Orkanpartyt

by Klas Östergren

Det är en mulen dag i början av regnperioden, i en gammal, sliten huvudstad i Norden. Trasiga hus, trasiga gator. Kring stadskärnan är spillror av förorter, betongsarkofager, nedlagda industriområden, provisoriska sjukhus, ödsliga gärden, en krans av karantäner och därutanför, på andra sidan gränsen - kaos, förbjudet land, härjat av stormar, översvämningar, epidemier, folkvandringar.
Orden har förlorat innehåll. ""Chock"" är utslitet och ""kärlek"" obsolet.
Hanck Orn sitter i sin lägenhet och lyssnar på Orgeln i en utsändning från Storkyrkan. Stycket har pågått i över hundra år.
Då går strömmen, musiken tystnar, magin bryts och allt blir mörkt. Strömavbrott hör till vardagen, men det här är något annat, ett djupare, mer bestående mörker.
I detta mörker nås han av ett dödsbud. Han har förlorat den människa som visat på en möjlig tolkning av just ordet ""kärlek"".
Omständigheterna kring dödsfallet är oklara. Saknaden ordlös. I fruktan för att förlora sitt förstånd börjar Hanck att undersöka saken.
Det blir en vandring ända ner i dödsriket.
En fest har urartat i våld och misshandel. Gästerna tillhörde Familjen, den krets av hårdföra män och kvinnor som kontrollerar staden och ansvarar för dess beskydd. Gudalika gestalter.
Hanck förstår det som att festen pågått mycket länge, i över tusen år, att den föregår undergången, att den är ett orkanparty.
Offret finns omnämnt i ett av Eddans mest berömda kväden.
Gärningsmannen blir omsider bestraffad, på värsta tänkbara sätt. Hanck ställs inför förlåtandets dilemma - lyckas han formulera kärlekens väsen så kan det få oöverskådliga följder.

Genres: Fiction, Mythology, Fantasy, Sweden, Literary Fiction, Science Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy

399 pages, Hardcover

First published November 6, 2007

About the author

Klas Östergren was born in Stockholm in 1955 and is the author of several novels including the landmark Gentlemen (1981) and its sequel, Gangsters (2005). A leading star of Swedish literature for nearly three decades, he has won the Piratenpriset and the Doblougska prize from the Swedish Academy. A founder of the rock band Fullersta Revolutionary Orchestra, Östergren has also worked as a translator, playwright, and scriptwriter for television and screen, and he co-wrote Mikael Håfström's film Ondskan, which was nominated for an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. He now lives with his wife and three children in the seafront town of Kivik in southern Sweden.

Member of the Swedish Academy between 2014-2018.

Author photo by Ulla Montan.

Reviews

[Baba · Rating 3 out of 5]

Set in a dystopian future a man and his son just live their lives, until tragedy strikes and a resolution from the Clan is sought. An innovative reimagining of Norse Mythology set alongside a post-environmental break-down apocalypse. Interesting read, clever ideas, could have been bettered executed narrative wise. A Three Star, 6 out of 12 read for me.

