Book Review: The Story of Rolf and the Viking Bow by Allan French

The Story of Rolf and the Viking Bow by Allan French

Hiarandi the Unlucky lives up to his nickname. His good nature is not rewarded like characters in Aesop's Fables or Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tales. He lives in Iceland in the medieval days, with a large estate on the seashore. His home is atop the cliffs and Hiarandi lights beacons during stormy night so ships won't wreck on his shore, even though under Icelandic law he would own whatever washes up on his beaches. He has a jealous neighbor, Einar, who schemes to get Hiarandi's lands. Einar's son Grani is off in the Orkney Island where he is being fostered by an earl. Hiarandi's son Rolf is at home and, as a lad of fifteen, growing strong. Perceiving him as a threat along with his father, Einar gets Hiarandi killed in a dispute where, according to the law, Hiarandi was in the wrong since he was not on his lands or at least within a bowshot of his lands. Einar contrives to get Rolf banished. Rolf reluctantly goes, winding up shipwrecked in the Orkneys where he is taken as a slave by Grani. Grani does not recognize him and a friendship grows between them, making things harder when they eventually return to Iceland for a reckoning.

The writing follows the style of the Icelandic sagas. The vocabulary is distinctive, with thanes and thralls aplenty. The text switches back and forth between past tense and present tense. When a character's role in the story is done, the author says so explicitly, telling the reader no more will be heard about that person. The text reads a bit archaic but that matches the time of the story and the genre. 

The plot has a strong moral tone as well, dealing with what's right, what's legal, and how those two do not always interact successfully. Some of the characters manipulate the legal system to get their own ends, clearly shown as wrong. The classical values of caring for families and strangers and of being selfless play out well. Nothing seems heavy-handed or preachy. The moral excellence naturally flows from the characters and the situations. The book seems like it is written for older boys but is enjoyable for any age.

Recommended.