On the Shoulders of Otava

by Laura Mauro

Siiri Tuokkola takes up arms for the Women s Guard during Finland s 1918 Civil War along with her comrades. Stationed in a remote village outpost, rumours of strange things in the woods come to a head when Siiri s comrade Mirva goes missing in a blizzard. Determined to find her, Siiri braves the deep forest, where mysterious lights weave through the trees, and those who look upon them for too long may find themselves afflicted by a strange madness. But there are worse things in the forest than lights, and Siiri must face them if she is to find Mirva before it s too late.

Genres: Horror, Historical Fiction, Fiction, War, Paranormal, Novella, Speculative Fiction

55 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 30, 2020

About the author

Laura Mauro was born and raised in London and now lives in Oxfordshire. Their short story 'Looking for Laika' won the British Fantasy award for Best Short Fiction in 2018, and 'Sun Dogs' was shortlisted for the 2017 Shirley Jackson award in the Novelette category. In 2021, their debut collection Sing Your Sadness Deep won the British Fantasy Award for best collection, and short story 'The Pain-Eater's Daughter' won the British Fantasy Award for Best Short Fiction.

They are a former PhD candidate, whose research focused primarily on a theory of spectrality specific to Japanese horror fiction.

Laura likes Japanese ghosts (especially toilet ghosts), Finnish folklore and Russian space dogs. They blog (very) sporadically at lauramauro.com and can be found on bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/lauramauro.b...

Reviews

[Inna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tämähän oli tosi mielenkiintoinen tapaus. Kirjailijan nimen perusteella voisi äkkiä luulla että kyseessä on kotimainen kirja, mutta eheips, Mauro on syntyperäinen britti joka vaan on kiinnostunut Suomen mytologiasta ja historiasta, ja molemmat elementit ovat hyvin vahvasti läsnä tässä tunnelmallisessa pienoisromaanissa.

Hirmu kylmää ja ikävää on, nälkä kalvaa ja ties mitä harhoja näkyy, mutta Siiri ei anna periksi. Muutaman päivän ajalle sijoittuvassa tarinassa käydään läpi sodan kauhuja ja ihmetellään mytologioista tuttuja tarinoita karhun synnystä ja mystisistä aavevaloista joita eräs Osku näki ennen kuin kävi ryhmänjohtajansa kurkkuun kiinni hampailla. Mitä metsässä piilee ja päästäänkö sieltä pihalle hengissä, lukekaa itse.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Während des finnischen Bürgerkriegs 1918 kämpften auch junge Frauen auf der Seite der bolschewistischen Roten Armee, manche dem Mädchenalter kaum entwachsen.
Einer solchen Women´s Guard gehört Siiri an, Protagonisten in ON THE SHOULDERS OF OTAVA, einer so schlanken wie äußerst beeindruckenden Novelle.
Laura Mauro hat sich intensiv mit der Geschichte dieser Frauen beschäftigt (und empfiehlt Interessierten The Finnish Civil War 1918: History, Memory, Legacy). Ein weiterer Eckpfeiler der Geschichte sind finnische Folklore und finnische Mythen.

Während des aussichtsloser werdenden Kampfes gegen die Weiße Armee löst sich die 30-köpfige Gruppe der Women´s Guard auf, der Siiri angehört; viele der jungen Frauen fliehen, einige wenige ziehen weiter in Richtung Front. Siiri macht sich auf die Suche nach Mirva, die in einem Wald verschwunden ist und nicht wieder auftaucht.
Angst vor (mythischen) Bären und übernatürliche Lichterscheinungen, die angeblich jene um den Verstand bringen, die ihnen zu nahe kommen, bedrohen neben Schneestürmen, eisiger Kälte und Hunger das Leben der Frauen.

Es ist beeindruckend, wie es Mauro gelingt, auf 80 Seiten eine so stimmungsvolle und komplexe Geschichte zu erzählen, in der das Gefühl der Bedrohung und Aussichtslosigkeit niemals nachlässt. Zugleich gibt es im Kleinen Hoffnung, wenn allen grausamen Widrigkeiten zum Trotz Raum für Zuneigung und Zugewandtheit spürbar ist.
Hervorragend erzählt, komplex, emotional: ON THE SHOULDERS OF OTAVA ist eine sehr empfehlenswerte Novelle der noch jungen, aber schon mit Preisen ausgezeichneten britischen Autorin Laura Mauro. Das Buch ist bei ABSINTHE BOOKS erschienen, einem neuen Imprint von PS PUBLISHING.

