Manga Review – Vinland Saga Vol 11 by Makoto Yukimura (5/5 stars)
Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Manga/Historical Fantasy
Length: 384 pages
Publisher: Kodansha Comics
Release Date: December 17, 2019
ISBN-13: 978-1632368034
Stand Alone or Series: 11th volume in the Vinland Saga series
Source: Bought
Rating: 5/5 stars
“Thanks to his claim by lineage, the attackers surrounding Jomsborg want Thorfinn to be their leader, but it is a mantle he intensely rejects. When the battle for leadership over the powerful Jomsvikings reaches a stalemate, Thorfinn must make a critical decision. With Gudrid held captive within the fortressed city, walking away will not be an option. He must infiltrate Jomsborg to break her out, and the ensuing battle will leave the greatest mercenary force in the North Sea changed forever…”
Series Info/Source: This is the 11th omnibus volume in the Vinland Saga series. I bought a copy of this book.
Story (5/5): This continues to be an amazing historical fantasy series. This time the story focuses on Thorfinn getting drawn back into war with the Jomsvikings. He is determined to stay out of it all until some of his party gets taken hostage. What follows is an amazingly bloody battle that Thorfinn wanted nothing to do with. As things play out Thorfinn will inadvertently change the path of history forever.
Characters (5/5): The characters in this series are amazing. All of them are fully developed and I loved reading about them. We spend a lot of time with Thorfinn, Gorm, Floki, Floki’s grandson, and Gudrid in this book. I do wish there was an illustrated guide to the characters in the beginning of these volumes; there are just getting to be so many characters in this series.
Setting (5/5): Most of this story takes place at a fortressed castle that the Jomsvikings are trying to invade. It’s a beautifully done historical setting and I enjoyed it a lot.
Writing/Illustration Style (5/5): These continue to be both amazingly well written and beautifully illustrated. The illustration here is so detailed, easy to follow, and just stunning. The writing flows well and is easy to follow; there is always a bit of humor to offset the violence and tragedy. I love the sections between books where Yukimura goes over the known history and Thorfinn’s geographical journey so far.
Summary (5/5): Overall this remains my absolute favorite manga series right now. Everything about it is absolutely perfect. It’s beautifully drawn, amazingly written, and just a joy to read. I want to pre-order volume 12 right now!
