A World Void of Hope

Tales from Vatngaard #1

by Herbert West

Kief, an assassin, is hired by the King of Atune to exterminate the Brotherhood of Bogus. A sect devoted to the god of Excess.
But as he hunts them down, Kief encounters Von—the goddess of hope. A moment that could change everything... or nothing at all.
Vatngaard is a realm, where worship and belief gives rise to gods. A vain, self-important, self-serving bunch. Because they are, after all, what we make them.

287 pages, Paperback

First published June 11, 2025

About the author

Herbert West is a writer, filmmaker, and part-time funeral director of stories that refuse to stay dead. He drags invented gods through the dirt, watches mortals rise in defiance, and asks what’s left when hope is lost and Hel's life lessons start to make unsettling sense.

His series, Tales from Vatngaard, is forged from Nordic myth, personal ghosts, and a thirty-year itch to tell a story, alongside the occasional laugh in the face of misery. These are not stories for the faint of heart, but for the ones who stare into the dark, beat it into submission, demanding it for answers.

He lives in Iceland, writes like an ale infused berzerker in his free time, when his wife allows. He dedicates his work to his daughters, who make sure he doesn’t get too full of himself.

Reviews

[Jonathan Zapf · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up this book while on my honeymoon in Iceland. It took me a little while to get into the story because of my lack of knowledge of the gods, but once I understood what was going on the story flew by! Now I just need to figure out how to get the second book!

[Kayleigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book in a gorgeous book shop in Reykjavik at the recommendation of the lady working there. I said I loved fantasy and she said I should give this a go. I’m so glad she did, I thoroughly enjoyed it! It was dark and funny and easy to get into the world straight away, I can’t wait to buy book 2!

[Herbert West · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wrote the thing, so of course it's the best thing put to paper since... not going there. ;)