The Third Realm

Morgenstjernen #3

by Karl Ove Knausgård, Karl Ove Knausgaard

From bestselling author Karl Ove Knausgaard, a kaleidoscopic novel about human nature in the face of enormous change—and the warring impulses between light and dark that live in all of us

Shapeshifting visitors, unsolved murders in the forest, black metal bands, and an online bank of thousands of people’s dreams—the star is back. Karl Ove Knausgaard’s The Morning Star kept readers up all night, immersed with nine characters whose individual lives are heightened by the sudden appearance of a blazing new star, and The Wolves of Eternity portrayed the intimate experiences of two estranged half-siblings decades before the star rises. In The Third Realm, the effects of the star are felt around the world, as people start to reckon with what it might possibly mean.

With this next novel, the limitless scale and ambition of Knausgaard’s new universe are clear. This is life, death, the human condition, and the real-time creation of an epic and utterly immersive world.

Genres: Fiction, Horror, Magical Realism, Fantasy, Contemporary, Mystery, Literary Fiction

512 pages, Hardcover

First published October 18, 2022

About the author

Nominated to the 2004 Nordic Council’s Literature Prize & awarded the 2004 Norwegian Critics’ Prize.

Karl Ove Knausgård (b. 1968) made his literary debut in 1998 with the widely acclaimed novel Out of the World, which was a great critical and commercial success and won him, as the first debut novel ever, The Norwegian Critics' Prize. He then went on to write six autobiographical novels, titled My Struggle (Min Kamp), which have become a publication phenomenon in his native Norway as well as the world over.

Reviews

[Darryl Suite · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oooooof. I started this in July and have been slowly working through it, and now I’ve finally finished. And WOW, I NEED TO PROCESS. Where the fk are you taking me with this, Karl babe?

I will need to work out my full thoughts and feelings in a future review, but more and more this series is getting under my skin. Philosophical, biblical, existential, and unsettling. What Knausgaard is creating here is intricate as it is euphoric. I’m totally under his spell, and it’s making me ill not knowing when the fourth volume will be published.

A tour de force exuding feelings of wonder and malaise. I think the second book THE WOLVES OF ETERNITY is my overall fave from the series, but they’re all firing on all cylinders. They’re all-consuming and mind-boggling. Absolute brain food.

What are you doing to me, Karl? I haven’t been this excited in a writing project in a really long time. It’s a literary event for my soul.

[vegarf · Rating 5 out of 5]

vi er 1832 sider ut i en triologi, og det har enda ikke skjedd noe som helst. jeg elsker det

