I am big fan of Sigurros and Björk and it was intersting to read about the roots of their music in Iceland. It was a easy and enjoyable reading

"Paul Sullivan's WAKING UP IN ICELAND is The Best, and Most Important, book on Iceland ever written ever published. As a student and appreciator of Iceland's majestic nature and magical culture, past and present, I tip my hat in gratitude to Paul Sullivan and Sanctuary Publishing. I hope the people, and government, of Iceland will do everything possible to let the world know about WAKING UP IN ICELAND. I will do all I can to spread the word about this brilliant book."
Ron Whitehead, may 21, 2003, Kentucky

This is a scholarly analysis of crime and the justice system of Iceland. The authors cover the history of policing from the earliest nightwatchmen in the 1700s to the present day, as well as the workings of the criminal courts, the prisons, and the media's treatment of crime. A great deal of attention is given to the impact of alcohol and drugs on crime. Iceland is incredibly safe even by Scandinavian standards, but like anywhere else, crime had increased dramatically in the past twenty years, affecting Icelanders' image of themselves as a caring, sensitive, equalitarian society.

If you're expecting the sort of book you'd find under the "True Crime" sign at your local mall bookstore, this is not for you. Rather, this is a serious sociological study aimed at an extremely narrow audience. I liked it because I wanted to learn more about the dark side (if any) of this outwardly-utopian society, but it's certainly not for everyone.

Gunnlaugsson, and Galliher show their insightful knowledge of Icelandic culture in this book. Crime really is somewhat of a new concept in Iceland, and yet they address the issues involved succinctly. They realize that Icelanders value their freedom greatly and will strive to find a balance between curbing crime yet allowing the society the freedom to evolve. I look forward to future publications from these authors.

I found this book to be extremely pretentious and uninspiring. I had hoped that the ending might redeem the novel somewhat. It didn't. I would not recommend this book.

I found this book very fun to read and very unpretentious... That is, if you are willing to just go with it. There are so many symbolic occurrences that after awhile they become pretty comical. It did worry me a little at first, but by the middle or so of the second chapter it took off. I'm still racking my brain to piece it all together and can't quite get it. Usually that's annoying for me, but when it comes down to it I really don't care. I enjoyed reading it that much. It reminds me of the Icelandic saga's that Paul, the main character, reads about. In those stories, you know something bad will happen in the end but you still want to know how. And those are the most interesting parts in Iceland. There are little saga's throughout the whole that end in tragedy. At points I did feel like the author was toying with me a bit... but at the same time it seemed he let you know it. I wouldn't call that pretentious at all. What it does do, however, is add to the book's humor and oddness which I enjoyed. If you like Kurt Vonnegut, Nicolas Mosely and Kafka... then this is your bag, because it's a good blend of the three.

On one level, Iceland is a whimsical novel that will make you slap your knee and laugh out loud. Yet what makes Iceland a fascinating piece of literature is that it appears to withstand any form of categorization. It seems to lack genre, blending the realistic and mundane with the absurd and allegorical.

I take this as an indication of an author who is unafraid of taking risks. Krusoe seems uninterested in catering to the need, that many readers have, of being able to categorize a literary composition. By refusing to commit to any genre, Krusoe's writing does not supply the means for the reader to produce a schema. This might frustrate some readers, as they won't have a clue to where the writing will lead them. However, this will stimulate many other readers, as they will regard it as liberation from a dogmatic rule of writing.

If you are looking for a well-organized history of Iceland, you probably don't want this one. I get the feeling that the author wants it both ways: to be folksy AND legitimate. It doesn't fly. . . I have read several books on Iceland and this is my least favorite. ...

This book was much more pleasant to read in many ways than most history books. It blends history with various cultural aspects such as sausage making and other traditional pasttimes and holidays. As a result, it does quite a bit to soften the sometimes drier moments of history. It is one of the few history books I have read that make me feel I would know something useful about a place if I were to travel there. Also, because the historical aspect is why I bought the book, I was not to be disappointed, the Cod Wars, the Settlement, Christianization, it is all there along with an especially interesting section on the first settlement of Greenland. I recommend this book.

