Review: Trollgrave by Alex S. Bradshaw
Blurb:
Something stirs in the Forest of Broken Trolls...
Despite all his skill in healing and runecraft, God-Speaker Alvir Einarson could not save everyone.
In the wake of failure, he seeks aid from an old mentor and witnesses a wave of darkness sweep over the land that, for a single moment, extinguishes all magic.
In the capital, he discovers a fellow god-speaker is missing and the streets swarming with Windborn - resurrected warriors gifted with supernatural powers by the gods’ enemies.
Answers await in the Forest of Broken Trolls, but within its sinister depths even the gods’ protection may not be enough, and no more so than now, when the gods’ strength may be fading and dark powers are on the rise.
One thing is certain: Alvir Einarson would rather die than let the gods fall.
Trollgrave is a standalone Norse fantasy filled with fanatical outlaws, strange magic, and vicious monsters.
Review:
You can guarantee an Alex Bradshaw novel will whisk you into the ancient world of Scandinavian culture. You are instantly immersed in the lifestyle, the beliefs, the ever-present threat of bloodshed that reflects how violence is never far away. It’s not that Vikings are naturally bloodthirsty or aggressive, it’s more about the hardship of the environment and the need to protect yourself and those you love from those who want to harm you. The world building is so well informed, research permeates every aspect of the story and its characters. You are there, amongst these people, desperate for them survive, fearful of what threatens them.
In Trollgrave, those threats are enormous, ruthless and seemingly impossible to defeat. The story opens with mystery that hooks you from the start and leads you into the darkest forest where something awful waits. It’s a wonderfully long fuse that allows characters to develop and established relationships before all hell breaks loose.
It’s also a lead-in that is beautifully written. I thoroughly enjoyed Alex Bradshaw’s first novel, Windborn for the reasons outlined already. This book is a step up because of the quality of writing. Description is beautiful. “My breath was deep, ragged, and I felt the sharp teeth of terror gnawing at my insides,” or “The scent of outlaw was thick on the ground,” and “The squirming whisper came from the tree.” The beauty of the language pervades everything, there were times I went back to re-read a passage because of its skill. Language which evoked places, events and people in ways that left me smiling.
Characters are also a strength. They are real people. It’s easy to imagine them existing long ago, talking about the same concerns, sharing their beliefs, even though some characters have powers that make them more than human. Windborn are people who have died but are reborn, imbued with the strength, speed and awareness of the elements that make them formidable warriors. Yet, they remain human in their insecurities, their love for other people, their ignorance.
The main character, Alvir Einarson, is a classic Viking hero. You can imagine him as someone about who the skalds would sing songs, declaring his bravery. However, to the reader he’s simply someone striving to save others, his sister especially, even if it means risking his own life. Courage never enters the equation. Once again, this is a quality you believe to be a crucial element of Viking culture. Death is no more than a form of transition and not to be feared. This issue pervades the story.
The best stories are ones that stay with you long after you’ve turned the last page. Trollgrave is like that. It is a real page-turner, exciting, unpredictable and filled with tension from the start. For me, the added ingredient, the Alex Bradshaw USP, is his ability to transport us to the land of the Viking. We live among them, able to understand everything they do. We are made to feel part of their lives, we become Viking in this respect. This isn’t just world building. This is world immersion and it remains with you.