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

“How you have fallen from heaven, morning stars son of dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations!”
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The morning star in the Bible refers to the falling of Lucifer from the heavens, being cast out to inhabit the earth, and the beginning of Karl Ove Knausgaard’s Morning star series, my interpretation begin with the dark lord being the Morning Star as he was so referred to in biblical means. Now with this third book in the series being released Knausgaard returns to the first book and gives us a sort of continuation of where each character was left off but he has chosen to do this through the lens of someone else who was mentioned within the sections of book one. So a different vantage point giving either a continued or a refreshing different perspective on what we learned in book one. There are as well a few new characters who help start to bring the story into focus, shedding new light and giving answers to many open ended questions. We are also visited by a few characters inhabiting book two, so in total The Third Realm is the perfect unifying point of the previous two novels, yet once again KOK leaves us wondering where the fuck he is going with all of this. I have some ideas and whether I’m correct or not, half the fun is feeling like I have a murder investigation board before me, lines drawn from one character to the next, finding all the insane and unique ways they are correlated with each other, and guys, my mind has gone to some dark places, and its safe to say that book three has followed me there
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One of the characters in the Third Realm gives his theory on the biblical meaning of the three realms as they are open for interpretation as there are three known realms of heaven but also he speaks of them as realm one being that of God, realm two being the son, and Realm three ( where we are currently living within the novel) is that of the spirit, meaning that the world KOK has created is currently residing in the spirit realm where Lucifer has fallen from the heavens ( KOK is obsessed with angels and demons and the Bible, infatuated with the stories and the possibilities so this all is beginning to make sense) The evil that is starting to lurk becomes prevalent in The Third Realm, we find out what actually happened to the death metal band in book one and its not a pretty sight, a ritualist killing that doesn’t appear to be perfumed by humans, yet one band member (Jesper) escaped and he isn’t per se a suspect but a confusing reality unfolds upon why he was spared. Knausgaard also introduces us to a new Black Metal Band that never records music, has no media or online presence and only plays very exclusive shows once every so often in complete secrecy, they are incredible and their name is Domen. Now when you look up what Domen is, it is a small Norwegian town near the Finland border where in the 16th century witch trials were held and many were killed, so called witches flocked there because the literal translation is the place where hell meets the earth, a so called portal connecting the two, KOK always has intentions with his choices. The band isn’t as important as the lead singer is, he plays a larger part in the grand scheme of everything that is about to happen.
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The next part that blew me away was the reintroduction of Syvert from book two, the character everyone seemed to hate for his mundanity and less than intoxicating story. Yet in the Third Realm his is returning from Russia, picking up exactly where book two left off. He owns and operates a mortuary and is infatuated and confused that since the star has risen into the sky, not a single person has seemed to have passed away, business is not booming. He feverishly checks every city to find the in all of Norway not a single person has died in the time period and as each day goes it becomes more and more of an anomaly. To go back to the Bible ( as you will see this is quite the thematic recurrence) in Revelations it is said that “and he will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be death; there will no longer be any mourning or crying or pain, the first things have passed away” Now to interrupt this in my eyes, the first metal band to be ritualistically slaughtered ( seemingly by Lucifer on his arrival) were the first things to pass away, now there shall be no more death. People are falling into comas yet staying alive, dying in operations and magically reviving after being declared dead and with substantial brain activity. This takes us back to the Russian weirdo from book two in the early 20th century who believed he could stop all from perishing and bring back those who have already died, The books just keep going deeper and deeper into layered confusion but the meanings can be endless
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To elaborate more onto what I feel is going on, some of our characters begin having odd dreams, the feeling of watching themselves through someone else’s eyes, others are seeing strange things, hearing odd voices, slowly going insane. There are two surprise pregnancies ( divine inception? Who knows?) And then some of our characters are just confused as to what is happening to their spouses and friends. My immediate thought was that KOK is bringing us the rapture, everyone who has seen the figure of Lucifer or heard his voice is going to be spared, but are they being raptured to heaven or hell? What will remain of the people surrounding who haven’t wittiness anything immaculate ? Are we getting the apocalyptic end of the world? Unfortunately we are going to have to wait quite a while for answers because book four titled Night School goes off onto a tangent of new characters with a Faustian story line directly related to Christopher Marlowe and his play. ( once again more elusions to the devil and the many ways he has inhabited our literature and consumption for ages) Without giving any spoilers the way the third realm ends is a fantastic cliffhanger that might give us more questions then answers, yet I am thrilled and on the edge of my seat to find out eventually what they might be, KOK has really brought things to a head in book three and as of now I know there are at least five total books, whether he keeps going we will see, and one can only hope. If you haven’t read these, now would be a great time to start, pay attention to every small detail as I’ve only scratched the surface with my references as not to ruin anything for anyone. The Third Realm is the perfect connector in this series and shows you the incredible story telling Knausgaard is, and the deep rooted way his mind works. Now I could be completely wrong with my assumptions and ideas but I’ve has a blast deep diving into the Bible and attempting to find out what this man is doing to us and with us, an amazing achievement to date and shaping up to be one of my favorite series of all time.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

We leven in een tijd waarin literatuur vaak ofwel een waarheidsgetrouw ego-document moet zijn, ofwel iets te zeggen moet hebben over wat er in de actualiteit speelt. Terwijl literatuur in mijn ogen vooral niets moet, maar alles mag zijn wat het maar wil zijn mits goed geschreven, mits bij voorkeur ook meerlagig, mits denken-uitdagend en mits iets vertellend over onze condition humaine. En ja, ik weet het, al die 'mitsen' zijn er ook teveel aan. Literatuur moet vrij kunnen zijn van dogma's. 'Het Derde Rijk' is alvast een roman die schaamteloos veelomvattend wil zijn en ruimte geeft aan de verbeelding én aan de ideeën van zijn auteur.

In mijn review van De wolven van de eeuwigheid schreef ik al dat een wereldberoemde schrijver als Knausgård zich veel kan permitteren. Daar wil ik deels op terugkomen, ook al blijf ik erbij dat dat tweede deel van deze 'Morgenster'-cyclus té eenzijdig focust op slechts twee personages, terwijl dit deel vooral perfect lijkt aan te sluiten op het eerste. Dus waarom die uitweiding in deel twee? Ongetwijfeld zal de Noorse meester daar zijn redenen voor hebben. Ik kan alleen maar ongeduldig aftellen naar de publicatie van deel 4 én 5. In die zin sluit ik me aan bij GR-vriendin Marijke die een cursus Noors overweegt ...

'Het Derde Rijk' is immers één lange cliffhanger die je als lezer net zozeer doet verlangen naar het vervolg als dat je deel 1 (en 2) wil gaan herlezen. Als bij een Mahler-symfonie voel je dat er een grote boog gespannen wordt die pas in het laatste deel zal worden ingelost. De bezwerende manier waarop Karl Ove Knausgård zijn pagina's aan elkaar rijgt, met dagdagelijkse dialogen die op elk moment de existentiële diepte in kunnen duiken, met flarden essays en prachtige beschouwingen over schilderkunst, filosofie en muziek, voelt ongelooflijk soepel en tegelijk literair superieur.

Onze bovengenoemde condition humaine wordt meedogenloos raak gefileerd via (meestal) herkenbare situaties met personages van vlees en bloed die handelen, denken en doen in een synchroniciteit die je aan een stream of consciousness doet denken, vervaarlijk lichtvoetig, maar tegelijk duizelingwekkend onrustwekkend. Knausgårds meesterschap toont zich hier wat mij betreft vooral in het alterneren tussen uiterlijke handelingen en innerlijke woekeringen, met als hoogtepunt de psychose die zich in het personage Tove voltrekt. Kippenvel door puur leesgenot!