[Steve Stred · Rating 4 out of 5]

** Edited as review is now live on Kendall Reviews! **

One thing I’ve loved about recently joining Kindle Unlimited (or subscribing is more accurate) is that it’s opened up a world of content for me that seems to slip through my cracks. I remember a number of months ago seeing ‘On the Shoulders of Otava’ being praised by someone on Twitter, but I foolishly forgot to write it down on my ‘books to investigate’ list.

Then, just a few days before I read this, it popped up on my ‘suggested for you’ on Amazon and instead of needing to wait for payday, I saw it was on KU and voila! Locked and loaded on the Kindle.

I went in fairly blind, expecting a snowy, creepy story based on the cover and knowing a bit about Mauro’s style of writing and boy was that correct.

What I liked: Have you read much Finnish Folklore? I may be the minority here, but as I’m working on a trilogy of books referencing some Finnish and Norwegian Folklore, I have a small grasp of some of the stories told over time, but this one hit some boxes that I hadn’t dived much deeper into yet.

The story follows a group of women soldiers during the 1918 Finnish Civil War. We get thrown into creepy right away when one of the male soldiers comes back from the woods ‘different’ and things go straight crazy. Mauro lets the time and setting do a lot of the dread building and as the women continue to march towards their commanded destination, a young girl comes along and the group splinters.

Mauro ramps things up even more as we get some background/folklore history shared and a number of the puzzle pieces click into place. Ultimately, we end up finding out characters moving deeper into the woods and every single horror reader out there knows – that’s never a good thing.

I loved the pacing of this book. It was reminiscent of an army moving forward. We’d get some slow down then a lot of action, followed by a slow down and more action. Mauro deftly weaves the winter weather and survival narrative around the human element and that worked to elevate the tension, that by the end of the book was palpable.

What I didn’t like: I finished reading this book last night and for the life of me, I can’t decide if we actually had a resolution or a ‘closing of ends.’ Maybe that was the point? Maybe I missed it and it just slipped right past me? It certainly didn’t dampen my experience, but it’s an odd thing to try and put a finger on something that my mind tells me should be there, but it can’t place it.

Additionally, for such a short book (listed at 55 pages) some parts are very dialogue-heavy. That definitely plays into the pacing of the book, but some may find it too much of a slow down.

Why you should buy this: Well, as I mentioned if you haven’t read much Finnish Folklore, this would be a fantastic book to dive into that world. Mauro writes with ease and grace but fills the pages with tension and dread. The story has a number of layers that whittle away at the reader and when all is said and done, you’ll want a blanket to warm yourself up, the snowy world feeling like a living and breathing entity.

[Luke Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not sure what genre I'd class this as or even if I would. Lit horror, maybe? Either way, it's a superb piece of work from Mauro who has to be one of the most interesting writers in the field (whatever that field is) today. Definitely one to check our and without a question, a writer to watch. I can't wait to see where she goes next.

[Simppu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sopivasti karmiva pienoisromaani naiskaartilaisista, joita vaanivat sekä luonnolliset että yliluonnolliset uhat. Suhtauduin etukäteen aika epäilevästi britin kirjoittamaan Suomen sisällissotaan sijoittuvaan teokseen. Kokonaisuus oli kuitenkin uskottava, mistä toki kiitosta myös kääntäjän ratkaisuille. Olisin kuitenkin suonut tämän olevan täyden romaanin mittainen, sillä paikoitellen tarina olisi kaivannut lihaa luidensa ympärille.

[Lotta · Rating 3 out of 5]

En ole ainut, joka tarttui tähän pienoisromaaniin luullen sen olevan suomalaisen kirjailijan teos (syytän tästä kirjailijan nimeä ja tarinan aihetta). Yllätyin siis hieman, kun tajusin kirjan olevan birttikirjailijan teoksen suomennos.

Tarinassa sisällissota ja kansanperinne nivoutuu kauniisti yhteen. Luulen kirjailijan käyttäneen Väinö Linnan "Täällä Pohjantähden Alla" teoksia taustatyössään, sillä jo ensimmäisillä sivuilla vilisee nimet kuten "Elina", "Aune" ja "Osku" 😆

[Runalong · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent creepy novella that takes history, folklore, atmosphere and gives us a truly memorable story

Full review - https://www.runalongtheshelves.net/bl...

