Grimsdalr

by Joshua Robertson

In the spirit of the epic poem, Beowulf, a renowned hero travels across the whale-road to defeat a monster that plagues the land of Croune.

Genres: Fantasy

ebook

First published May 1, 2015

About the author

You may recognize him as the dude whose dragons were said to destroy George R.R. Martin's and Christopher Paolini's dragons in a very biased Twitter poll. His first novel, Melkorka, was released in 2015, and he has been writing fantasy fiction like clockwork ever since. Known most for his Thrice Nine Legends Saga, Robertson enjoys an ever-expanding and extremely loyal following of readers.

Joshua Robertson is the CEO of Crimson Edge Press, the Goblin King from the Goblin Horde on YouTube, and a bestselling author in dark fantasy. Robertson is a Licensed Master Social Worker, who received his degree from Wichita State University. He has worked with children and families for the past fifteen years in a variety of unique venues: a residential behavior school, a psychiatric treatment facility, and the child welfare system. He has functioned as a supervisor, an educator, a behavior specialist, and a therapist during his career. Mr. Robertson has presented trainings for hundreds of professionals and military personnel on topics that include child abuse and neglect, human trafficking, strengthening the parent and child relationships, and the neurobiological impact of trauma.

He currently lives in North Carolina with his better half and his horde of goblins.

Reviews

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reads like the idea for a book.

This has merit. A short story of a boastful warrior looking for glory beyond his realm. I believe it could be fleshed out more with details and descriptions but it wasn't and started and ended too soon. Perhaps it is a work in progress or the seed for a series? It reads like an old myth or similar. Not bad. I will have check out other tales from Mr. Robertson.

[Lana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this short story of a man who was so proud he was assured of killing a monster who was killing men left right and centre and he promised to present the monsters head to the king of the neighbouring land the following morning and the head was presented!! but pride comes before a fall!! so be prepared for a surprise if surprise it is!!

[Al Burke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stellar

A fine rift on the story of Beowulf, written in a suitably archaic tone. A longer story would have been fun to read.

[Gabby · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5*

[Kim Fry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this in exchange for an honest review. This is the first I have read of Robertson's but I found myself pleasantly surprised. HIs writing style matches the retelling of Beowulf, though some of the character titles and information were hard to retain simply because as a short story, it's hard to make a lasting impression to make me remember who is who and what their title is. This is a great short story and the overall arc from beginning to end is interesting and captivating.

[David Wiley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This short story was a fun read. The influences of Beowulf were evident from the beginning of the tale and woven into elements and interactions throughout. I loved the use of kennings, such as whale-road, throughout the story as that was a technique used frequently by the Old English poets. The tale is told in prose form and is short, but definitely worth the price of purchase. I had to read the ending twice simply because it was not what I expected and had to be certain I didn't miss something. I only wish it hadn't ended so soon!

[Jin · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing read. I felt I was right there in the story, which had me ducking my head now and again and looking over my shoulder. This story is so well written and has such a draw that I would gather that I am going to reread this a few times throughout the year. Especially when I need a good pick me up from the mundane normal life of a full time job. This is a great escape from a stale world.

[Joshua Blum · Rating 5 out of 5]

Didn't see the ending coming

Wonderfully allegorical retelling of the Beowulf saga, boastful overconfident hero and all, with a post-modern twist amid descriptions that bring the salty Norse air and gloomy kingdom to life.

[Wendy Strain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this short story. Joshua really coveys the mood through his use of language, a skill you don't see all that often anymore. Almost immediately, I completely bought into the whole Beowulf atmosphere of the story and enjoyed the perspective. Entertaining way to spend a quick break.

[M.J. Moon · Rating 5 out of 5]

SHORT BUT EPIC
This story echoes The Lord of the Rings but with smooth, modern language.
His interpretation of the not very reader friendly Beowulf is unique and beautifully written.