Voor het eerst in deze reeks begon ik het verband te zien met zijn al lang geleden gelezen doorbraakroman Engelen vallen langzaam. De religieuze symboliek van de Bijbel, met name de apocalyps, treedt ook hier immers voluit op de voorgrond en stelt spannende onderhuidse vragen aan de lezer die overgeleverd wordt aan de manipulaties van een auteur die de touwtjes dan toch stevig in handen lijkt te hebben. Alsof de duivel mee aan de schrijftafel zat. Ik blijf meer dan ooit fan! Dus komaan Maaike Van Rijn: blijf hem zo helder en snel uit het Noors vertalen!

[Krista · Rating 4 out of 5]

Valdemar wasn’t a Nazi, even if a lot of people thought he was. When he spoke about the Third Realm, it wasn’t the Nazis he was talking about but something people had believed in the Middle Ages, that the First Realm was the age of God, the Second Realm the age of Christ, the Third Realm the age of the Holy Spirit.

My sensibilities haven’t really jibed with Karl Ove Knausgård’s writing (I didn’t get past the first volume of his much-lauded “Min kamp” series), and while I need to admit that I didn’t realise that The Third Realm was the third book in a new series when I decided to give it a try, I also have to state that I liked this a lot (and that there doesn’t seem to have been anything lost in starting the series here; this seems to be an alternate view of the same fantastical events from the first book, The Morning Star, with many of the same characters, and enough backstory that I never felt lost.) This reads as Sci Fi: a new star has appeared large and bright in the sky (but is it actually a star?) and it seems to be having some strange effects on Earth below (or are they all coincidences?) And like all the best of Sci Fi, Knausgård uses his concept to explore the human condition — consciousness, madness, the basis of reality — while exposing moments of relatable truth in mundane interactions, writing engagingly of the fells, fjords, and mountain pools of the Norwegian setting, and propulsively describing strange and uncanny events. My mind was piqued and entertained throughout, and I can definitely see myself going back to catch up on the other books in this series. (Note: I read an ARC through NetGalley and passages quoted may not be in their final forms.)

The psychosis occurs when the mania exhausts itself, when the encounter with reality is the only thing left for it (and mania fears reality more than anything else). The psychosis is like one of the three doors in the folk tales, the one that must never be opened no matter what. It mustn’t be opened. Everyone knows. And yet it always gets opened in the end. When faced with nothing and something, you choose something first.

The novel begins with Tove — a painter, on seaside holiday with her family — who has a history of psychosis, and has decided to stop taking her meds. This leads to dark depression, terrifying voices, and when her mind shifts to mania, an upsurge in creativity with inspiration from Norse mythology, Jungian archetypes, and unbridled eroticism. Her husband suggests that she’s a “neosymbolist” or a “postmythologist”, with Tove retorting that while he’s interested in categorising, she focuses on decategorising. And I think that’s important because anytime an author writes a conversation like this, I assume he’s speaking for himself: throughout The Third Realm Knausgård has various characters discuss and create art, architecture, and music, and whether it’s a memorial building, third wave black metal, or a bipolar artist painting nude self-portraits, these characters consider and reject cultural touchstones (trolls, crofters, and underground halls) and strive for something more authentic and unformed. Tove says of her work (and I’m assuming this is Knausgård commenting on his own writing efforts):

I wanted my drawings to smell, to stink, to seep and bleed, writhe and squirm. But I hadn’t succeeded. I told myself it was the fault of drawing itself, the very form of expression. The pen stroke served only to encase and bring under control, rationalising everything and thereby rendering it tame.

So the plotline of this novel — often fantastical, with the mysterious new star seemingly affecting affairs below — seems very free form, with people going about their routine lives (drinking wine and eating prawns and putting the kids to bed), while outside these ordinary walls, other people are going missing, enacting bloody rituals, having strokes, and refusing to die. For every weird happenstance (a young woman who opened the door to her landlords’ hysterical son now wonders if he was even real, people seemingly stopped dying as soon as the star appeared, a round-faced stranger keeps popping up who seems to know everyone’s business) there are rational people investigating, and explaining, what’s going on: the detective, the journalist, the neuroscientist. While I started by calling this Sci Fi (because of the star — or is it a comet? A UFO, as one character muses?), this novel kind of defies categorisation; Knausgård seems less interested in neosymbolism than in decategorisation; in unshackling his ideas from the chains of the mode of their expression (which, yes, could be argued to be what he was aiming for with the “Min kamp” series, too, but autofiction on the minutiae of his ordinary life was less interesting to me). This shackling — the inability to express oneself without resorting to the artificiality of language — is the key conflict of the human experience, and this ironic discord is present down to the level of our brain tissue, as seen on an MRI:

It was like looking into the unknown. It was a language, but one so foreign and incomprehensible it might just as well have been delivered to us from outer space. The truly unfathomable thing was that it was ourselves we were looking at. That what was made manifest to us was our very coding of the world around us and all that we were. The mystery was that from the inside it didn’t feel like code at all, but the world itself.