[Marko Suomi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kiehtova kauhutarina, joka sijoittuu suomalaiseen sisällissotaan ja kansanperineeseen.

[Jess Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I often go through phases where the mere idea of picking up a book feels too much to handle, despite being a devoted reader my whole life. But if there’s one writer who can pull me away from these slumps, it’s Laura Mauro.
‘On the Shoulders of Otava’ is a beautiful book, both inside and out. It has the whimsical, strange, and beautiful style that I always look forward to from LM’s stories. The story itself is emotional, and pretty damn gorgeous. I was fully gripped and ready it all in one sitting. It’s magic, really, and like much of LM’s work, it reminds me just why I love books, and in particular those of the weird/horror variety. Highly recommended.

[Priya Sharma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Multi-award winner Laura Mauro takes the intriguing jumping off point of the 1918 Finnish Women's Guard. The novella is more than an examination of women at on the frontlines. Laura Mauro references regional folklore to create something even older and darker than war, something enduring that waits in the freezing shadows of the forest.

[Wilma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Horror book with Finnish civil war history and Finnish paganism. It was an interesting short story, not as horror as i had anticipated but all in all very interesting and creepy and i do love the Finnish mythology and i’m surprised to learn that the writer is actually British.

[Adam Sargant · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow... just. Wow. On the shoulders of Otava defies categorisation... folk horrorish, with strong elements of being inspired by myth, but it transcends any attempt to use any of these elements to box it in to a literary taxonomy. The writing and storytelling are exquisite, powerful and moving.

[Nighteye · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good story, interesting setting in Finland (was why I bought it) and a beautiful horror-like story waited inside. Recommended reading.

[Mikko Kinnunen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kelpo pienoisromaani! Kauhu ei pääsääntösesti oo miun genreä ensinkään, mut sisällissota, punaisten naiskaartit ja kansanperinne oli herkullinen tausta-asetelma. Tätä oisin mielelläni lukenu pitempänäkin, nyt jäi miun mielestä vähän lyhkäseks ja tunnelma tilkkasen lässähti jossain kohtaa. Kielestä tykkäsin, ja jos transLate luet tän, ni hyvin sie vejät!

[Smartie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A haunting and beautifully written story that kept me flipping pages, especially towards the climax!
I absolutely loved the myths and tales featured in it and I must say that I've become quite curious about researching more about the historical background of this novella.

[Satu Ylävaara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Luetut kirjat 54/2025: Arvostelukappale saatu kustantajalta, kiitoksia Haamulle. Laura Mauro: Otavaisen olkapäillä, Haamu 2024 🌲🌲🌲🌲
Luetut kirjat 54/2025: Laura Mauro: Otavaisen olkapäillä, Haamu 2024 🌲🌲🌲🌲. Kääntäjänä Lauri Lattu.

Arvostelukappale saatu kustantajalta, kiitoksia Haamulle.

Pieni, suuri kulttuuriteko! Tämmöinenkin helmi on olemassa, ja käännetty kielellemme. Olin myös KauhuCon 2024 tapahtumassa jossa kirjailijaa haastateltiin.



Kävin kuuntelemassa metsän huminaa, kuusien, mäntyjen, ja jatkoin tämän pienoisromaanin lukemista toukokuussa 2025, vaikka sain kirjan käsiini jo yli vuosi sitten. Mutta kirja ei happane, eikä aihe vanhene. Luin 28.05.2025.

Kirjan lukeminen, kokeminen oli vielä 2024 kesällä kesken, en löytänyt kesäisiä kuvia kun kuvasin kirjaa kuusikossa....

Paitsi nyt kun varmuuskopioin muistikortteja tikuille ja ulkomuistiin..

Aiheena huhtikuussa 2024 tuore kirja Otavaisen olkapäillä, kyllä vain, britin kirjoittama, ja kunnioittama, ja kantaa ottamaton spefi tai kumma sisällissodastamme, jota kutsun luokkasodaksi. Ei ihme, että aseisiin tarttuivat punaiset tytöt, duunarit, piiat eivätkä lahtari-mamsellit... Kirjassa ei näin todeta aikaan 82 ekaan sivuun, koska kantaa ei oteta. Mainio kirja vielä kesken ..

