Snorri Kristjansson
(1974- )
Snorri Kristjansson was born in Reykjavik in 1974. He moved to Norway in 1983, where he lived for 7 years and found a passionate aversion to skiing. Since 2005, Snorri has been London-based, dabbling in classical acting and stand-up comedy while teaching children about Shakespeare and Drama. Swords of Good Men is his first novel, and the first instalment of the Valhalla Saga. It has Vikings in it, so expect moderate cursing and beards. [Photo Credit:
Gunnar Freyr]
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Valhalla Saga
Valhalla Saga — (2014-2015) Publisher: Swords of Good Men, Snorri Kristjansson’s debut novel, incorporates the myths that fascinated him as a child with his passion for epic fantasy. To weary Viking Ulfar Thormodsson, the town of Stenvik is the penultimate stop on the return leg of a long and perilous journey. It has been particularly challenging for Thormodsson, who has been charged with protecting the life of his high-born cousin. Having traveled the oceans of the world for two years, all he wants is to go home. But Stenvik awaits. The small coastal town is home to a colorful array of individuals, from the beautiful and tragic Lilia, who captures Thormodsson’s rough heart, to solitary blacksmith Audun Arngrimsson, whose past hides many dark secrets. The travel-worn Vikings also discover that King Olav is marching on Stenvik from the east, determined to bring the White Christ to the masses at the point of his sword—even as a host of bloodthirsty raiders led by a mysterious woman sails from the north. Meanwhile, there is trouble brewing between two of the town’s competing factions, a conflict that threatens to sweep all of them, natives and visitors alike, into the jaws of war. Thormodsson and his companions soon learn that in this conflict between the old gods and the new, there are enemies everywhere—outside the walls of Stenvik as well as within.
Swords of Good Men by Snorri Kristjansson
Swords of Good Men is a pretty good siege story. That’s about as much as I’d feel bound to tell someone if I was, for instance, asked about it in a bookshop. Pretty good. Not a light for the ages, not bad by any means. Not even mediocre. It’s just… pretty good. It has some notable strengths and a few troubling weaknesses. I’ll go into all of that below, but if all you were wondering about is whether Swords of Good Men is a reasonably diverting Viking fantasy novel to hang around with for a little while, there’s your answer. It is, but it operates pretty much just as advertised. It’s not a diamond in the rough, but nor will you be too disappointed.
Anyway, on with the show. The premise of Swords of Good Men is that a young king named Olav has arisen, and he’s spreading Christianity throughout the Skandinavian region. This does... Read More
Blood Will Follow by Snorri Kristjansson
In my review of Snorri Kristjansson’s first Viking book, Swords of Good Men, I pointed to how the action was generally a positive but issues of pace, POV, and characterization made the book fall somewhat short (I gave it three stars). Now his follow-up, Blood Will Follow is out, and while it improves in some areas, some flaws still carry over while the action has become, I thought, less compelling. I’m still giving this one three stars, but it’s a bit more shaky. Warning: spoilers for book one to follow.
Swords of Good Men introduced a Scandinavian setting set during a time of upheaval. Young King Olav is sweeping through spreading Christianity via the sword and trying to wipe out the old gods, who understandably don’t take kindly to the attempt and find themselves some proxy humans. The town of Stenvik be... Read More
Path of Gods by Snorri Kristjansson
Path of Gods is the third book in Snorri Kristjansson’s VALHALLA SAGA and it pretty much stays the path of what has come before, for good and ill. I rated the prior two books three-stars each, and that’s exactly where I’m placing Path of Gods. Fun dialogue, several engaging characters, and an excellent Norse setting are the strengths, while pace, fluidity, and characterization are the weaker elements.
Path of Gods picks up where Blood Will Follow ended, and it’s probably a good idea to reread the earlier books as there’s no recap and with so many characters and settings, it’s a rough go at the start unless you come with some relatively fresh prior knowledge. King Olav continues his attempt to ... Read More