The nature of reality (and especially its inconstancy between different minds), the division between life and death (and what comes after), what makes a moral life: these are all important questions being explored by this novel. But as the star continues to shine, and people continue to mysteriously suffer strokes, there is excitement in the plot as some of those sufferers awake with a message:

“The ddoor …” he said.
I held his gaze.
“... is oop …”
“He’s saying the door’s open,” said Mum. “Yes, you’ve said so a number times already, Mikael, but I really haven’t a clue what you’re talking about!”
She gave a laugh and glanced at me.
Her cold eyes were full of unease.

It turns out that starting at book three in this series was a good thing: I find myself compelled to go both backwards and forwards with this strange story. Happily jibing with Knausgård on this one!

[Linn Ålund Thorgren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Precis som med Morgonstjärnan och Vargarna från evighetens skog är Det tredje riket lättläst och underhållande utifrån att den är hantverksmässigt välskriven och att tematiken med ondska och godhet, djävulens plats på jorden etc är något som intresserar mig personligen. MEN, Knausgård måste lära sig att släppa och gå vidare, jag orkar verkligen inte läsa om samma dagar och samma händelser och samma karaktärer en gång till… fram med stora saxen säger jag även till hans redaktör för det blir i slutändan inte så stor litteratur som vissa vill hävda. Det blir bara repetitivt och poängen som ska finnas där bleknar för varje onödig sida.

[Nils · Rating 4 out of 5]

En veldig god oppfølger til de foregående bøkene. Denne boka er det jeg håpet at Ulvene fra evighetens skog skulle være. Vi får historien fortalt sort sett fra andre karakterer enn de tidligere bøkene. Likevel er det veldig mange av disse karakterene vi kjenner fra før. Selv om det er mange svar vi fortsatt mangler, merker jeg ikke det samme vitebegjæret etter hva som skjer videre etter å ha lest denne, sammenliknet med hva jeg gjorde etter de to foregående bøkene. Uansett, jeg gleder meg selvfølgelig til neste bok.

En liten digresjon: Da en av karakterene er en nitten år gammel jente, viser Knausgård at han henger OK med i tiden f.eks. ved å trekke inn bruk av smarttelefon og sosiale medier og generell (digital) kommunikasjon mellom unge. Kanskje ikke så rart da han selv har barn som etter hvert begynner å komme i den alderen som han kan observere og konferere med. Ett hederlig unntak: Når denne karakteren (sikkert med smarttelefonen i hånden) går inn på en togstasjon for å kjøpe en billett, i stedet for å kjøpe billetten på mobilen slik alle nittenåringer ville ha gjort. Uansett, et punkt hvor Knausgård viser at han derimot ikke henger med i tiden lenger, er knyttet hvordan utdanningssystemet har endret seg siden han selv var student. For det første finnes ikke mellomfag lengre. For det andre er det ingen som tar ex.phil. som forberedende før de skal begynne å studere. Takk for meg.

[Ernst · Rating 5 out of 5]

Es ist vollbracht, fertiggelesen und dennoch kein Ende in Sicht. Jetzt nach Band 3 ist wieder völlig unsicher, was da gestrickt wird. Die Erwartung war, dass der Pullover nach diesem Band fertig ist und nun zeigt sich, es ist gar kein Pullover, sondern was?
Werden das vier, fünf oder gar sieben Bände wie bei Fosse? Neue Fragen tun sich auf.
Das Reich der Toten öffnet sich, die Menschen sterben nicht mehr, wegen dem Stern, gibt es den Teufel? Victor glaubt ihn gesehen zu haben, Jarle, der Polizist, sieht einen Schatten über ein Video von einer Satansmesse huschen und spricht mit der Pfarrerin Kathrine darüber, die unerwartet schwanger ist, aber nicht sicher ist, ob ihr Mann Gaute der Vater ist, und dann Tove, die ihm unmittelbar während ihres psychotischen Schubs begegnet und sich nun zurück in der Realität in der Hölle aus Schuld und Scham fühlt, wird von Jesper, dem vierten und einzigen überlebenden Bandmitglied, begleitet, der ihr etwas zeigen will: der Stern leuchtet nicht mehr.

[John Caleb Grenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

HOLY HECK

[Marika_reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Niestandardowo zacznę od końca, czyli momentu, kiedy przeczytałam ostatnie zdania „Trzeciego krolestwa”. Gdyby ktoś mnie wtedy nagrał można by było umieszczać ten filmik w definicji „opadu szczeny”. Zamknęłam książkę i nie wiedziałam co mam ze sobą zrobić, a że mieszkam tylko z kotem, to Bajka musiała wysłuchiwać moich wielokrotnie wykrzyczanych „what???” i innych pytań, które musiałam zadać w eter.

