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Guts & Glory #2
Guts & Glory: The Vikings
History comes alive for kids like no textbook can in this epic account of the time of the Vikings that's perfect for history buffs and reluctant readers! Contains awesome illustrations!
From battle-axe-wielding tribes plundering the greatest cities of Europe to powerful kings and queens ruling their dominions with iron fists, the Vikings were some of the most feared and fearless figures in European history. Find the bravest heroes, the most menacing villains, and unbelievably awesome facts and myths inside this action-packed overview that will amaze kids with tales of a people so incredible...it's hard to believe they were real.
History buff and popular blogger Ben Thompson's lively storytelling style brings the Vikings back to life in this second book in the exhilarating Guts & Glory series!
From battle-axe-wielding tribes plundering the greatest cities of Europe to powerful kings and queens ruling their dominions with iron fists, the Vikings were some of the most feared and fearless figures in European history. Find the bravest heroes, the most menacing villains, and unbelievably awesome facts and myths inside this action-packed overview that will amaze kids with tales of a people so incredible...it's hard to believe they were real.
History buff and popular blogger Ben Thompson's lively storytelling style brings the Vikings back to life in this second book in the exhilarating Guts & Glory series!
320 pages, Paperback
First published June 9, 2015
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256 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
December 26, 2019
I love the Guts & Glory series, but this one was kind of a trainwreck compared to the others. The humor that is in the rest of the books in the series was kind of not there, and i forgot most of the things that were in the book by the end. It wasn't a bad book, though. it just paled in comparison to the others.
April 4, 2018
I do not under any circumstances recommend this, as having read 8 Viking books and sat through 2 lecture series now, it became clear very quickly that this resources is biased, over-generalized, and over-dramatized. I am by no means an expert on Vikings, which means the discrepancies are clear and in your face. I didn’t go looking for them. They came to me.
What this book does is tell some half-truths about the Vikings, which are very misleading. I believe it does this so as to add “excitement,” for the target age, but I prefer accuracy. I couldn’t even get through the first chapter without lecturing the book four times on how it’s spreading misunderstanding with the bad jokes and Viking stereotypes. In fact, I had to take this book with a grain of salt and then just shake it off, to try and make sure none of the misinformation stuck to me.
When the book is not spreading half-truths, it’s busy wielding 5 adjectives per sentence, which are less than factual and rather exhausting. Basically, the attempt to be descriptive really missed the mark.
This is surface-level research presented in a way that is intended to be intriguing, dramatic, or interesting, but it has little care for accuracy. Now, that’s not to say that nothing is accurate. There’s some good stuff here, but I think most audiences would have trouble differentiating the 75% of truths from the 25% of half-truths, mistruth, personal judgment, bias, and stereotypes, which is why I’m opposed to this book.
Also, it’s definitely a biased, male perspective on the Vikings, with little regard or respect for the females of the society, despite how important they were to Viking culture. Ugh. Please save me from the overdose of testosterone. Heaven forbid we assume a girl may want to read a book about Vikings, or even that a boy may enjoy reading about Viking without any sexist language.
If you want a cheap laugh, at the cost of the full truth, then maybe this book is for you. As someone who served as a middle school librarian for 6 years, I would not have wanted this resource on my shelf, because students inherently trust nonfiction books to be truthful, as is evident by some of the reviews for this book.
This is too busy being cute to be truly accurate, and since it was only published in 2015, well past the point where some of this additional information and research on Vikings became standard knowledge, I don’t forgive it of its sins. I suspect the goal here is to push out as many “exciting” nonfiction offerings as quickly as possible, rather than to produce a good, accurate resource. Under the circumstances, I’m sure many people have purchased this without even realizing the issues.
Book 144 read in 2018
Pages: 320
What this book does is tell some half-truths about the Vikings, which are very misleading. I believe it does this so as to add “excitement,” for the target age, but I prefer accuracy. I couldn’t even get through the first chapter without lecturing the book four times on how it’s spreading misunderstanding with the bad jokes and Viking stereotypes. In fact, I had to take this book with a grain of salt and then just shake it off, to try and make sure none of the misinformation stuck to me.
