The Ship in the Hill

by William L. Sullivan

Based on the true story of a Viking burial ship unearthed in Norway in 1904, this historical novel alternates chapters between the archeologists and the Viking queen who sailed the ship a thousand years earlier.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction

354 pages, Paperback

First published April 13, 2010

About the author

Sullivan completed his B.A. in English at Cornell University, studied linguistics at Germany's Heidelberg University, and earned an M.A. in German at the University of Oregon.
In 1985 he backpacked 1000 miles across Oregon's wilderness. His journal of that adventure, "Listening for Coyote", topped the New York Times' year-end review of travel books and was chosen one of the 100 most significant books in Oregon history.
Since then he has written many novels, hiking guidebooks, and historical works. His memoir, "Cabin Fever", describes the 25 summers he and his wife Janell spent building a log cabin by hand along a roadless river in the wilds of Oregon's Coast Range. Each summer he still lives and writes at the cabin.
Sullivan reads in seven languages, plays the pipe organ, undertakes backcountry ski expeditions, and volunteers to support libraries.

Reviews

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you have ever read Labyrinth or Sepulcher by Kate Mosse - with their blend of characters and adventure in two paralell time periods then you will love this especially if you are a fan of viking heritage, history, culture and people - particularly those who lived in the beginning of Norway as a united country.
It grips you from the start with some wonderful characters and clashing personalities and gives a really insightful view on what archeologists (especially female ones) must have had to cope with back at the start of the twentieth century.
The story is mainly centred in historic fact (of course with a big dollop of fiction) but even when you're absorbed into the viking era chapters a wee bit of norse mythological powers and gods steps in just to remind you how much the old ways still mattered and influenced people at the time when Christianity was on the rise across all the norse countries.
The characters in both time periods face dawnting challenges although it could be said that the main characters in the viking era fair worse through the many battles and trials they experience. But throughout each one you're silently there willing them to continue to achieve their goals. At some stages it seems like the tribulations of one character will never end but you can't help but sigh with relief when she survives to complete the happy ending that made history. Love and romance too is featured with the present time characters but they face more emotional challenges than those in the past where it is literally a physical fight for survival.
To me this book is a perfect blend of my two favourite genres - viking history and norse fantasy although the viking history is a major part. It is a perfect read for any who admire the vikings ways, great battles, historical heroes and heroines and of course a happy ending with some lovers.

[S Sande · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having seen that ship in the Viking Ship Museum in Oslo, the book and much of its descriptions were very vivid to me. To pair the (possible) story of whose ship it was & a depiction of the times in the 800s and the struggle in 1920s to excavate the ship & preserve it made the whole of the experiences very meaningful. A good read.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was surprised how much I enjoyed this book. I generally take the attitude that there’s so much interesting nonfiction to read why bother with fiction. The two plot lines in this book both kept me wanting to read on. Switching back and forth wasn’t an issue. I was immediately caught up in each new chapter when story line changed.

[Nathan Albright · Rating 3 out of 5]

More than a decade ago I wrote a play where a love story between historians involved with biblical archaeology alternated with the story itself, which involved a young man seeking the return of his family inheritance during a jubilee year during the reign of the wicked King Ahab. As someone who enjoys reading about the history of Norway [1], this book was appealing to me because it focused on a somewhat obscure but important woman. And truly, that is the main hook of this novel. Do you want to read a novel with interlocking plot lines about women who try to find respect and honor and authority as well as romantic love that goes between the viking age and the period just before Norway won its independence in 1905? If that is the case, there is a lot that you will find to be enjoyable here. The feminism of the novel is more than a little heavy-handed, enough to detract from its enjoyment for me, but the story itself is worthy of interest even with the heathen spellcraft and gender issues being far more than I wanted to see of those undesirable elements.

The novel itself goes back and forth between two plots. In one plot a young woman who happens to be a doctor tries to navigate the complicated politics of a ship burial in Norway in the midst of political disagreement where she faces a great deal of heavy-handed sexist behavior while also having an awkward romance with one of the local diggers, who happens to be more than meets the eye. In the other a young woman forced to marry against her will raises up a child and then a grandchild who ends up uniting Norway and marrying a stubborn princess after meeting her impossible challenge. The portrayal of the women here is really over the top, and it material detracts from the enjoyment of the novel for readers who do not have a particularly feminist perspective. The novel has all the raw material for a compelling story, but the author focuses too much on gender politics and not enough on the demands of plot, which is a shame because this could have been a good novel had the author been more subtle about the political agenda of the work. Let this be a lesson for future writers dealing with the same themes.