This book is an excellant assortment of history, culture, and personal experience. Each chapter can stand by itself but all the chapters tie in together. The details in this book are amazing. It is great for anyone who is interested in learning more about Iceland and it's rich cultural and historical background. Also, for research, it is set up in such a way that you can find exactly what information you are looking for quickly. This is my favorite book about Iceland so far. It was the most well organized and comprehensive.

Tim Moore has written one of the best travel books I've read in the last five years. His humour is contagious and one finds oneself urging him on as he battles across the northern seas in the footsteps of a 19th Century British aristocrat. Icelanders with a sense of humour about their own country's idiosyncrasies will find the book a delight. The remaining 98% of the population will demand the author is detained and given the full bottom inspection treatment next time he passes through Reykjavik airport. If you enjoy Bill Bryson then you will enjoy Moore. Moore is as funny but is significantly more insightful and ruder! As a regular traveler to Europe this is one of those books I would recommend packing to read as you zip over the pond to the UK (or even Iceland!)

You will enjoy this fumbling traveller's tribute to a personal hero. Tim Moore's trials and tribulations are too comic to be tragic. His dogged determination to complete a journey in the footsteps of Lord Dufferin keeps him going through graphic sea sickness and prolific pronunciation problems (try Icelandic & Norwegian on the same trip!). The heavy dose of British references means some jokes will be wasted if you don't know much about the UK, but literary slapstick a la Jerry Lewis will keep you giggling anyway.

This is a great book to read as you embark on any journey that looks a bit daunting. If he can survive, anyone can (don't worry, he knows this, too!).

To be considered more than just a good book, any travelogue has to show more than simply intelligence, humour or stylish writing. It requires a good theme - the writer needs to have an original and clearly defined purpose. In all of these criterion (and more presumably)Moore has surpassed all of my own expectations that I had before I bought it. The humour is, in places very English, but that should not deter anyone else from reading it. The only real reason why Tim can't be regarded as an equal to Bill Bryson is because unlike Bill, who has lived in Britain and America for vast periods of time, Moore only knows life in Britain. This alone is probably enough to put lots of Americans, Canadians, Australians etc. off but the fact that many people cant understand the jokes must be very frustrating. Personally, I understood it all but that's firstly because of where I'm from and secondly because I'm a cynic and enjoy reading books where the writer is self-depreciating. The book is informative and witty but something tells me that an attempt at another travel book might prove foolish on his part. He would need at least as good a theme and would need to sustain his humour over an even longer period. Read this one though - it's good.

It should be noted that Stephen Flowers is a mamber of the satanic organization referred to the Temple of Set. Satanism is an offshoot of Christianity. Why anyone would try and combine a twisted middle eastern philosophy to a runic pagan magickal system is beyond me. Claiming this book is actually historically correct is questionable.

Read the review by Isenwolf and not that obviously obtuse (look it up) reader from Maine.

To the Readers or Potential Buyers of the Galdrabok:
Consider this post a rebuttle to the extremely uneducated statements of the reviewer below. The Galdrabok is merely a translation of an authentic medeival Icelandic text, and I can pretty much bet a million dollars that Dr. Stephen E. Flowers did NOT invent this text out of whole cloth (and if anyone wants to place this wager please email me so I can quit my job and invest in the stock market while it is still low). Because he has a PHD in Germanic Studies he has thousands of untranslated documents at his fingertips, the Galdrabok only being one of them. While he is a "mamber"(this mispelling alone should be enough to discredit the reviewer below) of the Temple of Set, he is most definitely dedicated to the Asatru Religion. In any sort of spirituality is always best to ask "what, when, where, and why" before jumping to conclusions....there is no need to invent "demons" out of whole cloth where they are not even found. Those who do jump to such conclusions without any sort of inquiry has a questionable level of enlightment/intellegence at best, or at worst has some sort of agenda/vendetta(usually as a way to put a lock on their own skeletons in the closet). Some might ask "Why did Stephen E. Flowers join the Temple of Set?" Well, he has given me and others a clear and concise answer to why he has done this.....he merely wanted to set aside an Order that is willing to study the darker aspects of Teutonic Religion....it was not an effort to "graft" any sort of foreign teachings into the Teutonic Magical practices....this notion is generally considered silly and uneducated by those who know better, and such accusations are usually rote-borrowings from the statements of neopagan "authorities" of questionable credentials as well as spawning from the obvious jealousy of unaccomplished people. If you want a translation of a historical document then buy this book.....if you want the usual new-age drivel I suggest looking elsewhere.
Reyn til Runa,
Isenwulf

