"Paul Levinson's It's Real Life is a page-turning exploration into that multiverse known as rock and roll. But it is much more than a marvelous adventure narrated by a master storyteller...it is also an exquisite meditation on the very nature of alternate history." -- Jack Dann, The Fiction Writer's Guide to Alternate History

Wednesday, December 27, 2017

Vikings 5.6: Meanwhile, Back Home ...

Wow, a slowly building episode 5.6 of Vikings just on, in which almost all roads converge on Kattegat and a fierce battle that will decide the fate of our of series - or, the characters in the series - looms brutally ahead.

Let's see.  On the side of Lagertha - warned by Queen Astrid, who pays for the messenger to Lagertha not only with gold, but her body, against her will, many times - we have Bjorn, escaped from Arabia, borne on its sandstorms and arriving just in time.

On the side of Ivar, with have Harald - who could be betrayed by Astrid (again), but still has an impressive force - but, even more significantly, Heahmund, whom Ivar has wisely not killed, and who has now apparently decided, at least at this point, to fight alongside him.

Ubbe's with Lagertha, Hvitsek's with Ivar, and though Ubbe's a little better, I'd say the two sides are still pretty evenly matched.  Though - I guess I would give the slight edge to edge to Ivar and Heahmund - since the only fighter equal to either of them would be Bjorn, and he is only one to their two.   But Lagertha herself is better than Harald ... so, yeah, it will be close, and I have no idea what if anything real history says about this battle, or even it even really took place.

Otherwise, in other places, Floki's getting a chilly reception from his followers is a rather discouraging way to begin the voyage to America, which I'm still hoping this leads to, at some point in the series.  But it's still good to see Floki and those Vikings there, as the vanguard of a future trip across the Atlantic.

And I'll be back here next week with a report of the battle for Kattegut.

See also Vikings 5.1-2: Floki in Iceland ... Vikings 5.3: Laughing Ivar ...Vikings 5.4: Four of More Good Stories ... Vikings 5.5: Meet Lawrence of Arabia

And see also Vikings 4.1: I'll Still Take Paris ... Vikings 4.2: Sacred Texts ...Vikings 4.4: Speaking the Language ... Vikings 4.5: Knives ... Vikings 4.8: Ships Up Cliff ... Vikings 4.10: "God Bless Paris" ... Vikings 4.11: Ragnar's Sons ... Vikings 4.12: Two Expeditions ... Vikings 4.13: Family ... Vikings 4.14: Penultimate Ragnar? ... Vikings 4.15: Close of an Era ... Vikings 1.16: Musselman ... Vikings 1.17: Ivar's Wheels ...Vikings 1.18: The Beginning of Revenge ... Vikings 4.19: On the Verge of History ... Vikings 4.20: Ends and Starts

And see also Vikings 3.1. Fighting and Farming ... Vikings 3.2: Leonard Nimoy ...Vikings 3.3: We'll Always Have Paris ... Vikings 3.4: They Call Me the Wanderer ... Vikings 3.5: Massacre ... Vikings 3.6: Athelstan and Floki ...Vikings 3.7: At the Gates ... Vikings 3.8: Battle for Paris ... Vikings 3.9: The Conquered ... Vikings Season 3 Finale: Normandy

And see also Vikings 2.1-2: Upping the Ante of Conquest ... Vikings 2.4: Wise King ... Vikings 2.5: Caught in the Middle ... Vikings 2.6: The Guardians ...Vikings 2.7: Volatile Mix ... Vikings 2.8: Great Post-Apocalyptic Narrative ... Vikings Season 2 Finale: Satisfying, Surprising, Superb

And see also Vikings ... Vikings 1.2: Lindisfarne ... Vikings 1.3: The Priest ... Vikings 1.4:  Twist and Testudo ... Vikings 1.5: Freud and Family ... Vikings 1.7: Religion and Battle ... Vikings 1.8: Sacrifice
... Vikings Season 1 Finale: Below the Ash

 
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