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Hello and welcome! My name is Emma and I've been a bookseller for over a decade. I also write fantasy under the name E. M. Epps. This blog features my Two-Paragraph Book Reviews. One paragraph from me. One from the book. Here's why I keep it short.

You are here: Home > Review: “Viking Weapons and Combat Techniques” by William R. Short

Review: “Viking Weapons and Combat Techniques” by William R. Short

Image Emma 21 April 2013

Thumbs up for Viking Weapons and Combat Techniques by William R. Short. History.

There are a very limited number of people who should read this book. 1: Hardcore Viking re-enactors. 2: Historians specializing in ancient weaponry and fighting techniques. 3: Ultra-nerdy authors trying to write realistic battle scenes. If you fall into any of those groups, buy this book right now. It’s the kind of reference book that gives me shivers of happiness.

Evidence suggests that sword and shield combat targeted every part of the body. Forensic evidence from Viking-age skeletal remains shows evidence of wounds from head to lower leg. When targets are mentioned in the sagas, the head, upper body, and legs are all mentioned with nearly equal frequency, whereas arms and back and shoulders are mentioned less frequently.


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Posted in book review
Tagged history, military history, thumbs up
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My bookstore is an affiliate of Bookshop.org, so we will earn a commission if you click through my links and make a purchase. I, personally, am also an affiliate of the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program and will likewise make a commission if you click through those links and make a purchase. Having to use Amazon doesn’t fill me with joy, but they’re the only good affiliate program for used books available right now. So…that’s the way it is.

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