When the book is not spreading half-truths, it’s busy wielding 5 adjectives per sentence, which are less than factual and rather exhausting. Basically, the attempt to be descriptive really missed the mark.
This is surface-level research presented in a way that is intended to be intriguing, dramatic, or interesting, but it has little care for accuracy. Now, that’s not to say that nothing is accurate. There’s some good stuff here, but I think most audiences would have trouble differentiating the 75% of truths from the 25% of half-truths, mistruth, personal judgment, bias, and stereotypes, which is why I’m opposed to this book.
Also, it’s definitely a biased, male perspective on the Vikings, with little regard or respect for the females of the society, despite how important they were to Viking culture. Ugh. Please save me from the overdose of testosterone. Heaven forbid we assume a girl may want to read a book about Vikings, or even that a boy may enjoy reading about Viking without any sexist language.
If you want a cheap laugh, at the cost of the full truth, then maybe this book is for you. As someone who served as a middle school librarian for 6 years, I would not have wanted this resource on my shelf, because students inherently trust nonfiction books to be truthful, as is evident by some of the reviews for this book.
This is too busy being cute to be truly accurate, and since it was only published in 2015, well past the point where some of this additional information and research on Vikings became standard knowledge, I don’t forgive it of its sins. I suspect the goal here is to push out as many “exciting” nonfiction offerings as quickly as possible, rather than to produce a good, accurate resource. Under the circumstances, I’m sure many people have purchased this without even realizing the issues.
Book 144 read in 2018
Pages: 320
July 11, 2017
There's just something about Vikings and Norse mythology that is so thrilling to me. I enjoyed reading about the many different vicious Vikings that plundered through the ages. I liked Thompson's low-key, chill style of writing. He joked around a lot. If I could get any of my students to pick up books like this, I think they would enjoy joking. I especially appreciated all the Lord of the Rings references.
The hardest part for me was trying to keep all the different ...Hair this and ....Good that...and ....Forkbeard this straight. It was very confusing. I don't think that's any fault of the authors, he just had a lot of information and hundreds of years to cover in just one book.
Here's a perfect example of the loose style of writing Thompson has:
In the year 859, the already famous Danish warlord Hasting decided he was not content with simply plundering the Viking "greatest hits" in England and France. It was time to do something so incredibly over-the-top that everyone in history would remember him as the most baller Norseman to ever huck a throwing axe.
I noticed some reviewers had a problem with it, but I thought it was fun. :D
It was pretty impressive how far the Viking reach extended. We don't really classify them with the "world builders" in our general ed classes, but they were all over the place, conquering things and spreading their ways. Greenland was totally settled by them.
Sidenote: How in the world can anyone ever eat lutefisk?
Scandinavians loved wearing jewelry kifed from various plundered churches. They also took baths at least once a week. I love when the most fearsome guys are also the most hygienic. Gold star for the Vikings! Men and women both wore makeup made from crushed berries and they liked wearing their hair long. Women were also allowed to divorce their husbands which was definitely a step in the right direction.
I learned about a horrific way of dying. (This is probably how I could tempt the kids to read.) Vikings learned how to pull someone's lungs out their back while they were still alive. The berserkers were also pretty fearsome.
I loved the Viking names. They're pretty hilarious. Such as, Harald Tanglehair and Ethelred the Unready.
The Viking siege of Paris was some nonstop action. The Vikings were bound and determined to take over Paris but Count Odo Capet wasn't going to let them. He did a pretty amazing job holding them off, but then went to get help from Charles the Fat. Charles the Fat showed up to "negotiate like a wimp" which seemed like a pretty stupid ending to the heroics of Count Odo. C'mon Charles the Fat!
I could see myself going back and reviewing bits of this book for fun. I really did enjoy reading it.
