The Land of Night (2023)

2023

366 pages

Fiction

The Land of Night (2023)

The year is AD 902. After tragedy at home in Iceland, Thorgerd Thorsteinsdottir sets sail to Norway where fate leads her into the arms of hunter and trader Herjolf Eyvindarson. Together, they journey to the princedom of the Kievan Rus. There, Varangian Vikings sail down the Dnieper River and across the Black Sea, taking furs and captive women to be sold in the Valley of Lamentations in Constantinople, the greatest city in Christendom. In the land of night, treachery and peril await. Why are the slave girls so frightened of the Seeress of Holmgard that they call her Baba Yaga? In an instant, Thorgerd is on her own, surrounded by enemies, and discovers that sometimes it takes more courage to live than die.

The previous book about Thorgerd, Under Yggdrasil, was nominated for the Icelandic Women’s Literature Prize. In this gripping tale of adventure and fortitude, the author opens up the world of the Vikings in today’s Russia and Ukraine and their amazing feats, crossing the dangerous Dnieper Rapids, now gone forever under the great dam of Zaporizhzhia.

★★★★ (FOUR STARS OUT OF FIVE POSSIBLE) KRISTJAN J JONSSON, MORGUNDBLADID DAILY

Reviews

[Davidsdottir's] best book.

Kolbrun Bergthorsdottir, Kiljan National TV

I have great respect for an author who researches the material and setting so well and presents the material so effectively. ... [Davidsdottir] writes a captivating storyline. ... I found the suspense very tangible.

Ingibjorg Ida Audunardottir, Kiljan National TV

... a moving and fascinating novel .... so vividly and entertainingly set that some filmmaker should seize the rights to make a movie based on the story. The reader vividly imagines the people, gatherings, celebrations, dwellings. ... Everything needed is here: the costumes, the set, and the dramatic fates, all skillfully interwoven. Vilborg keeps the reader engrossed until the end of the book, and it's with a certain sadness that one closes it. The world she creates is so convincing and enjoyable. This is, in fact, a hallmark of good books...

Eva Gudmundsdottir, Lifdu Nuna Magazine

Brilliantly written, the narrative cleverly plotted and exciting from beginning to end.

Skald.is

A modern theme and excellent usage of the Icelandic Saga heritage make this a historical novel 21st century readers can relate to ... The book keeps the reader hooked to the last page as the narrative is masterfully plotted.

Jury of the Women's Literature Prize

a moving and fascinating novel. so vividly and entertainingly set that some filmmaker should seize the rights to make a movie based on the story. The reader vividly imagines the people, gatherings, celebrations, dwellings. Everything needed is here: the costumes, the set, and the dramatic fates, all skillfully interwoven. Vilborg keeps the reader engrossed until the end of the book, and it's with a certain sadness that one closes it. The world she creates is so convincing and enjoyable. This is, in fact, a hallmark of good books.

EVA GUDMUNDSDOTTIR, LIFDU NUNA MAGAZINE