Itse asiassa en ole varma käyttäisinkö termiä spefi.

Ei, kyllä se on spefi.



Kirjoitan tätä hetken pyykkituvassa, ja kuinka hienoa on, että on mekaaninen, sähköinen pesukone, joka pesee pyykin, jota köyhän naisen ei tarvitse käsin pestä. Tai ainakaan täällä. Siinä. Huomasin etuoikeutetun asemani.

Minulle Suomen vuoden 1918 sisällissota, luokkasota on tullut tutuksi mm Anneli Kannon koskettavien, ja yhäkin aikaan sopivien romaanien ja näytelmien kautta. Terhi Tarkiaisen mainio vampyyriromaani Pure mua myös liittyi aiheisiin.

Kuvasin myös metsässä ja olin myös pihalla...



Kirja ei ole vaikea eikä raskaasti kahlattava. Se ei ole kulttuurista omimista.

Ja uudelleen luettuna kyllä jo sivulla 62 alkaen näkyi jako punaisiin ja valkoisiin. Punakaartin duunarityttöihin, jotka olivat piikoja ja tehdas työläisiä, ja halusivat parempia oloja ja tulevaisuutta solidaarisesti. Kun taas valkoisten mannerheimien sotimiseen koulutetut militantit aikuiset miehet varusteineen.



Pidin myös yliluonnollisesta puolesta, kotimaisesta kansanperinteestä, myyteistä ja sitten Kalevalasta.

[Gareth · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good show, starts in the dressing room
And work its way to the stage
Get Dressed - George Clinton (Computer Games)

With all books I have an appreciative look at the cover as an opener into the world, before diving into the story. However, with On the Shoulders of Otava, my attention was piqued from the first moment of holding it. The sepia toned cover, of a single trail of footprints drawing my eye deep into a dense birch woodland, then up to an ethereal brown bear shape almost as tall as the trees themselves.

The inside jacket design, is a wonderful backdrop of an old map of Finland and old grainy black and white photos of the Women's Guard of the red army taken during the Finnish Civil War of 1918. The photos are embraced by Finland’s national flower Lilly of the Valley. The cover and jacket are a wonderful prelude to the story.

It is early spring of 1918 with snow thick on the ground and just months after the Russian November 1917 revolution. We follow a small group of three Mirva, Siirri and Ester, who are determined to the find war front and fight. During the evening as they travel through the woods Mirva sees a light in the woods. Siirri wakes to find Mirva has gone and is determined to search for her friend.

As Siirri and Ester look for Mirva, they talk about their hopes for a better society after the war, of folklore and the myths and sacred stories of the bear. These aspects are wonderfully explored as the characters interact. Siirri is split between split between the stark brutality and reality of the war and the intangible folk tales. Laura Mauro has created characters that you want to care about in their plight in a hostile environment.

This is a superb gripping story, set in events of huge political upheaval that had an impact in Finland for generations, the folklore theme is beautifully interwoven through the story.

This edition of On the Shoulders of Otava is something special to read and hold.

[Silvi · Rating 5 out of 5]

A haunting and gripping story from the first page to the last with the absolutely beautiful prose that one can come to expect with Mauro. I made an attempt not to read it in a single day but it was a futile attempt - impossible to put down. The way Finnish folklore and the historical setting (so well-researched, once again as how I came to expect with Mauro. their writing really set a different standards for it) mixes with the horror elements is flawless and smooth, just delicious. It's always interesting how their writing portrays and interacts with authority- it's always the malicious, not even neutral or uncaring, authority, be that a person or the system vs. the power and value of human connections, however unconventional they are. Always on the side of the underdog, of those in the cracks of society. On the shoulders of Otava is a fascinating and a well rounded read that I can only recommend to anyone interested! Or to the not interested. Because after a few pages you will be, anyway. A great read, can't wait to see what the author will come up with in the future!

[Kit Power · Rating 5 out of 5]

On The Shoulders Of Octova feels like yet another step-change from Mauro, in terms of both ambition and realisation. She has crafted a brilliantly grounded tale, full of raw humanity and the grime of precarious existence, and woven it through with a beautiful and haunting mythlore in such a way that both seemingly disparate, clashing elements actually serve and enhance each other: in doing so she has created a tale that is as achingly beautiful as it is bruised, and as hopeful as it is angry… and one of the best things I’ve read this year.

