-->
We were very honoured to be joined this month by Tony Bradman, who came to talk to us about his thrilling novel VIKING BOY.
Rafferty got us
off to a great start by declaring it was one of the best books he’s ever read,
and then Mr Bradman gave us some great insights into how he came to write
VIKING BOY.
He always writes
with the same kind of pen (the one he has now was new this Christmas), and like
us he did a lot of reading when he was at school. Also like many of us, he
absolutely loved THE HOBBIT – the dragon Smaug, the dwarves, the fighting and
the chainmail. It was only later on that he found out Tolkien had specialized
in ancient languages while he was at university, and particularly in the
Vikings: and that so many of those elements he loved in THE HOBBIT were
inspired by the old Norse legends of trolls and warriors and flying beasts.
There’s a great
list on his website of his favourite Viking tales, and top of the list is Henry Treece, who was
quite a famous author when Mr Bradman was our age, with dark moody pictures by
Charles Keeping (who lived near to here).
Tony had always
loved these stories, and the old Norse legends and sagas, so he knew he wanted
to write one of his own. It took a long time – more than a year – and a lot of
research.
First, though, he
needed a really good notebook. He keeps the notebooks for all his books in a
big cupboard in his office, and he’d brought along the one for VIKING BOY to
show us. It was big, and square, with an amazing picture of a metal minotaur
head on the front. Tony bought it when he was on holiday in Greece, at a place
called Mycenae (we enjoyed the local connection!).
Once he had the
notebook, then he could start writing. It all begins with an outline of the
story: who’s doing what, chapter by chapter (which makes it sound easier than
it is – sometimes, something won’t work out and he’ll have to go back and
change all the plans again).
And all the time,
he was researching: he had a big long list of Viking names, and for about half
of the book Gunnar was called Olaf – until it turned out there was already a
book called Olaf the Viking …
Some of the
research sounded really fun: Tony travelled to Norway and Denmark, and visited
museums. There, he could see three old Viking ships that have been dug out of
the ground and restored. He even rowed a replica ship himself, with a captain
who looked just like a Viking; and dressed up in Viking cloaks and helmets.
We loved hearing
about how to use a battleaxe (in a figure of eight, apparently) and how heavy a
shield and armour would be: to hold them and fight, you would be exhausted
after about ten minutes, which shows just how strong and fit the Vikings were.
Because of this
detailed research, all the elements in VIKING BOY are based on the truth, even
though the story itself is all from Tony Bradman’s imagination: the farm
burning was inspired by NJAL’S SAGA, his all-time favourite Norse tale, and the
Vikings really did carry their wealth as silver or gold rings around their
arms. Tony told us they would loot and plunder, and when they did pay for
things they’d hack bits of silver off the arm rings, instead of money.
After he had told
us about writing the book, Tony asked if we had any questions: we had lots!
Maia: It was really, really gory but I really liked
it. Gauk was really mean. He reminded me of someone, but I can’t remember who.
TB: Yes, my editor was worried about the
violence in the book, but if you’re going to tell a story about the Viking age,
you have to have it because they were violent.
The important thing is that you see just
how awful it is: people are really upset and frightened.
And I liked Gauk, too. When I write
a story, it’s important to have characters who are mysterious I think. And a
surprise which keeps you interested!
Scarlett: The really liked the bit about Valhalla.
I wondered – is that what they believed?
TB: Yes, they believed when warriors died in
battle, Odin sent the Valkyries, all in black, riding winged wolves.
And I thought: how cool is that?
The reason Odin collected the
warriors was because at the end of time (which they called Ragnorak), they
thought there would be a big battle, and Odin would be attacked by the forces
of evil, so he wanted all the best warriors on his side.
Valhalla means Hall of the Fallen
And Valkyrie means Collectors of the
Fallen.
Who is your
favourite character?
TB: Gunnar. I put a lot of myself in him. I
have a soft spot for Rurik as well: the funny thing about him is he just
appeared. I was writing the scene where Gunnar is brought in front of Orm, and
suddenly Rurik appeared as a character. I had to stop and rethink the story up
to then, to fit him in, because he was such a good character: a sort of father
figure for Gunnar.
And I really enjoyed writing Thorkel
and Viglaf, and their banter.
Grace: Will you write another book? Will it be a
series?
TB: Well I’ve written lots of other books. I
wanted to do another Viking one, but I have to convince my publishers: what do
you all think?
