An uncannily large wolf escapes its captors. A mysterious cult leader breaks out of psychiatric care. A disillusioned woman is forced to end her self-imposed exile. From the author of The Shapeshifters.
... doesn’t always click, but when it does it’s bone-chillingly effective ... At times, it also feels like Spjut returning to the territory of a fairly self-contained novel and giving himself space to explore this fictional world further; while this novel also reaches a satisfying conclusion, it wouldn’t be shocking to see its author return to this setting again ... It’s in the moments of dissonance, where the narrative pitches headlong into the uncanny, that Spjut makes the gulf between the crime-fiction and the supernatural elements of his novel click ... When Spjut embraces the irrational menace summoned up by this narrative, he creates a powerfully surreal sensation that’s hard to shake. Trolls abounds with visceral moments ... While the narrative can sometimes feel overly complex, there are numerous moments of raw power to be found here, and some wry humor as well.
Set against a backdrop of the harsh but beautiful Nordic landscape, the story burns with tension; psychological horror; and very real, visceral violence. This tale will appeal to readers of dark fantasy based on folklore and myths as well as readers who enjoy the ominous and creepy novels of John Ajvide Lindqvist.
Readers should be prepared for some creepy scenes—Brösth first appears sinking his teeth into the mangled stump of his arm—but horror fans sated on zombies and vampires will be spellbound.
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay[/caption]
