Space Viking, written by legendary Science Fiction author H. Beam Piper, is surely among the finest titles ever to grace a Science Fiction novel. In two words it seizes the imagination with a bold image. Every literate person knows what Vikings are: pirates, mercenaries, explorers, settlers, and conquerors. Append to the iconic image of the Viking the word “Space” and you have a new creation, rooted at once in the legendary past and the 20th century’s self-made mythology of Science Fiction.