The hardest part for me was trying to keep all the different ...Hair this and ....Good that...and ....Forkbeard this straight. It was very confusing. I don't think that's any fault of the authors, he just had a lot of information and hundreds of years to cover in just one book.
Here's a perfect example of the loose style of writing Thompson has:
In the year 859, the already famous Danish warlord Hasting decided he was not content with simply plundering the Viking "greatest hits" in England and France. It was time to do something so incredibly over-the-top that everyone in history would remember him as the most baller Norseman to ever huck a throwing axe.
I noticed some reviewers had a problem with it, but I thought it was fun. :D
It was pretty impressive how far the Viking reach extended. We don't really classify them with the "world builders" in our general ed classes, but they were all over the place, conquering things and spreading their ways. Greenland was totally settled by them.
Sidenote: How in the world can anyone ever eat lutefisk?
Scandinavians loved wearing jewelry kifed from various plundered churches. They also took baths at least once a week. I love when the most fearsome guys are also the most hygienic. Gold star for the Vikings! Men and women both wore makeup made from crushed berries and they liked wearing their hair long. Women were also allowed to divorce their husbands which was definitely a step in the right direction.
I learned about a horrific way of dying. (This is probably how I could tempt the kids to read.) Vikings learned how to pull someone's lungs out their back while they were still alive. The berserkers were also pretty fearsome.
I loved the Viking names. They're pretty hilarious. Such as, Harald Tanglehair and Ethelred the Unready.
The Viking siege of Paris was some nonstop action. The Vikings were bound and determined to take over Paris but Count Odo Capet wasn't going to let them. He did a pretty amazing job holding them off, but then went to get help from Charles the Fat. Charles the Fat showed up to "negotiate like a wimp" which seemed like a pretty stupid ending to the heroics of Count Odo. C'mon Charles the Fat!
I could see myself going back and reviewing bits of this book for fun. I really did enjoy reading it.
September 9, 2018
My favorite nicknames from this book (all of these are actual names from history and not made up by the author): Thorfinn Skull-Cleaver * Ivar Boneless * Eyvindr Plagiarist (sometimes translated as Eyvindr Spoiler-of-Poets, which means that either he stole from other poets or outclassed them all) * Harald Bluetooth * AEthelred the Unready (he bribed Vikings to stay away instead of fighting them)
Young-adult nonfiction about the Vikings and their impact on Scandinavia, Europe, and North America. Other reviewers have complained about a lack of women in this book, but it actually featured more women than I had expected. I would like to know more about Viking home life, art, and literature from this time, but that's not the point of this book.
Young-adult nonfiction about the Vikings and their impact on Scandinavia, Europe, and North America. Other reviewers have complained about a lack of women in this book, but it actually featured more women than I had expected. I would like to know more about Viking home life, art, and literature from this time, but that's not the point of this book.
April 3, 2025
definitely one of my favorite books!I love vikings and adventure so this was the perfect book for me to read.It tells of viking raids and bravery,and shows a little profile of the main people of the chapters!If you are a fan of viking raiding,you should definitely read this book!I’ve also read Guts and Glory:WW2.It’s a great book, but not as good as this one!
January 9, 2017
I have mixed feelings about this book. Honestly, I picked this up because one of my kiddos is working through Viking history, and I thought this might be a little fun reading. The structure is set in a way that you can read for short periods and still get a full story of a person. The asides, like the "Know Your Viking and grey parts (example: "The Moo of Insanity" on p. 106) give bite sized facts in a creative way and break up the text.
The actual treatment of the history and mythology was lacking in three ways: 1) it is difficult to distinguish between the author's jokes and actual history especially due to the somewhat comical names of people; 2) even with jokes, the text is dry and gets tedious - tough for the target audience; and 3) the author clearly knows his stuff, but claims that things don't make sense (like why Baldur can only die in such unusual circumstances) that have explanations.
I recommend folks browse this book. The asides are great, and interested readers can pick and choose based on the chapter titles to read the parts that work for them. I would also recommend that parts of it could be read as an introduction to an in-depth exploration of a topic. I would not; however, just assign this as reading for a middle schooler and expect them to enjoy it.
