... an absorbing and humane account of how the long-ago ancestors of modern-day Scandinavians—the Vikings—shaped Europe as warriors and how, later, their more orderly descendants left a profound cultural and material mark on the U.S. as immigrants.

Whether you’re new to Viking scholarship or a well-read medievalist, The Viking Heart has something to offer. While there are some places where Herman could have better amplified the advantages Scandinavians experienced as immigrants at the turn of the 20th century, all in all, The Viking Heart honestly assesses the results of the Vikings’ past actions around the world and makes an evenhanded argument for the importance of Viking culture in U.S. history.

Herman expertly and delicately weaves Scandinavian history and its impact on and assimilation into communities on almost every continent over the centuries into one extremely well-researched and engaging tome. An historian with Norwegian ancestry, he provides a thoughtful, comprehensive, and multidisciplinary discussion of how the Scandinavians, through raids, exploration, conquest, and settlement changed the socioeconomic, cultural, and religious aspects of numerous societies.

The entire book is interesting and thoroughly researched, but most readers (perhaps especially those of Scandinavian descent) will be particularly interested once Herman’s narrative reaches U.S. soil, where familiar historical figures and events begin to factor in.

... fresh.

... ambitious yet unconvincing.