To trzeci tom serii i nie czytałam wcześniej poprzednich, wydawnictwo zapewniało, że są luźno powiązane, w związku tym nie do końca wiem ile wam mogę zdradzić z fabuły, musicie mi wybaczyć enigmatyczność. (Choć zaraz po jej skończeniu sięgnęłam po pierwszy tom, jestem na początku i na ten moment zauważyłam, że pojawiają się te same postacie, ale chronologia między tomami jest zaburzona).

Każdy kolejny rozdział powieści to inny narrator, z którego perspektywy poznajemy jakiś wycinek historii. Jest więc mężczyzna obsesyjnie podejrzewający swoją żonę o zdradę. Jest młoda dziewczyna zauroczona tajeminiczym black metalowcem. Kobieta spędzająca wakacje z mężem i dziećmi, która zamiast oddawać się odpoczynkowi walczy ze swoimi demonami w głowie, czy neurolog zajmujący się badaniem świadomości osób w stanie śpiączki. I wiele innych postaci i dziwna gwiazda, która pojawia się na niebie i… wszystko zmienia. Do tego rozważania filozoficzne i duchowe, poruszona kwestia życia po śmierci czy istnienia diabła, a w samym środku my i cała zabawa w wyłapywaniu powiązań i znaczeń.

Literacko bawiłam się wybornie, Knausgård ma niesamowitą wyobraźnię, sprytnie przeplata historie i ukrywa w nich powiązania między sobą. Lubię też jego mocno detaliczne opisy, jego kreacje postaci i to, że zaskoczył mnie niespodziewanym realizmem magicznym. Mam tylko jedną krytyczną uwagę - autor nie bardzo umie w dialogi. Wybaczam mu to jednak, bo cała reszta, pomysł na książkę, jej konstrukcja i zakończenie wystarczająco mnie zachwyciły (i rozwalily!), by przymknąć na to oko. Mocno polecam, serio

[Marian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stemningen i disse bøkene! Mørket og døden. Lyset og livet. Dette er en slik bok jeg bare må lese og lese, samtidig som jeg vil den skal vare. Har hatt glede av å bla tilbake i de to første, for å huske bedre hendelser med karakterene som inngår. Denne boka plukker utrolig fint opp på de to forrige. Håper på mer!

[Jasmina K · Rating 5 out of 5]

Knausgor je jedini pisac gde pročitam 600 stranica kao da je 60 i onda žalim što nije duža.
Radnja se fino “zakuvala”, tako da jedva čekam i 4. deo.

[Hakim · Rating 5 out of 5]

How am I supposed to wait months for the next book in the series series? I’m utterly hooked. The moment I set the book down, it felt like the onset of withdrawal. Soooo immersive was the experience, I never wanted it to end. Knausgaard possesses a rare and remarkable gift: the ability to weave narratives of absolutely irresistible pull. His prose, deceptively simple, is laced with meditations on mental health, existential dread, cosmic philosophy, and the undercurrents of contemporary life. These themes converge in a way that feels both intimate and vast, forming a series that I truly hope will go on for a few more books. I don’t want to say goodbye to these characters.

I first encountered Knausgaard through an Instagram post by Michael Gira of Swans, whose brief review of The Wolves of Eternity was among the most enticing endorsements I’ve ever seen… And now I understand why. There’s an almost spiritual kinship between Knausgaard’s writing and Swans’ music: both channel something elemental, unflinching, and deeply human.

[Rendezvouswithbooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

The moment I finished this one, I looked around & spotted my partner & my child busy with their chores & I knew that even if they wouldn't have been busy, to talk to them about what I have read & felt would be such a lost cause. Coz to understand the depth I reached with this 1, you have to dive into it with me

"What was hidden in the depths would often appear so flat when brought to the surface. The meaning would be squashed if the symbols were too familiar. If I’d used colour, the problem would have been solved. Colours are deep, colours are bottomless. Colours merge. They seep and bleed"

Like I always say, I can't explain what Knausgaard writes. You can't call it mere thriller, it's not sombre like philosophy, not canonical like religious text, not abstract as existentialism yet it has all of it

The text has rhythm to it - sometimes very uneven, sometimes staccato, sometimes it leaves you panting

And to top it up there is a sea of stellar characters & super engrossing story line

His character sketches stand out & so much that even after reading the first two parts of this series- The Morning star & The Wolves of eternity an year ago & even after forgetting the names of the characters from those 2, I conveniently recalled their storylines the moment I started reading about them in this 3rd installment

The pretext of this series is the sudden appearance of a brightest star (this star could signify anything) in the sky one day. But the stories are about the deep divergences that Knausgaard travels under this pretext. How the appearance of star shifts the balance of life & death. How it is slowly opening up vents for that exchange b/w realms of this universe

‘They’re talking about a theory that Valdemar has. About the Three Realms. The first is the Realm of God, the second is the Realm of the Son, and the third is the Realm of the Spirit. That’s the one we’re living in now.’

