u ovim mangama želeo da istraži najobičnije trenutke vikinške kulture i njihove običaje, te u šali spominje da ga je uvek interesovalo “kako Vikinzi seku nokte - makazama, sekirom?” i to se zaista i vidi. Čar “Vinland Sage” leži u najsitnijim detaljima koji su tako dobro nacrtani i napisani da su u istoj meri interesantni kao i najbrutalnije akcione scene koje ostavljaju bez daha. Sam kraj ovog toma mi je možda bio i omiljeni deo iz oba toma, jer pokazuje ono o čemu nas je istorija učila - da bilo ko, čak i najobičniji ljudi koji nikome nisu predstavljali nikakvu pretnju, ne smeju da stanu na put Vikizima, jer to definitivno neće proći dobro po njih. Treći tome, here I come!
March 11, 2014
Very beautiful - I love the realism that some historical manga can achieve. I think this one is more violent than the first volume, if I remember correctly - and it includes sexual violence. Thorfinn isn't morally neutral but compared to the other Vikings he is in a relatively neutral place, or, at least, he's so focused on his own pain and revenge that he can't bother philosophizing about the pain of others. So far this series is pulling off giving a violent culture a complex and characterized story, without being alienating. They may not be likeable but they are distinctly human.
October 19, 2021
This is when you really feel the "historical fiction" aspect of the book. I'm not sure how much of the plot is historically accurate, but it's cool seeing the political and social situation that's going on in England. I've just met Thorskell, who Thorfinn sums up perfectly as an "insane giant bastard" (why is nearly everyone in this book kinda insane?). I like the contrast between the two religions of Christianity and Norse mythology and how that affects the action that each group takes.
November 21, 2022
Como toda historia vikinga que se precie de tal, no se escatima en violencia ni en crudeza. Si bien tiene toques fantásticos, exageraciones, el rigor histórico está bien fundamentado con mapas, batallas y costumbres.
Es una lectura adictiva.
Es una lectura adictiva.
June 10, 2021
This was a solid continuation of this story of Thorfinn, Askeladd, and their band. I really enjoyed the historical elements that are scattered throughout, those make this manga feel more like historical fiction than anything else. The artwork continues to be a mix of beautiful, sweeping background and brutal battle sequences mixed with more simple faces. It really is a striking mix and one that I am now accustomed to and I now see as a hallmark of these books.
As for the story itself, this volume felt much more focused than the first omnibus was and the pacing was excellent. I still don't have a handle on what kind of person Askeladd is. He's clearly no saint but I was a bit taken aback by the brutality at the end. We shall see what comes on that in the next volume I suppose. 4-star read for me.
As for the story itself, this volume felt much more focused than the first omnibus was and the pacing was excellent. I still don't have a handle on what kind of person Askeladd is. He's clearly no saint but I was a bit taken aback by the brutality at the end. We shall see what comes on that in the next volume I suppose. 4-star read for me.
February 18, 2022
9/10
La pelea del enfermito de Thorfinn y el loco lindo de Thorkell en el puente, la relación Canute-Ragnar, Askeladd estando siempre diez escalones por encima de los demás... Me encanta Vinland y eso que se pone mucho mejor.
Pd: El crosshatching de Yukimura es mi favorito junto al de Urasawa, es excelente.
La pelea del enfermito de Thorfinn y el loco lindo de Thorkell en el puente, la relación Canute-Ragnar, Askeladd estando siempre diez escalones por encima de los demás... Me encanta Vinland y eso que se pone mucho mejor.
Pd: El crosshatching de Yukimura es mi favorito junto al de Urasawa, es excelente.
February 17, 2024
Love it. Feels sufficiently different from other viking stories that I don't feel burned out and a lot of great themes and complexity here with some dark things happening. Really interested to see where this goes.
March 15, 2021
This contains volumes 3 & 4
Vol. 3 - 5 stars
Vol. 4 - 3 stars
I really didn’t enjoy volume 4 nearly has much as I’ve enjoyed the first 3 volumes. Which makes me really really nervous to continue on now :/
Vol. 3 - 5 stars
Vol. 4 - 3 stars
I really didn’t enjoy volume 4 nearly has much as I’ve enjoyed the first 3 volumes. Which makes me really really nervous to continue on now :/
March 9, 2022
Stunning , reminded me a lot of Bernard Cornwell
Displaying 1 - 30 of 352 reviews