This series just keeps getting better and better. ( )

I don't know how Makoto Yukimura made me like the long-haired prince with the quiet stare, but he did. I don't know how he made Prince Canute's flip from scared and shallow to unafraid and determined believable, but he did (although I predict that Canute is going to have a hard time in the first scrap he gets into when he realizes Ragnar won't save him). I love that we are exploring the histories and motivations of men like Thorkell and Askeladd and Thors. I will be interested in seeing how the relations between Thorfinn and Canute play out, especially after it's been hinted that Canute has the spark of Thors that Thorfinn apparently lacks. I am also interested in the fate of the young woman who stole the ring and fled her village; what happened to her? Either way, it's another brilliantly drawn and powerfully written volume of Vinland Saga. ( )

If you like watching Game of Thrones or Vikings on television, then you need to read this awesome manga.

This volume is rare re-read for me as I remind myself of where I left off in the story and just how wonderful the series is. I started on it about five years ago, driving to a library 30 miles away to get the first three volumes. Last year I was able to order all the current volumes for one of the libraries where I work, but until coronavirus hit I did not have enough time to tackle these thick double-sized volumes. Four through eleven are now waiting on my shelf.

Set in England in 1013 when most of the country is occupied by invading Danes, this volume has the four main characters pitted against each other in bloody combat. Askeladd is the cunning strategist (and former pirate) who hopes to use a naive young hostage, Prince Canute, to take control of the throne. Giant warrior Thorkell the Tall hopes to steal Canute away for reasons that are secondary to the fact that he just loves fighting. Young Thorfinn Karlsefni is waiting for his chance to avenge his father's death at the hands of Askeladd and is willing go through Thorkell -- who is twice as tall -- if he gets in the way.

It's all based on real historical events and people, but dramatized in true manga fashion with a mix Fist of the North Star and Lone Wolf and Cub.

Great art, great action, great characters. Now for the new stuff! ( )

Continued quality. Both story and depiction are top tier and riveting. Bloody and visceral, the drama and suspense remain engrossing. Fantastic tale. ( )

After murdering an entire village, Askeladd's band's karma is turning sour. Thorkell is on the march, chasing them through England again. He's after Canute...and Thorfinn.

Bloody, gross, and awesome; but also deep and philosophical at the same time. Thorfinn struggles with the question "What makes a true warrior?" while Canute struggles with the question "What is love?"

Will either find an answer? ( )