2013 read

[Orbi Alter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ako probam opisati knjigu, neću doći dalje od toga da je Pijanka izrazito čudesni košmar? Nalik onome kad te ulovi popodnevni spavanac pa sanjaš brutalno bizarne snove, a po buđenju ti nije baš jasno je l' danas ili sutra, prerano ili prekasno i još te preplavljuju intenzivni dojmovi od onog što ti je mozak u stanju projicirati. E pa, takva je. Nježna i poetična s naglašenim sirovim stilom. U stil se inače zaljubljujem i rijetko se događa da naletim na nešto ovako dojmljivo.
Ono što je prekrasno u ovoj ediciji je što su neki autori i autorice obradili/e mitove na način da u središte stavljaju običnog čovjeka koji je u isto vrijeme njihov tvorac, marioneta i uživatelj. Nakon dobro obrađenog mita sjedne ti koliko su oni savršen odraz svakodnevnog života i kako je kroz priču o roditeljskoj ljubavi smještenoj u apokaliptičnu viziju opustošene zemlje i očajnih ljudi koji gotovo kao zombiji gutaju seks rijaliti, skroz moguće uplesti nordijski panteon umaskiran u običan mafijaški klan. A i dalje sve štima. U nekoj takvoj, (koliko točno?) alternativnoj budućnosti teško da bi se našla primjerenija usporedba. Možda zvuči kao zadnji trash, ali nije. Samo je bizarna kulisa za promišljanje o tome kako se ljubav može prikazati kroz scene mrlja u kadi, koliko je razočaranje, da parafraziram, iskustvo do kojeg se najbrže dolazi putem očekivanja i kako se lako pretvara u sram... Pa i o različitim tišinama koje skroz drugačije zvuče, a i mogu jako puno boli nanijeti. O tome kako ti se dobitak pretvori u dug i obratno. O snivanju, časti i slobodi, smislu i besmislu. I onda kad te počne negdje unutra sve to razarati, postaješ Loki na Orkanskoj pijanci u (samo)destruktivnom obračunu sa svijetom... U potpunosti obožavam ovako prikazan njegov lik. Obično se susrećem sa slikom njega kao ultimativnog negativca, pa mi je ovako kompleksan njegov prikaz potpuno inspirirajući. Vjerojatno je to onaj isti osjećaj kad o nečemu jako dugo učiš, pa postaje sve kompliciranije, zbunjujuće i zadivljujuće nego što je bilo na početku. E pa zbunio me. Doveo me od bijesa do žaljenja u svega sto stranica i pomislila sam kako svi imamo Lokija u sebi i kako on definitivno zaslužuje mir.
Možda ću zvučati patetično i pretenciozno, ali mi je ova knjiga otvorila nove poglede na vlastita elementarna shvaćanja i osjećam nevjerojatnu zahvalnost što mi je došla u ruke. Naprosto je P.R.E.K.R.A.S.N.A.

[Rowdy Geirsson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a very doom and gloom futuristic retelling of the events that lead to the fallout between Loki and the other Norse gods. It features your typical Swedish protagonist (if you're going by mystery standards, that is): a downtrodden and discombobulated guy investigating a seemingly senseless murder. He traverses future Sweden's nightmarish hellscape in the process, encountering the deadly effects of drastic climate change, the complete deterioration of societal morals, and cults of religious fanatics, among other things. The pace isn't particularly fast, but it's very atmospheric and creepy and the book ends on a note of hopefulness rather than despair.

I haven't read any of the other books in the Myths series, so I can't really compare The Hurricane Party to them, but I think it would be a good choice for anyone who thinks they might enjoy the combination of dystopian science fiction with Norse mythology.

[Camille · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jättebra idé och starkt genomfört, i vanlig ordning, men tyvärr är jag för mycket nybliven förälder för att klara av en så här komplicerad berättelse.

[Agape · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hikaye garip bir şekilde ilerliyor. Geçmiş, gelecek, şimdiki zaman, çok geçmiş zaman, az gelmiş zaman gibisinden ilerleyerek hikayeyi takip etmek bazen zorlaşıyor çünkü bir sonraki paragrafta başka bir zamanda okumaya başlıyorsunuz. Olaylar anlatılırken gittikçe açıldığından bazen ana hikaye nerede kalmıştı kopabiliyor. Hani bazı hikayeler vardır; sonunu bilirsiniz, olayı da az çok bilirsiniz ama anlamak için en başından başlamak gerekir ve en başı da çok alakasızdır. Böyle bir durum var.

Kitabı üçe bölecek olursak ilk bölüm tamamen sıradan kıyamet sonrası sıcak bir iklimle kavrulan dünyayı anlatıyor. Diğer mevsimler yok. Bilinen dünya yerler bir olmuş ama teknoloji yine de var fakat dünya artık çürümüş bir halde. Hiçbir şey tam olarak doğru çalışmıyor.

