The Cursed: A Nordic Folk Horror

by Maria Kovac

Tröjsto, a small mining community on the Swedish-Finnish border is a town cursed. Plagued by the undead who surface from the abandoned mines to descend upon the town each winter as darkness sets in. No longer able to protect themselves and shunned by their southern neighbours, a small team decide to take matters into their own hands. They will do anything to protect their own even if that means having to sacrifice others.

39 pages, Paperback

Published May 18, 2024

Reviews

[Rowena Turner · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great short story. I’d never heard of the draugr before. I love reading folklore from other countries and am now planning on learning everything I can about the draugr!

[Janelle Schiecke · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this horror story! It revolves around a small town in Tröjsto that holds a deadly secret during the harsh winter months. The residents of this town must face a horrifying reality every winter season, and have to make a heartbreaking decision on how to spare their town from evil.

The atmosphere is chilling, and tension brews the entire time. I don't want to go into too much detail to give the story away, but suffice it to say there is much internal struggle, grief, and evil.

The ending is also delightfully dark!

[Shaun Cooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

An atmospheric Scandinavian horror which I really enjoyed & I hope is the beginning of more to come from Maria Kovac as this could easily become a series of stories.
The attention to detail & being able to feel how the story was developing on each page which can be difficult in a short story is a credit to the the author too.

[Ranch Hand · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maria's attention to history and detail is top notch, weaving a story as old as time with monsters, old war villains, and extreme adventurers. The pacing is great for a quick bedtime read.

Highly recommend!