Back to Thule

by Valerio Gargiulo

In 168 BC the Roman legions conquered Macedon, putting an end to the Antigonid dynasty in the Third Macedonian War. Apollonius was one of the 1,000 Achaean nobles who were transported to Rome as hostages.The Battle of Örlygsstaðir, the biggest battle fought on Icelandic soil, took place on August 21st, 1238. Gissur Þorvaldsson, a medieval Icelandic chieftain of the Haukdælir family clan, emerged victorious after a short battle.Naples, 28 February 2018. Valentino Voto decides to come back to Iceland with his new friend Marco. He wants to understand to what extent his first journey to that island existed only in his imagination.What do Apollonius, Gissur and Valentino have in common? How their epochs are connected? And if Gudrun, Valentino's platonic love, does exist in reality?Everything seems to revolve around the legend of Fenrir, a monstrous wolf of Norse mythology.

177 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 20, 2019

About the author

Valerio Gargiulo is an Italian-Icelandic writer of supernatural fiction and fantasy, based in Reykjavik, Iceland. He is a member of Rithöfundasamband Íslands, the Writers' Union of Iceland. Gargiulo has been active both in the field of legal advice and research. He studied at Reykjavik University and finished his Master of Laws in 2015. Previously, after completing a Bachelor of Laws at the University of Naples Federico II, he has been freelancing, drafting reports and legal agreements. He also worked as a preschool teacher and EEG technologist. He's the author of The Incredible Journey of a Neapolitan Puffin, Back to Thule, The Diabolical Miracles of Vesturbær, The Icelandic Saga of Valentino, and Elvira's Tales.

Reviews

[John Wallace · Rating 5 out of 5]

La storia che ci troviamo di fronte è un racconto misterioso ambientato tra ere distanti tra di loro (e cioè la Repubblica romana, l'Islanda medioevale e i giorni nostri) che sono in qualche maniera collegate tra di loro. Da un lato abbiamo una trireme greco-romana inviata in missione alla ricerca dell'isola di Thule (l'Islanda moderna) narrata nei diari del navigatore greco Pitea. Da un altro l'Epoca degli Sturlungar, il più violento e sanguinoso periodo della storia dell'Islanda, durante il quale Gissur Þorvaldsson esce vincitore dalla battaglia di Örlygsstaðir, a seguito della quale accade qualcosa di inspiegabile ad uno dei suoi uomini più fidati. Infine il protagonista Valentino Voto, già comparso nel precedente libro L'Incredibile Viaggio di un Pulcinella di Mare Napoletano, che desidera ritornare a Reykjavik con un suo amico per continuare i suoi studi sull'occulto e sulle leggende locali. Il clima della storia è ricco di tensione e coloi di scena. Sembra essere immersi in un mondo dove tutto sembra capovolto, che trascina il protagonista verso una sorta di ravvedimento... Finale meraviglioso.

[Anna Marteinsdóttir · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing, intelligently written, mystery and occult puzzle novel written by a favorite Italian author. This was a fascinating novel; the plot was complex and the climax was interesting. 'Back to Thule' is a page-turner by its ability to insert the reader into the world of Icelandic sagas and historical mysteries.

[Matias · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un libro diverso dal solito, con storie che si intrecciano, mondi paralleli e culture lontane tra loro ma in qualche modo vicine. Veramente bravo Valerio Gargiulo nel costruire questa trama originalissima. Lo consiglio vivamente agli amanti del mistero e dei romanzi storici.

[Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic adventure which follows the privious magic story:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4...

A book to read all in one place.

[Luisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Libro interessante, l'ho trovato molto originale soprattutto il racconto paralello di tre epoche distinte tra di loro, ma in qualche modo interconnesse.

[Jesus Sanchez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm fairly new to Valerio Gargiulo, and I picked this book as my second due to all the glowing reviews. I'm not going to go into great detail except to say that this is definitely worth the read. The version I got had a preface about things Gargiulo added back in after cutting the original release, so I was happy to have the complete version. Very interesting the info about the Icelandic magical staves. I would say that only one thing I would have liked a bit more on was the history of Valentino Voto from his own point of view. Other than that, it still gets 5 stars from me.

[Rossella Mennella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Una storia sorprendente, diversa dal solito racconto di fantasmi che, passa attraverso tre epoche, ognuna collegata tra loro attraverso sogni, premonizioni e avvenimenti storici. Tre storie che, si incrociano e che lasciano con il fiato sospeso!

[Elvira · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un bel libro che coinvolge il lettore e lentamente lo trascina a porsi domande non solo sulla storia di Valentino, Apollonide e Gissur che sono connesse in qualche modo tra di loro, ma anche su temi quali il significato della nostra vita, l'aldilà, il confine tra il bene e il male.

[Lucia So. · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Ritorno a Thule' è una storia originale. Dello stesso scrittore ho letto 'L'Incredibile Viaggio di un Pulcinella di Mare' e mi è piaciuto. Questo libro è una sorta di romanzo storico con risvolti paranormali, dove sono trattati temi molto affascinanti e misteriosi.

[Rita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mi è piaciuto tantissimo,un libro che ti appassiona già dalle prime pagine.Tra storia greca e storia islandese e tra sogno e realtà non vedi l'ora di arrivare al fondo e quando ci sei ti dispiace che sia finito!
Lo consiglio caldamente.

[Melany · Rating 5 out of 5]

Took it with me on a cruise and it started out really slow to feed you all the facts. Then it got better and better enough so that I didn't even go on deck at night. First to supper, then to bed to read and hope all the puzzles got solved.

[Selma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Generally I only review books that I love or hate. I loved this novel storyline structure about three different eras. I didn’t want to put it down. Some of it was predictable but I enjoyed his style of writing and will read more from Valerio Gargiulo in future.

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Una storia originale, veramente ben strutturata, avvincente e interessante per quanto riguarda le nozioni storiche e folkloriche, senza però scadere nel saccente o nel supponente. Prende già dalle prime pagine.

[Renate · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was intrigued by the first one, The Incredible Journey..., and so I decided to read also the sequel. Well, I am not disappointed. A fun and original setting to carry you from revelation to revelation. Highly recommended novel.

[Sigrún · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the previous one, The Incredible Journey of a Neapolitan Puffin, and I bought this one from Amazon. It's a an intriguing plot, I am curious to know what will be the next sequel.

[Dario Farruggia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book! Well done Valerio! Back to Thule is a MUST read for everyone.

[Andre Abud · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great add to the collection! Thank you Valerio for your magical writing!!

[Viktor · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good second book by Valerio Gargiulo, I will be waiting for the third one.

[Linnea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great novel and series episode.

[Jonas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I seldom read this genre of novels, however, I found it absolutely reviting. I will definitely read more of Gargiulo's books in future.

[Lóa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read start to finish. Could not put it down once I started it. Highly recommended for any one to enjoy.

[Eleonora · Rating 5 out of 5]

Libro meraviglioso!

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was really exciting, really good. Valerio Gargiulo knows how to do his job.