İkinci bölüm bir anda Loki’nin hikayesine dönüşüyor. Tanrıların toplandığı bir yemeğin Kasırga Partisi’ne nasıl dönüştüğünü anlatıyor. Burada çok gereksiz uzunlukta yerler var.

Henüz hikaye nasıl sonlanacak bilemiyorum. Bitirince düzenlerim fakat sonu güzel bitmezse o kadar da çok iyi bir kitap diyemem. Yer yer çok sıkıldım. Fazla laf kalabalığı var. Dünya zaten durağan ve sıkıcı. Ana öykü bir daktilo tamircisinin hikayesini anlatıyor.

Mitoloji derseniz var, post-apokaliptik derseniz var, gizem derseniz var ama durağan. Bu tarz kitapları sevenler için atıştırmalık denilebilir ama çok bir şey sunmuyor.

Ekleme: Kitabı bitirdim. Ehimsi bir kitap olarak başladı ve öyle de bitti. Sevginin gücü, tazeleyici özelliği vurgulanıyordu.

Klasik Alfa redaksiyon faciaları bu kitapta da vardı. Dönüp dönüp yeniden okuduğum cümleler oldu.

Not: Kitabı çok beğenmeme sebebim mitlerle olan aramdaki soğukluk olabilir. Loki konusunda hassas olanlar beğenebilir. Objektif yaklaşmayı önemseyen birisi olarak “Bu kitabı okumasam ne olurdu?” diye kendime sorduğumda belli bir kayıp bulamıyorum. Keyif almadım, öyle büyüleyici bir şey olmadı, son etkileyici değildi… Sıradan bir kitaptı. 10/5

[Nicki Markus · Rating 5 out of 5]

It took me a couple of chapters to get into The Hurricane Party, but once I did, I really enjoyed it. I was interested in this book as a retelling of the Lokasenna and I found Östergren's version great fun and a delightful twist on the familiar tale. His portrayal of Loki is intriguing and different and I found the dystopian future setting worked really well. An excellent example from the Canongate Myths series.

[Monica Bond-Lamberty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, it isn't going to be a happy tale, and the beginning took a while for me to get my bearings but then once you get into the swing of things it makes it more bearable. I like the myth series that they are doing but won't be as familiar as the other myths for some folks (like me) and Loki is just a hard character to like too.

[Torbjorn · Rating 1 out of 5]

What was that?

[Ellen/MoonlitStories · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had been on my TBR for at least a year, so it was about time I picked it up.

As you may or may not know, I adore the Marvel movies that have come out in recent years. I especially love the Thor ones. Complicated characters are my favorites and Loki fits that description perfectly. He’s not just some lose canon, it’s obvious that there’s more to him than meets the eye.

Now I’m eagerly awaiting the new movie ‘Ragnarok’, which is coming out in two weeks, and I know it’s going to be amazing, but I needed something to help me fill the void until that movie comes out. The Hurricane Party sounded like the perfect filler.

The book starts off somewhere in the future. There have been some big changes. Sickness has killed a lot of people and the environment has been utterly destroyed. You now have two seasons: the rainy season (which drowns everything) and the dry season (which burns everything). Food is scarce and people have to make do with what they have.

Hanck lives in the city with his grown-up son who’s a chef and cooks for the richest part of the population, the Clan. Hanck himself repairs machines and listens to “The Organ” in his spare time. Doesn’t sound very interesting but they still managed to draw me in.

The first part of this book is mainly getting to know the main-character and the situation he’s in. It’s also about figuring out who killed his son (it takes a loooong time before we get to that part). I guess this book is about family and love more than the murder itself. Things are not straightforward or pretty. They are depressing because the situation is depressing. I actually really liked this dystopian part, the world-building and the character dynamics.

