An elf afraid of opening his heart, and a human who is heir
to an awesome power:
Only by embracing their shared destiny can they save
Iceland…and each other.
FalconSaga
by Robert Winter
Genre: Epic Fantasy
In modern-day Iceland, a place of glaciers, volcanoes, and
legends, the Norns have foretold a sorcerous invasion that could destroy
everything.
Magnús, an elf of the huldufólk, is driven by the murder of his human lover a
century ago to save those humans he can, and to figure out what is behind
recent troll attacks on tourists. But the Norns have spoken. He must protect
Altair, a young human from Boston, who is bringing a dangerous magical force to
Iceland. If Magnús fails to keep Altair safe, the country will fall to a
sorcerer called the Black Priest. Yet if Altair lives, Magnús will meet his
doom.
For his part, Altair is a graduate student bullied to visit Iceland by mentors
who seem to have their own agenda. He knows nothing of elves, sorcerers or
prophecies. Suddenly, the handsome, mysterious Magnús is guiding Altair around
Reykjavik and into danger. A witch, a berserker, and more elves are along for
the quest across Iceland’s forbidding landscape. And why does everyone keeps
calling Altair “the Falcon”?
An elf and a human with a shared destiny. Will they solve the mystery linking
their fates before it is too late for all Iceland?
The Icelandic Sagas
The title to Falconsaga was inspired by my interest in the sagas. The sagas about Iceland were mainly written down in Iceland, beginning in the thirteenth century. In prose form, they tell of the settlement of Iceland by Norwegians in the 870s, of various families and their feuds, of the conversion of the country to Christianity in the year 1000, and so on. Many of the oldest sagas were apparently oral histories passed down from generation to generation, until historians like Snorri Sturluson decided the stories needed to be preserved.
There are many Icelandic sagas. I admit I have only dipped my toe in these waters, but the one I find really interesting is called Egils Saga. Egill Skallagrímsson lived a long life in Borgarnes, not far north of Reykjavik. There you can find monuments and mementos to Egill, and even a museum that tells a highly abbreviated version of the saga.
As the story goes, Egill’s grandfather Kvelduf had definite werewolf-like tendencies. The picture to the right is how the museum depicts him. Kvelduf’s son was Skallagrím, and he settled a farm in what is now Borgarnes.
Skallagrím also apparently inherited some if his father’s lycanthropic tendencies, because he was known to get especially mean and ornery as night fell. In fact, when his son Egill was twelve, Skallagrím murdered Egill’s playmate when they were outside after dark. A short while late, Egill (who was twelve, remember) killed Skallagrím’s steward in revenge. That wasn’t even Egill’s first murder; when he was seven, he killed an older boy because he was losing a game. What a bad sport!
Egils Saga goes on to tell of Egill’s brooding tendencies, his poetry, his feud with the king of Norway and his queen, who was also a witch. The most interesting aspect of Egils Saga, to me, is that it is a mixture of well-documented historical personages (Skallagrím is buried in Borgarnes, the boundaries of Egill’s farm are known, and so forth), and legends of werewolves, witches, and runic magic. How can you not love a country that educates its children using the sagas, as Iceland does? And how could I resist dropping my characters into Borgarnes to visit Skallagrím’s marker?
I hope you will read Falconsaga and see what other legends from the Icelandic sagas I have dropped in.
Robert Winter is a recovering lawyer who likes writing about
love and adventure much more than drafting a legal brief. Once upon a time, he
went to Georgetown University law school. Upon graduation, he moved to New York
to work in a large law firm, but later returned to Washington, DC. The legal
work was entertaining and Robert spent a lot of time in bankruptcy court,
usually representing either groups of creditor or the debtors themselves. But
legal work didn’t satisfy the urge Robert felt to tell stories.
When he turned 50, Robert left behind the (allegedly)
glamorous world of international law firms and bankruptcy court to pursue his
real passion. Now he lives in Montreal with his husband, studying French
between trips to exotic locations.
When Robert isn’t writing, he loves to cook Indian food. The
aromas of the spice blends excite and challenge him. Although he’s never been
to India, the food seems comforting and home-like. Add a trip to the Golden
Triangle to the bucket list!
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This sounds so intriguing. I hope to read more.
I like the cover art. Looks great.