Shadows of the Short Days

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What to expect

A strikingly original Icelandic debut set in a strangely familiar alternate Reykjavik where wild and industrialised magic meet.

Perfect for fans of contemporary fantasy in the style of Lev Grossman's The Magicians or China Mieville's The City & The City

Sæmundur the Mad, addict and sorcerer, has been expelled from the magical university, Svartiskóli, and can no longer study galdur, an esoteric source of magic. Obsessed with proving his peers wrong, he will stop at nothing to gain absolute power and knowledge, especially of that which is long forbidden.

Garún is an outcast: half-human, half-huldufólk, her very existence is a violation of dimensional boundaries, the ultimate taboo. A militant revolutionary and graffiti artist, recklessly dismissive of the status quo, she will do anything to achieve a just society, including spark a revolution. Even if she has to do it alone.

This is a tale of revolution set in a twisted version of Reykjavik fuelled by industrialised magic and populated by humans, interdimensional exiles, otherworldly creatures, psychoactive graffiti and demonic familiars.

Critics Review

Norse mythology like you've never seen it before, set in a Reykjavik that you never knew existed - Shadows of the Short Days is a new breed of fantasy
Edward Cox, author of The Song of the Sycamore
Shadows of the Short Days is revolutionary fantasy fresher than a dip in a glacial stream. Definitely one for fans of China Mieville.
Gavin Smith, author of The Bastard Legion
A marvellous, quirky, original fantasy novel set in a magical steampunk version of Reykjavik: teeming with magic, dense with detail and with characters that not only leap off the page, but poke you in the eye as they do. Highly recommended.
Joanne Harris, bestselling author of Chocolat and The Gospel of Loki
A masterfully crafted dark tale . . . one of the most ambitious, intense, original and thrilling debuts I've read in a long time
Grimdark Magazine
Shadows of the Short Days is fresh and exciting: full of dark, demonic, revolutionary shenanigans
Peter Newman
A heady mix of revolution, monsters and magic, this is a novel of alternative Reykjavik in which myth and religion are alive - and hungry
Anna Stephens
A pacy, racy read that blends racial and political issues with traditional urban fantasy fare. A recommended purchase, it will bring an icy chill to your summer reading.
STARBURST MAGAZINE
Vividly imagined and compelling
SFX
A book that every time I picked up I truly wanted to savour every word, event, development, and chapter. It's superbly well written, thrilling, and the pacing is exquisite.
GRIMDARK MAGAZINE
I won't be forgetting about this book any time soon.
THE FANTASY INN
The blending together of revolutionary politics and magical fantasy creates a gripping narrative with a surreal air that I found hugely entertaining. If you are looking for thought provoking genre fiction then this could well be the book for you.
THE ELOQUENT PAGE
Dark and bleak and imaginative
Aliette de Bodard, author of The House of Shattered Wings

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