A fusion of myth and legend, circa A.D. 1200, by an unnamed Icelandic author. This medieval chronicle, with its center of action among the Orkney Islands, is a rich source of knowledge on the northern isles. Describing the conquest of the islands by Norwegian kings during the Viking expansion of the ninth century, it's an account of war and the struggle for supremacy by Sigurd the Powerful, St. Magnus the Martyr, and Hralf, the conqueror of Norway. This modern translation is very readable.  (VIK07, $15.00)