rlfj: Blog

I received a couple of interesting comments that I thought I would pass along. First, one reader commented that longhorns are in Montana. In 1866 a fellow named Nelson Story drove 1,000 longhorns from Texas up the Bozeman Trail to Montana, to feed gold miners. This made Story, already a rich man, fantastically wealthy. He was just the start. As could be expected, more than a few got loose and populated the area and neighboring states. However, these were cattle that were imported, so to speak. The original range of the longhorn is Texas, Oklahoma, and northern Mexico. (Longhorns were also imported, sort of, brought by the conquistadores from Spain and Portugal, and then evolved.) Fascinating things I learn doing this, and I sure don’t mind finding this stuff out. Let’s call this one a draw.

Second, a reader pointed out that a printer could fit into the trunk or passenger seat of a Honda Civic, so they didn’t need to take Jake’s pickup truck. Maybe. Not in my trunk, which is loaded with all sorts of crap. And if the printer box is in the front passenger seat of the Civic, where is Jake sitting? In the back? Or maybe Janice is smart and accepts Jake’s offer of free transport and carrying services. I don’t think I am rewriting this one.

In any case, many thanks to those who have written so many positive comments. I hope you enjoy the rest of it!

It’s time for a new story. This one will be considerably different than my previous story. The hero isn’t all that heroic.

“Do you really think James Bond was born James Bond? Or was he actually born Joey Numbnuts and then changed it after he became Double-Oh-Seven? How do you get to be James Bond? Where do you start? And how do you leave? How does James Bond retire? What happens when he runs out of spies to catch? Does he go back to being Joey Numbnuts?”

I plan to publish a chapter every couple of days. I hope you like it.

At least one reader pointed out that the various North Sea ferries don’t just handle traffic between England, Scotland, Norway, Holland, Sweden, Denmark, and Germany. Other North Sea destinations include Iceland, the Faroes, the Hebrides, and Ireland. Technically not every location might be the North Sea but that is a little nitpicky for my taste.

In any case, Vikings ends with the Epilogue. I hope everybody enjoyed it.

We are getting to the end of the story. The Vikings are heading to England. Can we say ‘culture shock!’

For those curious, the MV Sudreyjar was modeled as a sister ship to the MV Hjaltland and MV Hrossey. These two ships are active interisland ferries that service the Shetlands, the Orkneys, and Scotland. They have cabins, lounges, and deluxe accommodations. It is not a stretch to envision a ship like this being chartered for a special run. Additionally, several other ferries crisscross the North Sea traveling between England, Scotland, Norway, Holland, Sweden, Denmark, and Germany. Some of them seem quite nice.

I don’t know many of the details of the British bureaucracy. My British editors made several suggestions about the National Health Service and Revenues and Customs; they seemed satisfied with what I ended up writing. If there is a problem, it is my fault, not theirs.

Enjoy!

It was pointed out to me that the British king never really beat the Scottish king. “I don't know what your Scottish readers will say to your comment that the King of England beat the King of Scotland in battle :-) The reality was James VI inherited the crown on the death of Elizabeth I and became James I of England and united the Crowns, but not the Kingdoms, it was the last of the Stuarts, Anne that did that, with the Act of Union.”

Technically, I specified, “Each land had their own king, and they battled often. England’s king won.” At the time of the Vikings, England was carved up into many small kingdoms. At the beginning of the Viking period, the sack of Lindisfarne in 793, there were seven kingdoms, known as the Heptarchy. Over the next few hundred years, the number declined, some by submission to other English kings and some by submission to the Vikings. Eventually they ended up with just one English king.

I think this one is a touch nit-picky, but you’re allowed to disagree. Thanks for reading!