I also enjoyed the writing. It’s a bleak world he’s portraying but he does it extremely well. I could imagine myself there. Although I’m not entirely sure where ‘there’ is. Some say it’s Stockholm, which I can understand, but I guess I’m just thrown off by the mention of Dutch and Flemish people. (Loved that by the way, I don’t often see Flemish people in these kinds of books)

The second part of the story is where the Norse Mythology comes in. Like I said, I adore Norse Mythology and this book didn’t disappoint me. I actually learned a lot and I loved the way he wrote Loki. He’s not a likeable character, but he’s interesting. There were so many myths in here and normally I wouldn’t have wanted it to end…but……….. it slowed down the entire story and I still feel like the glue, that was meant to keep the two parts together, wasn’t strong enough. They still felt like two completely different stories to me.

So would I recommend it?

Maybe.

If you like Norse Mythology and dystopian stories like I do, then you’ll probably like it a lot. If you like Swedish crime novels, this could also be something you’d enjoy because it has the same atmosphere.
If none of these things are your cup of tea, maybe you’d better read something else.

https://alittlebooklife.com

[Raymundo Jiménez · Rating 2 out of 5]

The enjoyment I had with the first part prevented me from giving it one star, but I guess i did not understand the book at all.

Regularly, I do a basic-mid research when looking for new books, I get some, and then shelf them for a latter read so that when I pick one up I go blank of expectations but assured that it will be a good read. It didn't happened with this one. I cannot remember why I thought it would be a good read.

So, you know something is odd when you have read like a third of the book and you don´t find anything resembling the extract, you know that text on the back cover? and then, when you finally get to it it´s just... not there?

I would have loved this book if it were comprised by the first and last thirds of the story.... It would even make more and better sense without the middle part, which for me was... I still don't understand what it was. The book is a bit slow, but I loved the sublime and delicate progression of the presentation of this world. Just tiny details here and there, careful choices of words that show you that the world of the protagonist is our own... but in a future that hasn´t been gentle with us. I could read that part again and again (I did! I thought I had missed something) and enjoy it every time.
But then comes the part referring to the title of the book, and it doesn´t make any sense. I won´t get into spoilers, but all the Hurricane Party part was just not appealing to me, at all. Felt out of place, slow, dumb, unnecessary, and it comes out of nowhere, doesn´t move the plot forward nor it explains or justifies the main event in the book (it accounts for it, but it really does not give you insight for who the people in this party are.... are... what are they? Yes they are the Norse Gods but (insert-yell-here) it was frustrating).

I find the ending a bit dark, there are some up notes in the last pages but the big picture is one that i don´t care much for.

Good luck with your reads.

[Justine · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Hurricane Party is part of Cannongate's Myth Series, in which authors from around the world retell global myths. I have been amazed at the breadth of the writers they have found and this was no exception. Ostergren, who I've never heard of, is apparently a Swedish writer of great reknown, and yet another reminder in my year of translated literature, why it's so important to read broadly and with curiosity.

And let me say: this one was a doozy. Ostergren retells Norse mythology through the lens of Hanck, an older man living in a dystopian future universe, who learns that his son has died. What follows is a rumination on love and family and meaning that is at once told through the backdrop of Norse mythology (which has been *extremely* cleverly woven in), as well as a world and worldview that is *just* enough askew to make the reader question all of their existing assumptions.

I finished this an immediately bought ALL of the other Cannongate books, which I am so excited to keep reading, except for the fucking book they published and somehow neglected to translate into English. So if there are good Polish speakers out there....

[Joshua Gross · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was Canongate myth #15!
I finished this late because I took a hiatus while I had covid, being sick was enough without having to read this book. I don't know what it is with me and Swedish literature but I haven't much enjoyed what I've read. This one was so long and so dull. When the book was focused mostly on Hanck and his journey I was able to at least tolerate it but when it went off into long, weird rambling passages about Norse mythology I got frustrated. I love mythology and sometimes I was even interested in the mythology in this book but most of the time I was thinking, "What the hell is happening?"