After all, merely having interesting subject material does not make for a good novel. This novel has political intrigue, a strong pro-Norwegian perspective, a fondness for Norse religion, a high degree of respect for the worth of women, and the ability to write interesting chapters when taken individually. Yet this novel falls flat for a few reasons, namely immensely flat characterization, a certain playing fast and loose with history, and the book's offensive politics. In looking at this book, I would have preferred a more restrained and more sober nonfiction book to this particular novel, and that sort of mixed to adverse thought, that the material could have been handled better in a different genre or especially by better and more competent hands means that this is not a novel I can recommend, or one that I will look fondly upon, but there is certainly an audience for this sort of book. It just doesn't happen to include me.

[1] See, for example:

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2016...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2016...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2016...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2016...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2016...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2016...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2016...

https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2015...

[Jason Kilgore]

I was familiar with Bill Sullivan's hiking Oregon books, so it was a surprise to me that he writes historical fiction. I bought the book from him at one of his table events. I don't normally read historical fiction, so it took me a while to get round to it. Once I finally cracked it open, though, I was immediately hooked. His writing style is excellent, and well-edited.

The story bounces between ancient Viking era and early 1900s, weaving together the two stories in a very intriguing way with mysteries along the way that keep you turning pages. It is told from the standpoint of three different, strong female point of view characters. Really engaging. Highly recommended. I've already purchased the second book and will be reading it soon.

[Sidsel Tompkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having been born in Larvik, Norway and having visited the Oseberg site, the Viking Ship Museum , and Tønsberg many times, this book was very real to me. I especially liked the story of Kirstin and Magnus and the struggle Kirstin had to gain acceptance as a legitimate expert in her field. A glossary may have helped clarify some of the saga-based terms. On the whole, an enjoyable read.

[J.V. Bolkan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent historical fiction, well written and presented. Some deep and serious research into the nordic past informs a well plotted double-pronged story (1900s and Viking age). If you love history about the vikings, you will enjoy this book and be surprised at the quality of the storytelling. If you just enjoy a good read, you'll be surprised about the interesting factual things you'll pick up.

[Felicity Fields · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fun read! The dual narration worked very well and brought both stories to life. I have read a bit about Viking ship burials; this book brought the era to life.

The writing is a bit simple, which made for slow going at the beginning. About halfway through, the story takes off.

I especially appreciated the notes on what was fact and what the author had filled in.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun read of a historical novel that creates a believable scenario. This is one of the books that took hold of me and I found dirfficult to put down.

[Gabriel · Rating 3 out of 5]

[Full Disclosure: Won in a Goodreads Giveaway contest]

Historical novels have had a place in my reading shelf for many years. Way back, I was fascinated with the White Indian series and alternate history sf (for instance, The Man In The High Castle) intrigues me. This, as well as my own love of reading and writing, led me to help out with the Historical Fiction class at my school. There, students write the beginning of a genre novel and then the first 20 or so pages are passed on to faculty and we give them a reader's impression. Over the course of my seven years in helping with this project, I have read about vikings a few times. So a Viking Historical Fiction novel by a published author intrigued me.

As the novel begins, there is this weaving and wandering that occurs in the narrative; not unlike the initial setting off of a ship on a windy day. During those first few minutes at sea, the sailors are wondering if they should have set sail on this boat in the first place. The bouncing between eras (the book deals with the late 800's and a parallel story in 1904) is not what I'm talking about; more the search for the plot. Character description and initiation in a novel is fine, but let the reader spend time with the characters. I want to see Asa (the Viking queen the story in the 800's opens with) grow from this feisty young girl to cunning strategist and vengeance-driven woman. Don't give me little snippets here and then jump two years and give me a couple of paragraphs of back story ... that's boring and does not set up a decent reading pattern to follow.

