This was a tough book to rate. I loved the stories which were woven into this novel and the fantastical elements of the plot and the characters. I was often exasperated with the author for spending so much time describing minute details about food, burn patients, 13th century book production, etc. Those details, while interesting in a way, tended to detract from the pace of the novel and almost felt like Davidson was trying to show off how much research time he spent while writing the novel. I had to laugh when he actually told us the Viking word for snow...um, who cares? The audio narrator was very good and kept me listening through 16 CDs, so it was worth the effort. Okay, recap...good story, almost like a favorite book your parents read you as a kid, suspend belief, get past the sometimes gruesome detail, and enjoy the love story.