[Marie (UK) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review may sound as confused as the book did to me at points. It is a strange book, meanders confusingly at times and yet seems to be saying something important at the same time. It is a cross between a severely circumscribed dystopian world and a retelling to Ancient Nordic mythology it is genuinely unique. Its real message seems to surround love and its definition whilst covering a whole gamut of other emotions.

[Dan Nelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Dystopian atmosphere is interesting but the first half is a little slow. The gods are like a distant corporate controller of the human society and they play a part in the story but a lot of it is about this father whose son has died. I did not get very invested in caring about him. Some people of a more literary bent will find the book likeable than I did. But I did like the last third and how the themes of love and meaning kind of came together.

[Molly Lazer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this volume of the Canongate Myths series. It was a little slow to get started, but once Hanck Orn's son is killed (not a spoiler, as it is the first sentence on the back cover of the book), the storyline picks up. I knew this was a retelling of Norse mythology, but the Norse gods seemed almost tangential to the story of a father's experience of having, loving, losing, and grieving his son. This definitely places in the top three of the Myths books for me.

[Lasselassi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Att läsa en av sina favoritförfattare, som oftast skriver i noir-genren, skriva om en dystopisk framtid. Sen dessutom kombinera detta med nordiska myter. Det är mycket konstigt. Mycket spännande idéer. Partier genialiska. Partier som inte är det. Men överlag att läsa en svensk bok på detta temat är något extra.

[Cristofer Enroth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Va fan var det? Bra eller dåligt? Jag antar att man väljer det själv. Vill Klas få något sagt? "Det dunkelt sagda..." Läsaren kan nog fantisera lit själv och själv läsa in sin egen unika upplevelse. Handling? Njae..

[Helena Frisk · Rating 2 out of 5]

Svår att komma in i....

[Signe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very original - and weird - story blending a post-apocalyptic storyline with Norse Myhology. Brilliantly written as always.

[Eva · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tyvärr hann jag läsa ända till slutet innan jag fick någon behållning av denna omdiktade myt - Ragnarök. Det kändes för luddigt, för länge. Men viss aha uppkom alltså till slut.

[Simongonefishin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alltså wow! Så skruvat och knäppt och härligt. Älskar också att den, till skillnad från många andra av Östergren, är förhållandevis kort. Hatt av!

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novel was a fascinating combination of a gritty dystopian tale and a modern retelling of the Lokasenna . Ostergren sets his book in a future Stockholm scarred by environmental and economic collapse, a bleak city where literacy has become rare, citizens are entertained by a strange reality show and an enigmatic decades-long organ concert, and moribund religious cults exist at the physical and psychological margins of society. This place is more or less run by a mysterious extended family known as the Clan. The story follows Hanck Orn, a repairer of typewriters and other antique mechanical devices, whose son Toby dies mysteriously while working as a chef for a Clan party at an island resort. Hanck does not believe the comfortable, official lies he is told about Toby's death, so he embarks on a search for the truth of what happened. Except that the Clan is in actuality the Norse gods, so Toby's death and its aftermath are part of a much larger and more complicated story than a case of murder.
Ostergren's future is pretty reminiscent of the one Philip K. Dick envisioned, with its grittiness, startling lack of the kind of sleek and awe-inspiring advanced technology usually associated with sci-fi, flattened emotional palette, and nebulous past collapse. Hanck Orn is has some of the characteristics of a Dick protagonist, too - ordinary in many ways, struggling along, mildly baffled by women.
My only complaint about The Hurricane Party is that the retelling of the Lokasenna is told to Hanck by a supporting character, rather than unfolding directly in the narrative. It thus seemed a little more like an insertion rather than an organic part of the story. Otherwise, I enjoyed the book quite a bit. Placing Norse myth in the context of a dystopian crime story gives a new perspective on the Norse gods and the stories about them. Hanck is also an engaging character whom I liked reading about, and Ostergren's dystopian vision is quite interesting - he leaves just enough out to fire up the imagination.