Highly recommended.

Full review: https://www.gingernutsofhorror.com/fi...

[Christopher Teague · Rating 4 out of 5]

In a scant 80 pages, Laura Maura fills this novella with a plethora of Finnish folklore and legend which could quite possibly be used by Visit Finland to boost tourism.

Set during the Finnish Civil War of 1918 - which I barely knew existed - it follows a group of female fighters, focussing on the level-headed Siiri who, after a confrontation with the unhinged Ester, goes searching for Mirva within the forest hinterland, where she learns of the ethereal ghostlights...

Brilliantly written with meticulous research, Mauro tells a story that falls between horror and fantasy, and is not in particular either.

Well worth reading and recommended.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in the Finnish Civil War of 1918 and revolving around a small group of the Women's Guard this novella is a compellingly written and believable story of madness and myth, where hallucinations possibly brought on by fatigue and hunger might also have a representation in the real world. The prose cannot be faulted, and I was impressed with the telling of the story which is dreamlike and subtle, and which eschews being explicitly horrific in favour of ambiguity and beauty. This is the best kind of fantasy, that which maps quite readily onto a common understanding. I'm increasingly impressed with the assuredness of Mauro's writing and this tale is equal to her skills. Seek it out.

[Salla Hiltunen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tunnelmallinen kauhupienoisromaani, jossa yhdistyvät Suomen sisällissota, naiskaartit ja kansanperinne. Kirjan on kirjoittanut Suomen historiasta ja kansanperinteestä innostunut brittikirjailija, mikä vähän hämmensi minua, mutta lopputulos on ihan mainio.

Yleensä inhoan kirjoissa kaikkia turhanpäiväisiä alku- ja jälkisanoja. Vähän kiristelinkin hampaitani sille, että tässä on mukana paitsi kirjailijan jälkisanat, myös Marko Hautalan alkusanat ja vielä suomentajankin sanaset. Onneksi kaikki sanailevat kuitenkin asiansa napakasti. Tässä tapauksessa jälkisanat olivat myös jopa ihan kiva lisä, koska Mauro taustoittaa niissä vähän sitä, miten hän on päätynyt kirjoittamaan Suomesta.

[Jolyon Tuck · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who wouldn’t love a ghost story caught up in Finnish folklore where you meet a group of ladies armed in the Women’s Guard during the 1918 Civil War and people are disappearing as they follow lights through the snow into forest?

Beautiful storytelling that introduced me to myths I didn’t know in a historical setting I’d not previously encountered through characters I believed in immediately. Spot on.

[Kozionogin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mauro's incredible, flowy prose sunk its claws into me and wouldn't let me go until the very end, proven by the fact that I read this in a single sitting. The entirety of the book is filled to the brim with atmosphere so palpable that it'll make you feel icy cold, as if you're right there in the snowy forests of Finland along with the protagonist. A fantastic story that holds you on the edge of your seat for the entirety of the ride, and most definitely a recommended read

[Jonathan · Rating 2 out of 5]

The folklore stories and quoted parts of the Kalevala were more interesting and beautiful than this novella which attempted to integrate them in itself. Unfortunately the story itself is boring, not particularly badly written but just doesn't do anything interesting with the way it attempts to integrate folktales and mythology. American Gods does it but even Percy Jackson does it better...

[Henna Pöntinen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Teoksessa oli jotain miksi lukeminen tökki.Mielestäni jotenkin hidastempoinen ja hiukan tylsiäkin.Kirjoitustyylinek oikein ollut mieleeni,joten se nyt ainakin vaikutti lukukokemukseeni.

Aihe teoksessa oli erittäin mielenkiintoinen ja olisin halunnut nauttia tästä,mutta jostain syystä ei uponnut muhun lähes lainkaan.

[Dima · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting premise. Characters with huge potential. Just badly executed. Lands flat on its face. Not sure what the fuss is all about. Not sure I can see a talent in this writing. Above average is perhaps the best thing I can say.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ooh that was good! Set during the Finnish civil war with lots of Finnish folklore woven throughout!
There's parts of The Kalevala at the start of each chapter and it took me far too long to realise why it was so familiar - Turisas's Cursed Be Iron is based on the Kalevala. Loved it!

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written, evocative & gripping - I read in one day & didn’t want the story to end!

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

4+