This page turner doesn't leave space to breath & frustrates you equally
Translation is fantastic

I can't tell you to read them 'coz it should be your desire that should push you to dive into it. Meanwhile I am soaking in all its glory & impatiently waiting for next installments

[Marie H.D. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Min favoritt i bokserien så langt!

Selv om Karl Ove Knausgård ikke er kjent for å skrive skrekk/horror, synes jeg "Det tredje riket" likevel nærmer seg horror-sjangeren på flere måter. For det første er boken preget av en skikkelig ubehagelig atmosfære og en følelse av uhygge som kan minne om elementene man finner i horror. Dette skyldes delvis mysteriene som omgir karakterene og den overnaturlige virkeligheten som begynner å infiltrere deres liv.

Den ubehagelige stemningen forsterkes av Knausgårds evne til å skildre det mystiske og uforklarlige. Elementer som den makabre trippeldrapsetterforskningen og Toves opplevelser med en stemme som taler til henne, legger til en aura av mystikk som kan appellere til lesere som liker horror.

Videre kan bokens fokus på de understrømningene av seksualitet og død, samt utforskingen av de mørke kreftene som settes fri i verden, også gi den en mer horroraktig tone.

For meg var "Det tredje riket" en intens leseopplevelse. Boken fanget meg fra starten, og det ubehagelige engasjementet jeg fikk for karakterene gjennom historien, gjorde boken umulig å legge vekk. Språket er kraftfullt og gripende, og forfatterens evne til å male bilder av både det vakre og det groteske er bemerkelsesverdig. Knausgård har nok en gang levert en litterær opplevelse som går utover det konvensjonelle, og denne boken er uten tvil et høydepunkt for meg i "Morgenstjernen"-serien.

[Marijana☕✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Treći deo serijala Jutarnja zvezda bio mi je malo slabiji od prve dve knjige, ali i dosta mračniji. Takođe, dobila sam ono što sam davno tražila – vraćanje likovima i dodatna pojašnjena, makar ona bila i prividna.

Knausgor nastavlja da istražuje egzistencijalne teskobe, natprirodne pojave i sudar svakodnevice sa neobjašnjivim. Njegov prepoznatljiv introspektivni stil ostaje prisutan, ali je sada još više prožet apokaliptičnim nemirom. Sposobnost da svakodnevne trenutke pretvori u duboke meditacije ostaje njegov najjači adut.

Knjiga ne nudi jasne odgovore, već pojačava uznemirujuća pitanja o postojanju, percepciji i onome što leži van granica ljudskog shvatanja.
Za čitaoce serijala, ovaj deo je i nagrada i frustracija – proširuje priču, ali odbija da pruži lake zaključke.

Knausgorovo metafizičko je prisutnije nego ikad, a egzistencijalni horor nastavlja da sporo dogoreva, čime je The Third Realm uznemirujuće, ali duboko promišljeno delo.

[Karenina (Nina Ruthström) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vi har ju haft det lite knaggligt genom åren, Knausgård och jag, men på sistone har det slagit gnistor. Därför är jag välvilligt inställd och skärpt redan vid första meningen som lyder: ”Det sägs att depression är stelnad vrede.” Jag som nyss hävdade att jag var trött på att läsa om depressioner. Första sidan och jag bara sitter och ler dumt, första kapitlet och jag är helt till mig. Karln med stor K, kan tydligen skriva om vad som helst – och jag älskar det. Fast karaktären Tove med depression har också psykoser. Jag tänker lite på hans ex eftersom jag antar att det är hon som gett upphov till Tove. Men äsch, skit i Linda! Vad gör det att han kanske inte har någon fantasi att skryta med, ingen har allt, jag älskar honom ändå. Han kan göra världen ny för mig och det är stort.

Det tredje riket är fortsättningen på Vargarna från evighetens skog som är fortsättning på Morgonstjärnan. Jag fullkomligt älskade den första och blir därför svinglad när jag inser att den här är Morgonstjärnan igen, med samma människor, men de som hade biroller då (kvinnorna) får nu kliva in i rampljuset och överta berättarjaget. Spännande postmodernistiskt grepp som påvisar att allt är relativt, tänker jag först. När det går upp för mig att det också är samma händelser som i första boken, alltså exakt samma, blir jag kall inombords. Ska han skriva samma bok två gånger?

Det börjar alltså med Tove, som struntar att ta sin medicin trots att hennes alkoholiserade man litteraturvetaren Arne från Morgonstjärnan gång på gång påminner henne. Sen är det läraren Gaute som är ihop med prästen Kathrine. Helge är arkitekten som fyller sextio år och är ihop med den yngre Vibeke. Line är sjuksköterskan Solveigs dotter. Djävulen Kristian Hadeland begrovs i Morgonstjärnan men dyker nu upp igen. Han säger så här:

”- Folk blir ofta förnärmade när jag gissar rätt, sa han. Ingen vill vara lätt att läsa. Alla vill vara speciella.
– Kanske för att alla faktiskt är speciella?
– Det är en vacker tanke! Men är den sann? Nej. I viss mening träffade kommunismen som ideologi klockrent. Alla är lika. Till förväxling identiska. Samtidigt kunde det aldrig gå. Alla är lika, men ingen vill erkänna det, inte egentligen, och det är förstås därför som kapitalismen är så framgångsrik. Den klarar av konststycket att få alla att känna sig unika i det likadana. Det är ett konststycke som tidigare var förbehållet religionen. Så det har alltid funnits där.”

