The Thrall's Tale (2006)

I really wanted to like this book, the writing was good and the setting was intriguing to me, but the execution/storyline was boring as all hell.

This was one of those stories where you hold your breath waiting for something to happen, and nothing ever does. There were some moments that had me hopeful, but then the characters were like "nah, bruh" before going about their way.

The most interesting part of this book were the historical notes at the very end. You can tell the author did her research, but the story was just incredibly bland. ( )

I really wanted to like this book, the writing was good and the setting was intriguing to me, but the execution/storyline was boring as all hell.

This was one of those stories where you hold your breath waiting for something to happen, and nothing ever does. There were some moments that had me hopeful, but then the characters were like "nah, bruh" before going about their way.

The most interesting part of this book were the historical notes at the very end. You can tell the author did her research, but the story was just incredibly bland. ( )

Interesting novel concerning the early settlement of Greenland, as told by three women: One, a thrall [slave]; her daughter born of a violent rape; and a seeress. The mother and daughter hate each other: there's also a bit of jealousy on the daughter's part. The seeress takes both of them into her house. Culture clash involving the coming of Christianity to the island. Somewhat melodramatic. Meticulously researched, but sometimes the telling falls into purple prose--fault of a pseudo-bardic language the author adopts, which is not always successful and sometimes seems forced. Life in medieval Greenland was certainly gloomy and grim. ( )

As much as I wanted to like this book, it's been a disappointment. Disappointment perhaps because there was so much promise and potential, but unfortunately, the story never captured my interest or imagination.

Katla is a slave girl, or thrall, in Iceland in AD985. When her master decides to move his household to Greenland, she too has to make the a perilous journey to an unknown land. With her, however, travel old grudges and troubles, and she is brutally raped and disfigured, scarred for life, by her master's son. She is also pregnant. Her master sells her to the seeress Thorbjorg and it is on her property that Katla's daughter Bibrau is born. Katla hates her child from the first, while Thorbjorg is drawn to her, feeling that the child shares her mystical powers and teaches her everything she knows, and perhaps more than she intends. All of which with disastrous results.

I didn't really connect with any of the characters, and I found it hard to find much to like about any of them. The constant stream of hatred between mother and daughter was particularily depressing and I would have liked to see Katla, for all she's been through, to eventually overcome some of the obstacles put in her path, rather than just being bitter and hateful.

There was a lot of historical detail about everyday life, which I really did appreciate. I also liked the parts of Norse mythology spread throughout the story and I did like the writing. Ultimately though, the story was dreary and repetitive, the characters underdeveloped and the outcome unsatisfactory.

( )

What led me to read this novel was that I am fascinated by Norse culture, and this time period was a particularly interesting time in Norse lore. The size of the novel seemed daunting, but I still was on board with it. Unfortunately, this novel didn’t even come close to delivering on any type of promise. The story is a long-winded affair following a slave girl, Katla, as she goes on the initial voyage with Eric the Red as he founded Greenland and her life in Greenland.

The first thing about this novel that bothered me is that it was so overwritten. The author could easily have cut this novel in half and not missed a beat. There just wasn’t enough content to support a novel of this size. The story rotated in narration between Katla, her mistress Thorbjorg, and her daughter Bibrau. When the novel is narrated by Thorbjorg or Bibrau, it does nothing at all to move the story along. I think all of this narration could be entirely removed. Furthermore, the narration of Bibrau was ridiculous. When it starts, she is a young child yet narrates as if she were a fully grown woman. The characters were poorly developed and I didn’t care a bit for any one of them. I’m not sure who was more annoying Katla or Bibrau. It’s a toss-up. The only thing that I enjoyed about the novel was the afterword written by the author where she describes much of her research for the novel. This is a novel that you should definitely skip.

Carl Alves – author of Two For Eternity ( )