The actual treatment of the history and mythology was lacking in three ways: 1) it is difficult to distinguish between the author's jokes and actual history especially due to the somewhat comical names of people; 2) even with jokes, the text is dry and gets tedious - tough for the target audience; and 3) the author clearly knows his stuff, but claims that things don't make sense (like why Baldur can only die in such unusual circumstances) that have explanations.
I recommend folks browse this book. The asides are great, and interested readers can pick and choose based on the chapter titles to read the parts that work for them. I would also recommend that parts of it could be read as an introduction to an in-depth exploration of a topic. I would not; however, just assign this as reading for a middle schooler and expect them to enjoy it.
July 2, 2018
This book is a great piece of narrative nonfiction for any young child looking to increase their knowledge of vikings without feeling like they're reading a textbook. This is one book in a series written by Thompson that attempts to make history interesting and readable to young readers. I think he accomplishes that goal handily with this book, which tells of the history of Vikings and how they shaped world history.
Using more modern terms and humor, Thompson easily engages the reader as he sets off telling Viking history through one historic Viking figure at a time. Each chapter is dedicated to a specific historic figure, with Thompson including bits and pieces that, as he admits, are probably embellished or myths about the figure that were passed down through the ages. The writing style and the subject matter combine to make one fascinating read that is sure to engage kids. It feels more like a chapter book than a history book, and that's so great.
I will definitely be recommending this book to young readers looking for a fun read, especially if they're fans of Vikings, but even for those who like books about knights and warriors.
Using more modern terms and humor, Thompson easily engages the reader as he sets off telling Viking history through one historic Viking figure at a time. Each chapter is dedicated to a specific historic figure, with Thompson including bits and pieces that, as he admits, are probably embellished or myths about the figure that were passed down through the ages. The writing style and the subject matter combine to make one fascinating read that is sure to engage kids. It feels more like a chapter book than a history book, and that's so great.
I will definitely be recommending this book to young readers looking for a fun read, especially if they're fans of Vikings, but even for those who like books about knights and warriors.
January 8, 2017
I found it hard to parse the non-fiction parts from the jocular tone, and the lack of footnotes didn't help. Coming right after the lucid prose of Fatal Fever this was annoying. Also, they book was aggressively masculine, in a way that came perilously near "toxic masculinity" -- women were disparaged casually, astonishment expressed when a girl entered the story (which isn't all that rare in Viking history), and girly clearly used as an insult. It pandered to the lowest denomination in an attempt to appeal to kids. Well, to boys.
December 20, 2016
The book, "Guts and Glory: The Vikings," by Ben Thompson is about numerous stories about famous vikings who each have succeeded in their plan. The book explains why the vikings were so fierce and their plot in taking power. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves an adventure and likes vikings. I however did not like this book because it got boring over time and the stories were not interesting anymore.
May 2, 2018
Persuading a reluctant/resistant reader to pick up a book and give it a chance can feel like pitching a kale smoothie at a McDonald's Drive-Thru. Ben Thompson's Guts & Glory series is for kids (and adults) who like a generous helping of humor to make history more palatable. Pair this with Rick Riordan's Magnus Chase series.
April 20, 2016
Excellent book. It's like listening to a really great history professor, with all the interesting details and backstory. If you think you don't like history, give this author a try - he'll change your mind.
February 3, 2020
"By this point in history, it's pretty safe to say that almost every single important person in France and England could trace his or her ancestry back to Viking ties somewhere. Sure, the kings of Europe weren't sailing around in longships whacking people in the head with axes, but somewhere in their family tree, they probably had a grandpa or two who enjoyed spending his weekends kicking peasants and plundering the countryside and a grandma who thought that was pretty cool."- Pgs 264-265
Guts & Glory: The Vikings makes no bones about its style. It clearly sacrifices specifics, detail, and historical accuracy in favour of entertainment value, humour, contemporary analogies, and badassery. This is not a book for professional Historians to pick up and critique, though it is a fun book for Historians to pick up and have a chuckle at. Being a former history student and amateur myself, I am able to laugh along, recognize when facts are bent or exaggerated, and have a great time reading this high-interest history book.