We all agreed
we’d like there to be a series!
Maia: Where do you go if you don’t die with a sword
in your hand?
TB: I’d like to know! The Vikings did believe
in an underworld run by a woman called Hel (which is where our word for hell
comes from). And of course there are the Nornes, who are very similar to the
three fates in Greek myths.
Mercedes: I liked the story but there were some
details that were a bit too gory.
TB: My son likes real horror stories and movies,
especially with zombies. I can’t watch them, because I get really scared and
they stick in my mind. Some of those passages you didn’t like, I found quite
difficult as well. I didn’t want to dwell on the violence.
Victor: I didn’t picture Rurik how he was in the
pictures.
TB: The illustrator is French, and draws
graphic novels for a living. He was chosen by the publisher. I know what you
mean though, sometimes the picture in your head is different. I think it’s a
really striking image on the cover, but in my mind Gunnar has a lot more
character than that.
Alice: I think it should be a series. The shoutline
made me think it actually was a series.
Rafferty: We’re studying the Vikings at school,
and my teacher is going to read the book to the class.
TB: That’s brilliant. I’d be happy to come in
and talk to your class, too.
Rafferty: My friend thought it was too gruesome.
But I thought it was epic!
Dylan: I liked the drowning scene.
Scarlett: I thought the Valkyrie picture was
really good. The way they draw the wolves is really detailed.
TB: Yes, actually Brunhild is another
favourite character. There’s a famous German composer called Wagner who wrote
operas based on the Norse myths. And Brunhilde appears in those, usually as a
large lady opera singer in a horned helmet with long blonde hair in plaits. And
when I first started writing the Valkyrie scenes, that was what was in my mind
– but it just wasn’t working. So I went back to the original myths and found
the descriptions of the giant winged wolves and then it worked much better.
Scarlett: Vikings didn’t have horned helmets.
TB: No, that’s right – most were circular,
more like a mask or a space helmet, smooth metal with eye holes. And they wore
chainmail shirts, called Burnies, which were really heavy. They were tough
people.
Maia: In HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON, all the Vikings
are big lumps of muscle – are they really like that?
TB: Well no I think they were just normal
people really, although evidence shows that they were bigger and taller than
other people in Europe at the time so they did look quite imposing. They were
outdoors a lot and trained hard. I tend to think of them as being like a rugby
team: big, muscular, and thinking they’re immortal.
Maia: I thought Skuli was handsome, but in this
picture he’s not. I liked him as a character.
Giacomo: Can names get really long?
TB: yes. The Vikings used to do what they
still do in Iceland today: your surname is the name of your father, with ‘sson’
or ‘dottir’ on the end, so in Iceland they can trace their ancestors back
really far, almost all the way back to Viking times.
Maia: Viking girls are never mentioned, I think you
could do a story with Gunnar’s daughter …
TB: you’re right, they aren’t mentioned so
much. But you should read Kevin Crosley-Holland’s BRACELET OF BONES, that’s got
a Viking girl as the main character. And Marie-Louise Jensen writes about
Viking girls.
Isaac: Would they have knives, or a sword?
TB: A lot used spears or battleaxes. Ordinary
people would be more likely to have just a rusty axe, like Hogni. Only the
richer people had swords.
Then, sadly, the cow in Ottie
and The Bea’s cuckoo clock mooed to let us know our time with Tony Bradman had
come to an end. There was just time to go round the circle and tell our
favourite bits from the book:
Grace: The Valkyries
Maia: When Gunnar was given his father’s sword
Alice: The Valkyries
Jake: The fight scene
Rafferty: The eagle feather, and when Skuli gets
killed
Giacomo: When they’re tied to the posts and have
to escape
Gareth: When the wolf men burned the long
house
Dylan: When Rurik kills Starkad
Isaac: The same
as Gareth
Scarlett: Gunnar’s time as a slave, and in
Valhalla
Mercedes: When he had to cross the rainbow
Victor: When Gunnar set fire to Orm’s hall
Thank you so much
to Tony Bradman for coming to talk to us about VIKING BOY. We hope you do
decide to write what happens next for Gunnar and his friends!
See you all next
month, when we’ll be talking about FANTASTIC MR DAHL, Michael Rosen’s biography
of Roald Dahl. It will be a good chance to discuss our favourite Roald Dahl
stories too.
