Shadows of the short days

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Title:

Shadows of the short days

Author:

Alexander Dan Vilhjálmsson, 1988- author.

ISBN:

9781789094497

Edition:

1st Titan ed.

Physical Description:

576 pages ; 20 cm

Subject Term:

Prisoners -- Fiction.

Magic -- Fiction.

Government, Resistance to -- Fiction.

Revolutionaries -- Fiction.

Geographic Term:

Reykjavík (Iceland) -- Fiction.

Genre:

Political fiction.

Fantasy fiction.

Summary:

Rebels and revolutionaries disappear into the infamous prison, the Nine, never to be heard from again. Masked police roam the streets, dark magic lurks in the shadows, and the implacable flying fortress casts its baleful eye over all below. Sæmundur, addict and sorcerer, has been cast out from university, and forbidden to study magic. Dissident artist, Garún, is desperate for a just society and will do anything to achieve it. Both seek revolution in their own ways. Both seek power. Together, they will change Reykjavik forever. --

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Library	Call Number	Status
Searching... Hardwood Creek Library (Forest Lake)	SCI_FI FANTASY ALE	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Oakdale Library	SCI_FI FANTASY ALE	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Park Grove Library (Cottage Grove)	SCI_FI FANTASY ALE	Searching... Unknown
Searching... R.H. Stafford Library (Woodbury)	SCI_FI FANTASY ALE	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Wildwood Library (Mahtomedi)	SCI_FI FANTASY ALE	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

For fans of China Mieville and Neil Gaiman. A tale of revolution in a Reykjavik fuelled by industrialised magic, populated by humans, dimensional exiles, otherworldly creatures, psychoactive graffiti and demonic familiars.

A tale of revolution in a Reykjavik fuelled by industrialised magic, populated by humans, dimensional exiles, otherworldly creatures, psychoactive graffiti and demonic familiars.

HERE LIES A CITY...

FUELLED BY INDUSTRIALISED MAGIC.
RULED BY A DESPOTIC CROWN.
DEMANDING REVOLUTION.

WELCOME TO REYKJAVIK

Rebels and revolutionaries disappear into the infamous prison, the Nine, never to be heard from again. Masked police roam the streets, dark magic lurks in the shadows, and the implacable flying fortress casts its baleful eye over all below.

Sæmundur, addict and sorcerer, has been cast out from university, and forbidden to study magic. Dissident artist, Garún, is desperate for a just society and will do anything to achieve it.
Both seek revolution in their own ways. Both seek power.

Together, they will change Reykjavik forever.

Author Notes

Alexander Dan Vilhjálmsson is an Icelandic author who lives in Reykjavík. Shadows of the Short Days is his first novel. He writes in both Icelandic and English and is the founder and editor of Iceland's first SFF magazine, Furðusögur (Weird Stories). Alexander is also the vocalist and lyricist for Icelandic black metal band Carpe Noctem.

Reviews (2)

Booklist Review

In an alternate version of Reykjavík, the borders between dimensions have buckled. Now, the city's humans share space with the birdlike naskari and the water-dwelling marbendlar, along with individuals of mixed parentage. Garun is one such individual, half-human and half-huldufolk, unable to find a place in the city's mishmash of tribes. She spends her days tagging businesses, smearing graffiti with magically-infused paint designed to cause bad luck. Magic is widespread among Reykjavík's citizens, with some, like Garun, using it to fight against the city's fascist government, while others use it to attempt to break the boundaries of human knowledge. Garun's friend Sæmundur is one of the latter; expelled from the local college for exploring forbidden rituals, he continues his studies into dark galdur magic on his own. The novel's wide-ranging plot, which joins magical fantasy to revolutionary politics, gets challenging at times and the inclusion of Icelandic terminology will require frequent trips to the book's glossary. But readers who enjoy urban fantasy writers like China Miéville should enjoy this dark saga.

Library Journal Review

DEBUT Before the apocalyptic tragedy happened to the Huldufolk, their world was perfect. But now the Crown has taken over Hrimland (Iceland) and the Huldefolk have dispersed, only a few remaining. Garun is a "Blendingur" owing to her mix of human and Huldufolk ancestry. Not really fitting in anywhere, she runs away to Reykjavik. She persuades a farmer going to market to smuggle her into the walled city since she lacks the necessary papers. Anxious to win rights for her kind and the Huldufolk, she meets young Saemundur, who is studying Galdur, spoken magic, at the university. He is eventually expelled for his deviations from the norm, which the faculty fear will let loose demons. After a demonstration that led to many deaths, Garun retreats to the Lost Downtown as the crown and local police go after more and more nonhumans. Estranged from Garun, Saemundur attempts to bring forth demons. VERDICT In this first of a new series, Vihjálmsson's well-developed future world will interest fantasy fans with a taste for dystopia, especially if they're up for learning new vocabulary.--Vicki Gregory, Sch. of Information, Univ. of South Florida, Tampa

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Reviews (2)

Booklist Review

Library Journal Review

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