This should be an excellent book for teenagers as well (as long as there is an adult around to remind them that Vikings didn't have garages [pg 112]), particularly those who like certain Viking-influenced cultural works like: The Lord of the Rings, 'Skyrim', 'The Witcher', and various other fantasy books, games, movies and series. It seems like a shocking number of youth don't know much of anything about the Vikings these days, and this book may very well blow their minds.
Thompson wisely chooses to highlight certain historical figures of awesome repute here, introducing readers to legendary warriors and historically-sound movers and shakers. At the same time, he fleshes out a historical view of the Vikings by looking at the world around them, he includes a chapter on Viking home life, and he includes an obligatory chapter on Viking Mythology. All-in-all, while Thompson clearly exaggerates and emphasizes the brutality and domineering savagery of Vikings -- which is not really overstated -- any standard Viking warrior would easily beat the crap out of most modern people, he also stealthily includes some more modest comments on the realities of Viking life and times, such as the fact that they lost about as many large battles as they won, that they usually died by the age of 40, etc. Interestingly, one of the thoughts I am left with from this book is that, despite their awesomeosity, the Vikings can be seen as little more than opportunistic bullies who liked to pick on poor peasants and monks. Nevertheless, the massive impact Vikings had on European and world history -- from the future of England and Europe to the 'discovery' of North America -- is made clear in these pages.
- Minus a few points for not including footnotes or endnotes, as well as for some repetition and a few typos, but plus a few points for including a good bibliography.
- This series seams much more appropriate for schools than Thompson's other book, "Badass", which is plagued and lessened by unnecessary foul language
4.3 Stars
Notes (Spoilers):
July 3, 2022
This is the second book I've read in this series. This one is about the mighty Vikings and how they influenced Europe and the world beyond. I was intrigued by the information about these warriors. Four of our days of the week are named after Norse mythology as well as many other aspects of the modern world.
Most people think of the comic book hero Thor when they think of Norse Mythology. (Thank you Disney) but there was much more to their reign. Besides creating Ireland, Dublin was formed by Vikings, they created the three Scandinavian countries of Norway, Sweden and Finland to be major powers in Europe. Found Greenland and Iceland. Discovered America, Vineland they called it, and were in politics in both France and England. William the Conquerer ended the Viking era but their influence was long lasting.
I enjoyed the stories of the Vikings and that the writer used modern ideas to share with the reader what was going on. Ben Thompson has done this before in the Guts and Glory: The American Revolution book. I look forward to reading many more of his books.
Most people think of the comic book hero Thor when they think of Norse Mythology. (Thank you Disney) but there was much more to their reign. Besides creating Ireland, Dublin was formed by Vikings, they created the three Scandinavian countries of Norway, Sweden and Finland to be major powers in Europe. Found Greenland and Iceland. Discovered America, Vineland they called it, and were in politics in both France and England. William the Conquerer ended the Viking era but their influence was long lasting.
I enjoyed the stories of the Vikings and that the writer used modern ideas to share with the reader what was going on. Ben Thompson has done this before in the Guts and Glory: The American Revolution book. I look forward to reading many more of his books.
December 16, 2025
I am a big fan of this series as a middle school history teacher. Look, I have an MA in history, so I get it. Are these perfect from a historical perspective? No. But I can tell that he has done a lot of research before making the shorthand editorial decisions he makes. What these books are designed to be is an introduction to young historians, to draw them in. It's never trying to be definitive.
Having done a decent amount of reading in the past on the Vikings myself and some on the sagas as a Tolkien fan, I can also say that this book is an introduction to the time period. He also does an admirable job of weaving a very complicated history together into something like a continuous narrative with many call backs to earlier chapters that connect in some way.
For sure I will be getting my students to read this.