Syvert (Alvetinas bror) från Vargarna.. är ihop med Lisa, Solveigs syster. Helge från del ett kopplas här samman med Syvert från del två. Några helt nya figurer finns här också exempelvis den extremt charmige och övertygande Valdemar som likt Hitler kan få med sig folk på vad helst som faller honom in. Han och Line blir typ tillsammans.

”När han pratade om det tredje riket var det inte nazisterna han pratade om, utan något som de hade trott på under medeltiden, att det första riket var Guds tid, det andra riket Jesu tid och det tredje riket den heliga andes tid.”

Morgonstjärnan utspelade sig under två preapokalyptiska dygn. Den nya stjärnan lyser alltjämt och det är hett vilket för tankarna till klimathot, ett hot från rymden, kärnvapen. Nu kliver vi över tröskeln in på det tredje dygnet. Kristendomens tretalsmystik går på i ullstrumporna. Här avhandlas det tredje ögat och den helige andens tredje rike. Det finns också ett black metal band som heter Det tredje riket. Knausgård vill fortsatt omkonnotera ord som hör samman med nazismen; Min kamp, Det tredje riket, arier, runor.

Det handlar om människan, liv och död, verklighet och vanföreställning, begär, musik, konst, religion, vetenskap, språk, vardagen och djävulen. Killarna från black metal bandet är döda med huvudena bakochfram. Människor slutar att dö. Tove hallucinerar, kanske är hela berättelsen hennes psykos? Via läkaren Jarle som forskar på hjärnan tar Knausgård, som brukligt, djärva kliv mellan essä och dieges. Han intresserar sig för olika medvetandetillstånd; dröm, sömn, koma, rus, psykisk sjukdom och hur mediciner, maskiner och AI kan flytta gränser för vad vi kallar medvetande. Intressant i och för sig, men…

Ni kan inte tro vad som händer, ungefär i mitten av boken. Jag, knausgårdianen, kan det knappt själv. Förälskelsens dimmiga blick klarnar och plötsligt ser jag att det är en bunt papper jag håller i mina händer, det är varken liv eller magi. Äkthet, innerlighet, humor och intimitet saknas alltför ofta. Triptyken kollapsar mitt framför ögonen på mig, Knausgård rasar ner från piedestalen. Han gastar fortsatt om sina teorier men jag har tröttnat, det blir för teoretiskt. När han försöker locka mig med polisen Geir som ska lösa mordgåtan, vänder jag honom ryggen. Jag fräser åt honom att det är dags att han slutar rädas kvinnlig sexualitet, han är över femtio år, herregud.

Hört ryktas om en del fyra, men jag vet inte, jag ska nog undersöka om inte Linda kommit med någon ny..

[Agnieszka Hofmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Trzeci tom powieściowej serii, której końca nie widać, podobał mi się bardziej od dwóch poprzednich. Może zadziałał tu już efekt serialu, bo autor podejmuje tu wątki z poprzednich części, zmienia trochę perspektywy, naświetla wydarzenia z innej strony, dopowiada to i owo. Można się spierać, czy konieczne jest aż tak detaliczne zagłębianie się w codzienność, jednak nie da się odmówić Knausgardowi jednego: rozmachu, z jakim wszystko to sobie zaplanował. Podoba mi się, jak wplata tu rozmaite filozoficzne dywagacje i poddaje w wątpliwość oczywistości, które są częścią naszego realnego postrzegania świata. On tę realność podważa i kieruje nas w rejony, hm, ezoteryczne delikatnie mówiąc. Bardzo mnie intryguje, czy i jakie rozwiązania podsunie nam w finale.
A na razie stwierdzam, że on jest jednak całkiem niezłym opowiadaczem.

[Adam]

what's this mf up to

[Uroš Višnjevac · Rating 5 out of 5]

svi đavoli su ovde

[Marijke Plante · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ik hoop dat deel 4 nu net zo snel volgt als deel 3 op deel 2 deed. Anders overweeg ik een cursus Noors.

[Katrin Josephine Van de Velde · Rating 5 out of 5]

****(*)

Weer heerlijke verhalen in dit derde deel van de Morgenster-reeks. Met zoveel plezier gelezen, boeiend van begin tot eind.
Helaas vond ik de vertaling dit keer wat minder (ik zie nu ook dat dit deel een andere vertaler had dan de eerste twee). Ik heb me wat geërgerd aan de weglating van persoonlijke voornaamwoorden ... ("'Fijn dat je weer thuis bent,' zei ze. Deed de oven open, nam een theedoek in elke hand en tilde er een schaal uit. Droeg hem naar de tafel en zette hem neer.")

