What If Vikings Had Conquered the World? And Other Questions of Icelandic and Nordic History

Iceland often seems remote from major events, and yet there were moments when its history intersected with that of the rest of the world, often with dramatic consequences. What if these consequences had been even greater?

What if Icelanders had settled in North America during the Viking Age? And why didn’t they? Could a religious war between Pagans and Christians in Iceland have led to an exodus to the newly discovered continent?

In the late 18th century, the Icelandic population was nearly wiped out by a volcano and there was a plan to transport the survivors to Denmark. What if this had occurred? And did the volcano cause the French Revolution?

What if Iceland had been occupied by Germany during WWII instead of under British and American protection? Hitler had a plan drawn up but why was it never put into practice?

Could the economic collapse of 2008 have been avoided? What could have been done differently and at what point did the meltdown become inevitable? Is there any one individual who shoulders most of the blame?

In this book best-selling novelist and historian Valur Gunnarsson explores crucial events in a speculative manner, but always with an eye on what really did happen. The result is a beginner’s guide to the history of Iceland and its surroundings, but one that also considers cause and effect and what could have been. This is Icelandic history as you have never seen it before.

Listen to the podcast here!