Why am I passionate about this?
Mostly, Iām a writer of (hopefully) humorous books and articles largely focused on Vikings and Norse mythology, but I also write non-fiction articles about Scandinavian history, art, and culture. Iāve always been fascinated with the Viking Age, and read as much fiction and non-fiction on the subject as I am able. Iāve discovered many great novels dealing with the āwhole Northern thingā (W.H. Audenās term for Tolkienās fascination) ranging from realistic historic fiction to highly original urban fantasy that utilizes the standard Norse tropes, but truly imaginative retellings that remain faithfully grounded in the plot points of the ancient stories are rarer. These are my favorites.
Rowdy's book list on re-imaginings of ancient Scandinavian stories
Why did Rowdy love this book?
Klas Ćstergren is one of Swedenās foremost literary novelists and The Hurricane Party was his contribution to Canongateās early 21st-century Myth Series (although it was apparently subsequently removed from it). The Hurricane Party is the most imaginative retelling of Norse mythology that Iāve read. It focuses on events that precede Ragnarƶk and takes place in a futuristic, climate-ravaged, dystopian Stockholm. The plot centers around the Flyting of Loki, a pivotal scene from The Poetic Edda in which Loki turns against the gods and kills one of their servants. Ćstergrenās novel follows the journey of the father (his own invented character) of this servant as he searches for answers to his sonās death against this unique backdrop. The setting and premise are among the most original Iāve ever encountered.
1 author picked The Hurricane Party as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.
Hanck Orn's son is dead. When they come to the door they tell him it was a heart attack, but he knows they are lying.
So he travels to the outermost reaches of the land to find out what really happened. When he lands on the island he is met by a young woman, hair streaked with blood, raving like a lunatic. She is one of the sisters, who tell him the story of how his son died in the great hall of the Clan, the Norse gods, who were holding a party. But the festivities soon got out ofā¦
- Coming soon!