Gudleik, son of the Skati of the Bear Clan of Freyr’s Land in Midgard, dreams of becoming a skald. From a powerful family and surrounded by success, he should have it all – instead he is shunned for being Loki-cursed and knows his doom is coming. Still he plucks his lyre…
On the other side of the known world, Rosmerta, daughter of Keandre, bloodsworn druid of the horned god Cernunnos of the Blessed Isles, is expected to follow in her father’s footsteps. But her own dream of following the bardic path seems just as out of reach as Gudleik’s. Her lute lies dusty in her cottage…
Cue the music: things go bonkers when the gods get revved up and start wreaking havoc throughout the Celtic and Norse countryside, calling our heroes to adventure. A weary Merlyn of Camelot sits in the middle of it all, forced into the mix by fate (and a rather inconvenient curse).
A real divine mess, the whole of creation gone sideways. A new beginning or the end of days? The souls of our heroes are on the line – it’s time to place your bets!
And get your free copy of the prequel to Andrew Marc Rowe’s epic and outrageous bawdy tale, The Druid Trilogy… that, as well.
Born and raised in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, Andrew Marc Rowe had no idea that the human psyche and the nature of reality were going to end up as his prime fascinations in life. Perhaps he had more than an inkling that he would wake up one morning as a jock doing sports things, given his penchant for nerdiness like mythology and fantasy and science fiction, but matters of the spirit and philosophy were the furthest things from his mind as an adolescent. More his speed were the most puerile and juvenile expressions of toilet and sexual humour offered up on silver platters by stand-up comedians and nascent Internet peeps.
People grow up, though, or so Andrew has been told. His interests expanded, limited world views were shattered, horizons increased in scope. Mental health problems became intractable, psychedelic medicines and following one’s dreams were recognized for their curative powers. Atheism became raving pantheism became ‘wrong question, dude’ as Andrew found himself no longer young enough to know everything or believe anything. Instead, he finds himself writing characters who think they know everything.
If you really want to stroke Andrew’s ego, tell him you’ve never read anything like his work before. It makes his writing nearly impossible to market but at least I’ve got chicken, as young Leroy Jenkins once proclaimed to a bunch of nerds in the mid-aughts.
What’s that? You want bog-standard biographical info? Lawyer, father of one, man nearing middle age who gets his jollies pushing and bending and licking the literary envelope.
Being told to read this first I am a little confused. However I hear in the future this will be conjoined with The Hammer Of The Gods. So without further ado I press forward because I want to see where this story goes. Give this bagged milk drinker a shot.
If you enjoy rude humor, Arthurian legends, and Norse mythology, this book is for you. If you’re curious about the combination of mythologies but don’t like rude humor, stop being a prude and try this book.
A rousing introduction to a very interesting series
I have read quite a few Arthurian tales and just as many Norse tales and have yet find ny one who write like Andrew Marc Rowe. He has a rousing sense of adventure that just so happens to be a tad raunchy to boot.
Top man bounces back and forth from several separate character sets, but it is all one story, unlike The Emerald Helm.
Rosemerta is an apprentice who has a job baking durable phallic bread. She is studying druidic arts and is being hassled by a fairy. She must be careful. Fairies want one thing from you and that is your soul.
Arthur is a bit of a character, very different than the one I grew up reading about and Merlyn, even more so. Merlyn will be faced with a very difficult decision in the future.
The norse gods are all over and making nonstop trouble, and getting ready for Valhalla, which keeps getting cancelled for some reason or other.
It is a good introduction to the next story, which is next on my list.
I am volunteering an honest review for the benefit of others.
Firstly if you are not happy with a truly bawdy tale this is not for you. It's an intriguing mix of Norse, Celtic and Arthurian legends with a story interweaving between all three. Our two main protagonists are interesting characters and it will be good to see where their fates lead them. It took me a while to get into who was who but well worth persevering with to see how the Gods are playing with the lives of us mere mortals. A short book but worth the read if you have a few hours to spare. I'll certainly try a few more from this author even though this is not the type of book that I would usually read. It's good to broaden your horizons though is it not? I received this book from the author via voracious readers only.