[books 2014] Viking-themed fantasy

9. Swords of Good Men by Snorri Kristjansson

I became aware of Snorri because he was on a panel about magic at the last BristolCon, and I was given his book for Christmas. I had the opportunity to meet him again last week when I was about two thirds of the way through the book.

As the name might give away, Snorri is an Icelander but he lives in London and writes in English.

The book is, for the first two thirds, a fairly average historical novel, except that there's intimations the Norse gods might be real and magic might exist. (When I say fairly average, I mean the story isn't that gripping - the historicity is Pretty Damn Good).

Two princes of the Svear are near the end of a two-year a "trade mission" (one of them did something stupid and had to make himself scarce) around the Nordic world when they pitch up in a raiding settlement at the arse end of Norway. Unbeknownst to them, two forces are converging on the town - King Olaf (the first king of a more or less united Norway and bringer of Christianity) and an enormous force of Vikings led by a mysterious woman (and one of whose chiefs is a take-no-prisoners female warrior) intent on keeping the old religion alive.

The last third has more magic and more action, and is pretty gripping stuff indeed. Most of the end I saw coming, not least because Snorri read from Volume 2 on Monday night, but there was a twist that I didn't anticipate, and is one of those that makes you kick yourself and go "of course".

I usually get really bored by Epic Battle Scenes, but this one was engaging.

The best part is what he's done with the Norn... that's really clever, and made my brain hurt a bit. And would likely bypass anyone who's not familiar with the mythology.

So a slow start, but now I can't wait for the sequel to be released.

[books 2014] Wilkie Collins

10. The Haunted Hotel by Wilkie Collins

My two favourite Victorian novels are (predictably) The Woman in White and The Moonstone.

This is nowhere near as long and ambitious, or as good. It's straight-up gothic melodrama. It's a real page-turner, and a quick and easy read, but doesn't come off well these days because it's too reliant on Fate (with a capital F) making things happen, and people letting it.

Given that it's late Victorian fare, I suspect very much that criticism was leveled at it at the time too.

[film] White Elephant (Elefante Blanco)

An Argentine film about two priests and a social worker working in a slum of Buenos Aires, where thousands of people live in and around the shell of a half-finished building that had been intended to be the biggest hospital in South America.

I recorded it mainly for Spanish language exposure, but it's good, if depressingly predictable. Definitely worth a watch.