The Oath of Bjorn (book 3 in the Vinland Viking Saga) by Tamara Goranson follows the Beothuk-raised, Norse huntsman husband of Anja Freydisdottir (the main character of book 2,) son of Logatha and the late Finnbogi. Given the female perspectives of books 1 and 2, switching to the male perspective for book 3 was a bit of a worldview change. While I could find myself relating with Freydis and Anja, I could not relate to Bjorn. In fact, I often found myself annoyed and frustrated (even angry with him at the beginning of the book by his treatment of Anja) by his constant inner wrestling with honor and oaths and protecting the women in his life (as we know from the previous book, Anja is very capable,) whereas the women in books 1 and 2 seemed to have very real stakes against them rather than abstract things like honor and oaths. This is not to say, however, that Bjorn is without problems–there is a price on his head.
Bjorn and Anja must leave Leifsbudir with a seemingly untrustworthy Norseman, Karlsefni, to escape the mark of vengeance placed upon Bjorn by Hurritt, his childhood friend turned enemy after the events of book 2. I could understand their need to get away for their own safety but there was something in the way how Bjorn viewed Anja that rubbed me the wrong way (perhaps his drive to always protect her without him acknowledging that she is capable) in that her lack of perspective almost seemed to take her agency away in this story, whereas she was such a strong figure in book 2. The plot plods along a bit in the first half as Bjorn and Anja seem to be constantly on the move for their own safety, yet later find a measure of safety in Karlsefni’s village–yet it is at the price of their integrity as Karlsefni mistreats and exploits the local Beothuk who only seek to trade. Bjorn and Anja must continually find safety with enemies to ensure their survival, which in and of itself proves interesting in terms of how these characters navigate the world and their specific circumstances.
Without getting too spoiler-y, there are two near identical losses at the end of this book, which made the latter almost least impactful given that it had just happened pages before to someone else. The end is a bit abrupt, with several loose strings, so I can only assume there will be another book in this series. While I loved the first two books of this series, I found book 3 really stripped Anja of the strength and agency we came to know so well in her in book 2.
Home 