[Thomas Andreassen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastisk bok nummer tre i serien Morgenstjernen. Spørsmål som vi satt igjen med etter første bok blir delvis besvart, og boken setter en klar spenning for de kommende to bøkene.

[Sorin Hadârcă · Rating 5 out of 5]

A real page-turner, this volume 3 of what appears to be a pentalogy. It brings together the characters of volume 1 and 2 during a couple of days following the appearance of the new star. Each reads like a novella, yet the little details are the knots that make the story hold together.

With so many things happening to so many people in such a short time, it became a Gordian knot. I am very curious how it is going to be cut in the coming volumes. As of now I don't have the feeling that we are getting somewhere, but the journey is so very captivating.

[Nichlas Alsing · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oerhört bra och gastkramande, trots att inte så mycket egentligen har hänt. Ibland har jag lite svårt att komma ihåg alla namn som fladdrar förbi. Framförallt när olika historier överlappar varandra i de olika delarna, men det är ju mitt eget dåliga minnes fel.

[Johan Arvas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Knausgård ska ha tack. För allt.

[Stephen Ramsek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Knausgaard might be the Tolstoy/Dostoyevsky of our times. This world he’s creating feels limitless, and each of these many many characters are drawn with such empathy and psychological clarity

[Liina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I gulped this 500-page novel down in a few days, the last 250 pages in two sittings, It kept me up until 2AM and when I woke up the next day I immediately continued reading. It was just so compelling.

The third book in Karl-Ove Knausgaard’s Morning Star series gives some of the same characters and the same point in time as the first novel (titled The Morning Star). Only it does so from a different point of view. Some of the characters mentioned in passing in the first volume have gotten a voice here and when at first I was sceptical as to how this could be pulled off as interesting – I can assure you, it is and perhaps even more a page-turner than the first volume.

As in the first book, a bright star appears in the sky and the novel's chapters are each told by a different character and about their going abouts on the few days the star appears first. It's on the one hand incredibly ordinary – there is the Knausgaardian way of describing daily activities - just such simple things like having cigarette breaks, driving a car, calling your loved ones - that should be boring to read but that brings the narrator so close and creates a fertile ground for sympathy. They just seem, no they are, so real.

On the other hand, there is a menace, a looming presence and almost terror in the events that unfold. The mundanity creates a soothing lull yet the eeriness keeps the reader alert because things could turn any moment, any moment a strange occurrence could tear a gaping hole in the normality. This juxtaposition makes the novel exceptionally gripping. Add the biblical themes and you have a novel that is minute and grand at the same time. Odd and ordinary, dull and riveting.

I read most of it during a rainy weekend in my summer cottage, surrounded by woods and similar small cottages, devoid of people because of the poor weather. On two occasions, at dusk and night, when I took breaks from reading and sat outside, I saw wild animals roaming in my garden. A deer sped through my yard and a chubby badger was making rounds. This only added a layer to reading something where the natural laws are upturned, animals start acting unnervingly because they know and sense something we can’t.

A fantastic reading experience and I can't wait to see what the fourth volume of the series brings.

[Ellinor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Die Morgensternreihe von Karl Ove Knausgård wirkt eine ungeheure Faszination auf mich aus. Wenn ich einen der sehr umfangreichen Bände in die Hand nehme, kann ich ihn nicht mehr weglegen, bis ich ihn in Rekordtempo ausgelesen habe. Im Gegensatz zu seinen beiden Vorgängern ist Das dritte Königreich mit seinen etwa 650 Seiten fast schon ein dünnes Heftchen. Das Buch hat es dennoch in sich.
Während Band 2 großteils wie ein Einschub wirkte, ist Band 3 nun wieder viel näher an Band 1. Die Ereignisse aus letzterem werden nun teilweise fortgesetzt, teilweise auch aus einer anderen Perspektive erzählt. So treffen wir Tove wieder, mit der wir bereits in Der Morgenstern Bekanntschaft machten, damals allerdings durch die Augen ihres Mannes Arne. Ihre Geschichte fand ich besonders faszinierend, denn sie wirft nun ein komplett anderes Licht auf die Ereignisse. Es treten viele weitere Figuren auf, die in den früheren Bänden teils nur als Nebenfiguren eine Rolle spielten. Es wird auch immer klarer, wie die einzelnen Handlungsstränge miteinander verflochten sind. Auch die Morde an den drei Bandmitgliedern rücken stärker in den Fokus. Besonders gut fand ich, dass es diesmal mit Ausnahme von zwei/drei Seiten keinen langen Aufsatz oder Ausschnitt aus einem Buch zu lesen gab. Das waren nämlich in den beiden anderen Bänden eher anstrengende Teile.
Nach dem Ende von Das dritte Königreich (zu dem ich,um nicht zu spoilern hier nichts weiter sage) bin ich nun umso gespannter auf die Fortsetzung, die zum Glück schon bereit liegt.

[Julia Eriksson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Välskrivna personporträtt som sys ihop, ett pussel som långsamt läggs. Det är detaljerat och det är långt men det är aldrig tråkigt.