Alexander Dan Vilhjálmsson

A strikingly original Icelandic debut set in a strangely familiar alternate Reykjavik where wild and industrialised magic meet. Perfect for fans of contemporary fantasy in the style of Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere or China Mieville's The City & The City Sæmundur the Mad, addict and sorcerer, has been expelled from the magical university, Svartiskóli, and can no longer study galdur, an esoteric source of magic. Obsessed with proving his peers wrong, he will stop at nothing to gain absolute power and knowledge, especially of that which is long forbidden. Garún is an outcast: half-human, half-huldufólk, fighting against an unjust government that refuses to grant people like her basic rights. A militant revolutionary and graffiti artist, recklessly dismissive of the status quo, she will do anything to achieve a just society, including spark a revolution. Even if she has to do it alone. This is a tale of revolution set in a twisted version of Reykjavik fuelled by industrialised magic and populated by humans, interdimensional exiles, otherworldly creatures, psychoactive graffiti and demonic familiars.

Shadows of the Short Days

Kaspar Colling Nielsen

Emmi Itäranta

Karin Tidbeck

John Ajvide Lindqvist

Hannu Rajaniemi

Johanna Sinisalo

Tone Almhjell

Thore Hansen

Johann Thorsson

Tor Åge Bringsværd

Maria Haskins

Margrét Helgadóttir  (Editor)

Jakob Drud

Lene Kaaberbø

Rakel Helmsdal

The first true celebration of contemporary Nordic science fiction, fantasy and horror!

A Unique Speculative Fiction Collection From The Nordic Countries

Storytelling has been a major force in the Nordic countries for thousands of years, renowned for its particular sense of dark humour, featuring pacts with nature and a view of the worlds you seldom find in other places.

Perhaps it is the freezing cold winter? The closeness to the Atlantic Ocean and the Arctic? Maybe it’s the huge ancient forests...

Most have heard about Nordic crime fiction with its dark noir flare or the Icelandic Sagas. This anthology combines all that is unique about Nordic speculative fiction, from the darkest dystopian science fiction to terrifying horror. From the rational to the eccentric, these stories combine a deep sense of place with social criticism, themes of loneliness and the concern for humanity's impact on the wilderness.

Featuring 15 stories from the best contemporary speculative authors from Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Iceland, and The Faroe Islands, including John Ajvide Lindqvist, Hannu Rajaniemimany, Tor Åge Bringsværd and more, many of which are appearing in English for the very first time. 

Nordic Visions: The Best of Nordic Speculative Fiction

Storm Beneath a Midnight Sun

Returning to the world of Shadows of the Short Days, it's time to go beyond Reykjavík to Hrímland's remote islands . . . CHANGE DOES NOT ALWAYS HAPPEN FOR THE BETTER. War on the mainland is draining Reykjavík. For some, the remote islands off Hrímland's coast are their only hope of survival. Elka, a recovering addict, has fled there with her son Sölvi. In their village they find a new life - all thanks to the Deep, a peculiar power their neighbours praise for the booming fishing industry. Everything seems perfect, but Sölvi does not trust the people who take his mother in. Kari is a professor of sorcery, recruited for a career-making venture - an excavation of an ancient power. He must go deep into the magical wasteland, find what is buried there, and turn the tide of the war forever. But the world might not be ready for the storm he will unearth . . . * * * * * * * * * * 'A marvellous, quirky, original fantasy' Joanne Harris, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Strawberry Thief on Shadows of the Short Days 'One of the most ambitious, intense, original and thrilling debuts I've read in a long time' Grimdark Magazine on Shadows of the Short Days 'Fresh and exciting: full of dark, demonic, revolutionary shenanigans' Peter Newman, author of The Vagrant on Shadows of the Short Days

The Storm Beneath a Midnight Sun

The standalone follow up to Shadows of the Short Days is a gritty, dark fantasy novel for fans of China Mieville and Neil Gaiman, that will thrill readers as they explore Hrimland's dark, horrifying depths. CHANGE DOES NOT ALWAYS HAPPEN FOR THE BETTER. War on the mainland is draining Reykjavík. For some, the remote islands off Hrímland's coast are their only hope of survival. Elka, a recovering addict, has fled there with her son Sölvi. In their village they find a new life - all thanks to the Deep, a peculiar power their neighbours praise for the booming fishing industry. Everything seems perfect, but Sölvi does not trust the people who take his mother in. Kari is a professor of sorcery, recruited for a career-making venture - an excavation of an ancient power. He must go deep into the magical wasteland, find what is buried there, and turn the tide of the war forever. But the world might not be ready for the storm he will unearth . . . and how far will a grieving woman go to find some peace, and what will she sacrifice?

Alexander Dan Vilhjálmsson

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