The setting was vividly imagined and realistic, but everything seemed too slow or too fast. If you particularly like this period of history, then you may enjoy this book, but the pacing -- first too fast, then too slow, then too fast -- made it hard for me to get through despite my initial enthusiastic interest in its premise.

This book is an extremely well written, moving portrait of a young girl who is growing up in a harsh Viking environment. Against adversity she survives, finds love, loses love and gains wisdom. Highly recommended!

This IS the reprinted edition. If you're looking for a particularly good read, "Thorstein the Staff-Struck" and "Hreidar the Fool" are the clear winners for pure enjoyment (both with exquisite comic turns of plot and amusing, yet subtle characterization). "Hrafnkel's Saga" and "Ale-hood" also read well. The remainder of the sagas drag along somewhat slowly from time to time, but are also interesting and read smoothly nonetheless. If you're looking for a glimpse of Icelandic culture (a glimpse of a budding democracy centuries before America was colonized), then this is your best bet. The twenty-one pages of Palsson's introduction, along with his dozen or so footnotes throughout, prepare the reader for the social implications---political and religious---of these many jewels of medieval Iceland. Two maps of Iceland and a list of personal names are also included.

Assuming this is the 1971 reprint of Hermann Palsson's translation, the book contains Hrafnkel's Saga, Thorstein the Staff-Struck, Ale-Hood, Hreidar the Fool, Halldor Snorrason, Audun's Story, and Ivar's Story. All are wonderful stories.

The ROUGH GUIDE series has produced some wonderful books -- I am particularly fond of the titles on France and Scotland, which I have used extensively. This is their first crack at Iceland, and it is a commendable, if not outstanding, effort.

As a result of a recent 15-day trip to Iceland, I can say that it is mostly reliable but far from exhaustive. For one thing, the emphasis is on sleeping bag accommodations exclusively. (Okay, maybe I'm not quite so "rough" a traveler: Two weeks in the same smelly down bag is not my idea of comfortable travel.) Also, the book omits many very viable accommodation options, such as the Bolti farmhouse at Skaftafell. Also many oustanding restaurants such as the well-known Bautinn in Akureyri are unaccountably missing.

What did this guide have to say about my guesthouse in Reykjavik (the excellent Baldursbra)? Only that it had "rather narrow beds and unfortunate floral curtains." Good grief! Firstly, the size of single beds in Iceland tends to be quite standard: No extra inches were shaved off. Secondly, the curtains were indeed floral but not so aggressively bad as suggested by the writers of the guide, who appear to have been suffering from a bad hair day.

On the plus side, the "Basics" and "Contexts" sections are both useful and entertaining introductions to travel in this most fascinating of destinations. I've always regarded a good bibliography as an asset to any guide, and this one has an excellent one. Included is a helpful summary of the key Icelandic sagas, a knowledge of which is essential to understanding the uniqueness of Iceland.

You won't go far wrong with this guide, but there is room for improvement in editions to come. For now, I recommend the 2001 Edition of the Lonely Planet Guide as being the most authoritative guide.

We had a 3-day stopover in Iceland, and used the Rough Guide as our main source of information. The information in the book was accurate and very useful, especially when driving in the less populated areas. It was nice to know which towns had fuel stations, cafes, guesthouses, etc. It was a little confusing when we drove east from Vik, and the book was written as if driving west toward Vik, but we managed.

The sections on culture and history were also very useful when planning a trip to a place we'd never been before. This book and a good map (1250 ISK at the tourist information desk) is all you should need for a great trip.