Graphic Novel Review – Vinland Saga, Book 1 by Makoto Yukimura (5/5 stars)

Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Historical/Manga
Size: 470 pages
Publisher: Kodansha Comics
Release Date: October 14, 2013
ISBN: 978-1612624204
Stand Alone or Series: 1st book in the Vinland Saga
Source: Gift
Rating: 5/5 stars

I have been wanting to read Vinland Saga forever. I finally got a copy of the book for mother’s day and was excited to read it. It ended up being a very well done historical manga about Vikings.

Thorfinn was raised on the stories of the great Leif Ericson, who told tales of a land where slavery doesn’t exist…Vinland. Thorfinn dreamed of going to Vinland, but his dreams were shattered by a raid of Viking mercenaries. Now Thorfinn is being raised by the very Viking mercenaries who killed his parents, they are lead by Askeladd. Thorfinn is an excellent fighter, but he is still a boy. He constantly seeks to defeat Askeladd in a duel, but has yet to succeed. Thorfinn is sustained by dreams of somehow escaping his current situation and finding Vinland.

This was a very well done epic historical manga. Much different from other manga I have read. I really enjoyed the characters, the story, and the the detailed artwork.

All of the characters have a lot of depth and really come alive. You really feel Thorfinn’s anger and want him to succeed, he is a very engaging character.

The history in here is very detailed as well. You learn a lot about Frank, Danish, and English battles. There are also historical characters throughout (the obvious Leif Ericson, but also some kings of the era are mentioned). In addition to all of that there are brief recaps of history and recaps of where Thorfinn has journeyed to between each chapter.

The illustration is incredibly detailed and absolutely magnificent. I really enjoyed it a lot.

Overall this is just an incredibly manga, both in content and art quality. If you are at all interesting in history, war, or adventure I would definitely recommend this manga. It has a bit of an epic fantasy feel to it as well. I plan on picking up volume 2 when I get a chance. Highly recommended to everyone.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
– Graphic Novel Reading Challenge
– You Read How Many Books? Reading Challenge