Sep 07
Click for full imageDavid Comments: Eric Brighteyes by H Rider Haggard (1891) was set in the Viking Age. I have no idea where he found the bikini babe, ray gun or early model Bluetooth headset.
Published 1978
Vikings had lasers… right?
Many thanks to David!
(Rating: 8.33 out of 10)
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September 7th, 2010 at 10:05 am
Haha, is he really going to have a lightsaber fight while holding the damsel in distress? Reminds me of Shoot Em’ Up.
September 7th, 2010 at 10:06 am
Don’t think the cover is too bad. But in the viking context… wow…
I’m also not sure what angle he is firing his laser. Looks… odd
September 7th, 2010 at 10:10 am
No no, the cover is historically accurate, Honest Guv!
Very few laymen know that Vikings perfected the mead-powered laser.
September 7th, 2010 at 10:16 am
The sword is brighter than his eyes, obviously. Not word about his mind in relation to brightness, as far as I can make out.
September 7th, 2010 at 12:09 pm
(Eric) Bri-hite Eyes! Burning like a fire …
I seem to have a song in my heart this week.
September 7th, 2010 at 1:42 pm
The bikini clad babe appears to have a tail and green toes. I imagine that’s going to be a bit of a surprise for our hero later on tonight.
September 7th, 2010 at 2:54 pm
Can’t wait to read this one, good old Online Books
http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbin/gutbook/lookup?num=2721
Glowing swords and lizard maidens don’r seem so unlikely to me, the revolver in his holster does seem a little anachronistic, though.
September 7th, 2010 at 6:40 pm
Turn around bright eyes… and face thy dooooom!
September 8th, 2010 at 8:50 am
Actually the book is quite good, if you can get past the mock Viking age language. For example:
“Hearken all men!” said Eric.
“Thrust him out!” quoth Björn.
“Nay, cut him down!” said Ospakar, “he is an outlawed man.”
“Words first, then deeds,” answered Skallagrim. “Thou shalt have thy fill of both, Blacktooth, before day is done.”
“Let Eric say his say,” said Gudruda, lifting her head. “He has been doomed unheard, and it is my will that he shall say his say.”
“What hast thou to do with Eric?” snarled Ospakar
Oddly enough, this particular edition has several illustrations scattered among the pages. And none of them have ray guns, or space suits or bikini babes with green tentacles. Only the cover contains such over the top artwork,
September 8th, 2010 at 12:36 pm
I think this cover would work a lot better for one of Burroughs’ Mars novels, or one of the innumerable clones. I wonder if this was a matter of the publisher having this illustration in stock rather than commissioning a cover specfically for this novel.
Also love that dialogue! Certainly better than anything in Star Wars Ep II
September 8th, 2010 at 9:12 pm
David H, to an ear raised on Poul Anderson, that sounds horrible. Skalding should be left to those skilled in it. If the unskilled try they tend to get badly skalded.
(sorry)
September 9th, 2010 at 6:01 pm
Nix:
Pretty much what I thought. The book has a reasonably good story line. After all it was a H Rider Haggard adventure novel. The real problem is the Victorian Viking pastiche style. Somehow, a story set in ancient times had to sound like Charlton Heston as Moses.
September 9th, 2010 at 6:02 pm
Oh, and puns appreciated!
September 13th, 2010 at 4:30 am
They had already invented light sabers, guns and jewelry but not clothes?
September 13th, 2010 at 9:27 am
Oh, I didn’t notice that it was *Haggard*. That explains everything, bulging thews and cod-victoriana both.
You’d think the Vikings would be quite hot on clothing. Scandinavia is pretty cold. (Mind you, walking around York in winter, half the young ladies are wearing much less than they do down south. Possibly this is a holdover from Viking times?)