The most exciting part of this book for me was the language. Eddison really did his homework and got the syntax just right as to be comparative with other Nordic/Scandinavian sagas, without sounding like he was translating (which he wasn't). After having read Njalls Saga, one of the oldest Icelandic sagas, I feel better able to make this judgement. The climax is revealed way before the even occurs, so the suspense lies in how the climax of the novel comes to pass. Also in keeping with the saga tradition, Eddison presents the story without a bias toward one character or another, which I think makes it easier for the reader to come to a moral decision about the story while yet appreciating the complexity of human interaction. A little heavy at times due to language but overall quite wonderful.