Read some opinions of To The Lands of the Vikings:

I bought To the Lands of the Vikings directly from the author at the Atlantic City Boat Show. I have dreamed all my life of setting out on such an adventure but never had the opportunity to carry it out.

Listening to Trevor talk about his voyage I thought the book would be good. In fact it is excellent. He is an excellent writer with an obvious interest in the historical places he visits with his wife, Lesley. I am familiar with many of the places visited by the Hodgsons and can attest that Trevor is a  keen observer of places and of the people they meet along the way. The references to the Vikings and their voyages are accurate and relevant without ever getting in the way of a great sailing adventure.

I thoroughly recommend this book to anyone interested in the Vikings, in cruising to  unusual places, or just interested in a great yarn, well told.

A Member of Lodge Nor-Bu, Sons of Norway, Rockaway, NJ.

"To The Lands of the Vikings" is by far the best sailing oriented book I have read in a long time".

Bill Thomson, past Commodore of the Windward Yacht Club, New York

A Great Book on a Great Adventure

I thoroughly enjoyed the Hodgson book. It is similar, in some senses, to the recent book by Hal Roth, "We Followed Odysseus". Both present sailors trying to follow historical routes. Of course, Hodgson's historical accounts of the Vikings seem more reliable than Roth's on the far more ancient Odysseus. In general, I think that the Hodgson book compares favorably to Roth's.

Hodgson attempts to interweave three aspects of his voyage: a straight forward sailing adventure, a presentation of Viking history and a travelogue of the places visited. The story of sailing a small boat across the Atlantic rings very true. Many of the difficulties and triumphs described by Hodgson are those experienced by a coastwise sailor. It is simply fascinating to realize that island hopping across the North Atlantic is possible and then to read an account of doing it.

The historical material seems well researched and presented. I enjoyed it quite a bit. It gives a sense of the continuity of the human spirit over the centuries.

The travelogue material may or may not appeal to all readers. I liked it because I had no real idea of what Greenland or Iceland was like. Additionally, it accurately tells what sailors do when they visit a new port: they try to take everything in.

I recommend the book very highly

A sailor and professor from New York City

We would commend it to you, if you are interested in sailing, sailing across the big pond, sailing where the climate is not always temperate, reading about the first Europeans to set foot in North America, reading about the Vikings, or just reading an excellent adventure story!

The Tayana Owners Group Newsletter, July 2001

© Trevor Hodgson, 2001 -  2004