Having done a decent amount of reading in the past on the Vikings myself and some on the sagas as a Tolkien fan, I can also say that this book is an introduction to the time period. He also does an admirable job of weaving a very complicated history together into something like a continuous narrative with many call backs to earlier chapters that connect in some way.
For sure I will be getting my students to read this.
July 30, 2025
My middle age summer read for 2025!
This book is really well researched and divided into sections perfect for capturing the attention of adventurous middle agers (8-12 years of age). Although geared toward the interests of little boys, it does include stories of viking women with only one questionable comment on gender roles. The content and stories are appropriate for the age group. I will be reading more of Ben Thompson's work, especially those geared towards an older audience.
The only lacking subject was the vast craft and trade done by the populations that produced vikings, but I recognize that covering this subject would have taken away from the primary purpose of the book and added many more chapters. 289 pages is an average amount of pages for this age group.
This book is really well researched and divided into sections perfect for capturing the attention of adventurous middle agers (8-12 years of age). Although geared toward the interests of little boys, it does include stories of viking women with only one questionable comment on gender roles. The content and stories are appropriate for the age group. I will be reading more of Ben Thompson's work, especially those geared towards an older audience.
The only lacking subject was the vast craft and trade done by the populations that produced vikings, but I recognize that covering this subject would have taken away from the primary purpose of the book and added many more chapters. 289 pages is an average amount of pages for this age group.
November 25, 2020
I was highly entertained by this book. It reminded me of the kind of fun I used to have in middle school reading non-fiction. This is the kind of book that could really catch a reluctant reader, and that is not a bad thing. The main issue with the book is that it dwells too much in stereotypes and sexism. I thought that YA history texts had become more enlightened than this, but it seems that legends are still more important than the subtleties of truth. That’s too bad.
September 9, 2021
I think it was a decent book with a lot of information about the vikings, but it is set up as more of a facts based book and can be boring at some points. I would say don't read it if you don't either A want to read about the vikings or B want to have a bunch of facts for a essay on the vikings.
September 10, 2021
The book Guts & Glory The Vikings had many protagonist but my favorite was Egil Skallagrimsson. Egil was once bulled and beat up but instead of running home and crying about it he picked up a axe and killed the bully, very Viking like. Not only was he a undefeatable Viking he was also one of the best literary minds of that time.
September 9, 2021
Guts and Glory: The Vikings, is a good book that supplies you with a lot of information about Vikings and their life. It takes you through the Viking history and explains everything in detail. You get to learn about the important figures from that time and more interesting information like that.
July 18, 2024
This book was stuffed with information and done in a very interesting way. Although the kids may still get confused between the various Olafs, it was something both my children and I enjoyed. Plus my kids have tried to tell their dad about some of the story’s so it kept them engaged.
August 28, 2018
A nice history book bringing some of the less-known facts of Vikings to the front, it certainly shows the people and places of the Viking age.
October 22, 2018
This book has the best details in any book I have ever read.
January 12, 2019
Terrific choice for a teacher's bookshelf, especially for those who watch History Channel 's The Vikings.
July 23, 2020
This book is a good story book, but NOT a good history book. Vikings DIDN'T eat pita chips and guacamole!!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 1, 2020
I read this book because it was a very interesting looking book with some cool and some not so cool Gorey things about the vikings.
November 16, 2020
Excellent short history of the Viking and their culture
did-not-finish
February 19, 2021The author tried too hard to be funny and it just didn't feel worthwhile to finish. Perhaps it would work well for middle school kids.
April 5, 2021
The book is fine. It's informative and provides information a reader needs to know about Vikings.
September 10, 2021
Guts and glory the Vikings has no protagonist because this book informs people about the Vikings. My favorite part in the book is when the great battle in Valhalla. I chose this part because it is a very important part in Viking mythology.
September 10, 2021
In Guts and Glory there is no main character and is about vikings. A important thing i learned was about their beleifs and their wars. This is important because it helps understands the vikings.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews