October 26, 2008

A Winter's Read


Canadian author K.V. Johansen has published a slim collection of short stories in which nothing is as it seems.

A gangling warrior princess on the surface is at heart a skald. A burly man is really a demon bear, and his companions is not a storyteller, but a woman with a grudge against the gods. In the Bronze Age, love and family is something even the slaves find a joy, and devotion to gods and family go hand in hand -- unless it's the wrong god, and then all is lost. Betrayals and the nameless losses of war reanimate the last days of Arthur and the English at the Battle of Maldon, when the Vikings vanquished them and for a time, their way of life.

This small book is a feast in one slow swallow, a perfect book to pick up when you've just got a minute to read. Its intended audience is older teens and adults.

Buy THE STORYTELLER AND OTHER TALES from an independent bookstore near you!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Can't wait to read it!