[Semra · Rating 5 out of 5]

İlk olarak alfa cidden mahvetmiş kitabı. kitabın aslı isveçce  ve isveçce aslından çeviri yazmıyor hatta aksine çevirmen amerikan kültürü mezunu yani muhtemelen ingilizce çevirisinden çeviri. Bölüm başlıkları çok saçma özellikle. İkili Major birinci bölüm büyük ve bold yazılmış ama diğer bölüm başlıkları cümle içindeydi??? Onun dışında Östergren'in hikaye anlatıcılığı ve bahsi geçmişken şunu da anlatayım evet burdan da buraya götüreyim sizi uslübü harikaydı, ayfer tunç'un bir deliler evinin yalan yanlış anlatılan kısa hikayesi gibi ordan oraya götürüyordu. loki mitini alıp post apokaliptik bir dünyaya koymak ise benim en çok ilgimi çeken unsur oldu. loki'nin bi yandan limüzini olması bi yandan asgardda olması mitolojik karakteri çağdaş dünyaya uyarlamak bu kadar zekice olur dedirtti. ben mitolojiye mitlere takık bir insan olarak mitlerle ilgili yapılmış her şeyi en ince ayrıntısına kadar eleştiririm fakat lokinin de thorun da backgroundu asıl mitlere sağlam kalınmış, gelecekleri ise post apokaliptik dünyaya uyarlanmış ki gayet başarılıydı. bir mitin teknoloji çağının ardından gelen bozulmuş düzene uyarlanması harikulâde bir fikir bana kalırsa. puanın düşük olmasını anlıyorum çok kronolojik gitmemesi, araya mitleri, karakterin geçmiş anılarını sıkıştırması belki ana hikayeden kopmaya sebep olabilir ama buna gereksiz denmez. Östergren burada hikaye anlatıcılığını konuşturmuş araya mit katarak mitolojik karakterleri de okuyucuya tanıtmış. çok objektif olmayabilir yorumum ama genel olarak çok sevdim. sonu da aynı şekilde harikaydı. alfa şu kitabı bir kez daha okuyup kontrol etme tenezzülünde bulunmuş olsaydı çok daha iyi olurdu.

[Yasmeen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit confused as to what this was supposed to be...

I really like dystopian stuff. I also really like Norse mythology. I'm just not sure where exactly the intersection between the two was here. It felt like two entirely separate books, the first half describing the world of Hanck and the second about the actual mythology part. The problem is that the myths were just... literally retold. As in, retold without any addition. Thanks Ostergren, but anyone who has any interest in Norse myths probably already knows every single myth you talked about.

I really appreciated the weird creepy vibes, but definitely lacking something.

[sisterimapoet · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's always a bit pick and mix with the Canongate Myths series. There were aspects of this that really worked - that set it above some of the other CM novels I've read - but there were weak points too. I think Ostergren tried to pack too much of the Norse Mythology in, and potentially muddled his clearer story running throughout. But easy to see why he got carried away - they are weird and wonderful myths that I knew little about - this was a great introduction to them and I'd be keen to know more.

[Kati Stevens · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a difficult book to judge. The idea, I think, is great, but I don't know if the prose lives up to the story, and I don't think the flaws can be blamed entirely, or even mostly, on translation. Maybe it's a Swedish thing?

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Would probably have helped if I'd had some knowledge of Norse myth before I started, but the first 2 parts make sense regardless as a dystopian futuristic whodunnit. The translation is good so it was quick to read.

[Sonja Trbojevic · Rating 5 out of 5]

A father's search for the truth about his son's death. Set in a dystopian world ravaged by ecological collapse, over which the Norse gods rule, this book places Norse mythology within crime fiction, to give a modern perspective of Ragnarok

[Bettie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Swedish title Orkanpartyt. Translated from the Swedish by Tiina Nunnally.

The power went out a few minutes before three in the afternoon.

[Brian Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice read, and a different genre than his typical stuff..