Joseph Ottum Pens SUN STONE SAGA

SAN ANTONIO - The Viking culture continues to be a hot focus of media interest as of late. Author Joseph Ottum has observed this in films showing elements of Viking themes such as "Thor" and animated movies "How to Train Your Dragon" and "Frozen." But were these accurate depictions? How did the Vikings really live? Being from a descent of Norwegian-Americans, he pens "Sun Stone Saga" (published by Xlibris), a story chronicling the migration of two Norwegian families to Helluland in North America and detailing their ways of life from hunting food to preserving their catch, how they prayed and traded during the expedition. The narrative goes far back into Pre-Columbian era and among many, challenges the established fact about America's controversial discovery.

"Sun Stone Saga" follows two Norwegian families as they set sail to North America, documenting their adventures and misadventures along the way. It describes how they navigated at sea in their infamous longboats, what foods they may have eaten and how they thrived in the most challenging conditions. Vikings are known for their survivalist skills and these are shown throughout the book. Readers will read about how the Norsemen may have started fires, harvested and prepared their food, hunted with their swords and bows and survived the long, arduous journey to their new home in 1000 A.D., long before Columbus claimed the discovery of America. Contrary to popular belief that Vikings were barbarians, Ottum portrays their life as like all other societies. He depicts Vikings as merchants, farmers, fishermen, priests and many others. While other cultures had their warriors and modern armies have their rangers and seals for special combat, the Vikings had their berserkers.

This migration story has been told to the author by his father whose father was a Norwegian American. The story has been passed through generations and this, the author admits, may have lost the nuances - and perhaps other important details - of the original version. For this reason, he dedicates the Appendix 3 of the book for explanations and speculations on most of the background information.

An interesting example of real history passed through oral tradition, "Sun Stone Saga" gives insight into the old Viking ways and how it may have influenced America as it is today.

"Sun Stone Saga"
By Joseph Ottum
Hardcover | 6x9in | 224 pages | ISBN 9781503555457
Softcover | 6x9in | 224 pages | ISBN 9781503555464
E-Book | 224 pages | ISBN 9781503555471
Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble

About the Author
A retired U.S. Navy commander, author Joseph Ottum is a mathematics instructor at Palo Alto College in San Antonio, Texas. He traveled most of his life: first as an Army dependent and later as a Navy officer. He and Petra, his wife, live on a small ranch in South Texas, where they raise Angus cattle.

Xlibris Publishing, an Author Solutions, LLC imprint, is a self-publishing services provider created in 1997 by authors, for authors. By focusing on the needs of creative writers and artists and adopting the latest print-on-demand publishing technology and strategies, we provide expert publishing services with direct and personal access to quality publication in hardcover, trade paperback, custom leather-bound and full-color formats. To date, Xlibris has helped to publish more than 60,000 titles. For more information, visit xlibris.com or call 1-888-795-4274 to receive a free publishing guide. Follow us @XlibrisPub on Twitter for the latest news.

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