However, when the characters have been established and we are focused on Kirsten (in the 1904 excavation of the Osberg ship) and Gyntha (in the 880-881 war that united Norway under Harald Fairhair), the details start flowing out and the novel becomes significantly more interesting. Though the focus on Gyntha (away from Asa, who is supposed to be our central figure in the viking portion) is confusing, especially at the end, Gyntha is a much more interesting personality and the author gets to use some of his backpacking survivalist skills to good effect in her story.

I was a little disappointed in how all of the female characters did seem to end up feeling (at least once if not always) that they were somehow less without a man. It was subtle, but the methods that it was weaved in the text - especially during Kirsten's story - undermined a lot of the strength that these characters demonstrated through the rest of their respective pieces. This may have been included to lend the novel an air of historical accuracy (which it already had in spades), but I felt it unnecessary and it made me uncomfortable. When writing about strong characters, love is very tough to include. It can be done well, but too often it ends up in the extremes (females NEED a companion to be complete vs. males NEED sex). I applaud the effort ... but still feel it hindered what the rest of the story had set out to do.

Overall, it had many enjoyable moments and could be used as a decent text to show students the basics of Historical Fiction writing, but it's not going to win awards for best story ever.

[TeresaFL · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Disclaimer: Won through Goodreads "First Reads", signed copy from author.

Another book I'd like to give 3.5 stars to if I could. I loved how this book blended the excavation of an actual Viking ship and the lives that the women found in the ship might have led in the 800's. Weaving some of what really happened, myth, legend and good old fashioned imagination the author brings to life the story of Asa of Agthir and the fictional Dr. Kirstin Williams. I think the author did a great job of taking the Viking legends and sagas handed down through time and used them as a starting point to flesh out the characters from the 7th century in the novel.

What I didn't like about the novel was how the people in the 20th century were "linked" to the people in the 7th century. I realize it helped to move the underlying plot, but seemed a bit contrived at times. But it didn't bother me too much, since it's a technique I've seen used by many a romance author who write stories that involve "time travel" (even though this book didn't).

All in all I enjoyed this book, it was interesting and well written enough to keep me reading well into the night. Plus I feel like I learned something about a part of the world that I didn't know that much about and it made me curious about Viking lore and history.

[Charlotte · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would actually give this a 2-1/2 star, moderate rating if that was possible. There were aspects of this book I really liked. Alternating chapters presented tales from 2 very different eras. It presented a fictionalized account of an early 20th century archeological discovery and excavation of a viking ship found buried in a hill in present day Norway. On alternating chapters, it presented a tale from the era of the ship's origin, woven from viking mythology and oral histories. Where it lost me was the author's attempt to have some of the more modern characters being the apparent reincarnation of some of the earlier historical characters; seemed over-reaching, and cheesy/sappy.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this Historical Fiction of a real 1904 excavation in Norway of the Ossberg Viking ship from a burial of two women, ship and all, in about the year 824. The fiction stories were better than most that are associated with historical fiction and tied nicely back and forth between the history of Norway at the time leading up to the burial and fictional characters associated with the dig. I enjoyed the description of the scenery in the different locations in Norway. Check out the pictures on the web, the ship is absolutely beautiful.

[Marilyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book quite a bit as historical fiction, mostly due to the storyline in the 9th century Norway. A parallel storyline happens in the early 1900s with the discovery and excavation of a burial ship. The focus on women - a local princess (ancient past) and female scientist (recent past) made this even more unique. Although it was somewhat formulaic, the topics were new and a good read, especially if you have Scandinavian roots.

[Paul Nelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book because 1. I bought it from the author at a local event. 2. He is a well know local author. 3. It is about Norwegian history, which is part of my heritage.

I really enjoyed the way that the author tied the history of a buried and recovered ancient ship with a modern story. Back and forth we go. Adventures in both times. I liked it. Helped my to understand the Scandinavians a little better.

[AnneKristine Norris · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed learning more about Norwegian history and mythology. This book had two parallel stories, Asa in 850ish and Kirsten in 1904. I liked both of these stories but I was put off by the implied mystic connection between these two women. Each story could have stood on it's own.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

review to follow

[Lindis · Rating 4 out of 5]

May consider this one for five stars but not sure why!

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book about unearthing a Viking ship -- historical novel.