Icelandic Fiction

Detective H. Grímsson is intelligent, hard as nails, and very resourceful. But he's also his own worst enemy. After an unfortunate shooting incident in Iceland's largest shopping mall on Christmas Eve, he's demoted to a police deputy in a small rural village in eastern Iceland. Grímsson's plan is to kick back, drink some beer, and enjoy this time away from home. When two young female hitchhikers disappear, Grímsson fears that the girls are lost in the highlands or have drowned in the glacial river. But then one of the girls wanders naked into the village and dies in Grimsson's arms.

After more than 20 years away, Alda Sigmundsdottir returned to her native Iceland as a foreigner. With a native person's insight yet an outsider's perspective, Alda quickly set about dissecting the national psyche of the Icelanders. This second edition, from 2018, contains new and updated chapters from the original edition, reflecting the changes in Icelandic society and among the Icelandic people since the book was first published in 2012.

Brought to you by Penguin. Four friends. One night. Not everyone will come out alive . . . The gripping stand-alone mystery from 'world-class crime writer' Ragnar Jónasson In a deadly Icelandic snowstorm, four friends seek shelter in an abandoned hunting lodge. Miles from help, and knowing they...

The poems of the Poetic Edda have waited a long time for a modern English translation that would do them justice. Here it is at last (Odin be praised!) and well worth the wait. These amazing texts from a 13th-century Icelandic manuscript are of huge historical, mythological, and literary importance, containing the lion's share of information that survives today about the gods and heroes of pre-Christian Scandinavians, their unique vision of the beginning and end of the world, etc.  

Iceland, the land of fire and ice, has a storied history. After the Norse discovered Iceland, they began to settle it, allying the island nation with Norway. However, as power shifted in Scandinavia, Iceland would come to be governed by Denmark for several centuries.

In this book, author Alda Sigmundsdóttir presents 20 translated elf stories from Icelandic folklore, along with fascinating notes on the context from which they sprung. The international media has had a particular infatuation with the Icelanders’ elf belief, generally using it to propagate some kind of “kooky Icelanders” myth. Yet Iceland’s elf folklore, at its core, reflects the plight of a nation living in abject poverty on the edge of the inhabitable world, and its people’s heroic efforts to survive, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

'Donald is a writer not only at the top of his game, but of the game' Giles Kristian, author of the Raven series'Donald delivers a masterclass' Theodore Brun, author of A Burning Sea'A gory, gleeful treat' The TimesThe greatest warriors are forged in the flamesTwo pagan fighters 771AD, Northern...

Translated from Icelandic by Victoria Cribb On a cold winter evening in a secluded fjord in Iceland, a neighbour visits the house of a family that has not been seen in a week. No one comes to the door when he knocks. After breaking down the back door, his worst fears are realised. Their home is...

Brought to you by Penguin. What happened to Lara? Iceland, 1956. Fifteen-year-old Lára spends the summer working for a couple on the small island of Videy, just off the coast of Reykjavík. In early August, the girl disappears without a trace. The mystery becomes Iceland's greatest unsolved...

Icelandic sisters Áróra and Ísafold live in different countries and aren‘t on speaking terms, but when their mother loses contact with Ísafold, Áróra reluctantly returns to Iceland to find her sister. But she soon realises that her sister isn’t avoiding her...she has disappeared. As she confronts Ísafold’s abusive, drug-dealing boyfriend Björn, and begins to probe her sister’s reclusive neighbours, Áróra is led into an ever-darker web of intrigue and manipulation.

'A tsunami of a thriller' - Amazon reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Another great read from Quentin Bates. For the second time in the series I found myself rooting for the 'bad guy'!' - Amazon reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ --------------- Reykjavík detective Gunnhildur 'Gunna' Gísladóttir does not...

On a snowy winter morning, an abandoned shipping container is discovered near Reykjavík. Inside are the bodies of five young women - one of them barely alive. As Icelandic Police detective Daníel struggles to investigate the most brutal crime of his career, Áróra looks into the background of a suspicious man, who turns out to be engaged to Daníel's former wife, and the connections don't stop there.

Brought to you by Penguin. One winter evening bestselling crime author, Elín S. Jónsdóttir goes missing. There are no clues to her disappearance and it is up to young detective, Helgi, to crack the case before it's leaked to the press. As he interviews the people closest to her – a...

Translation from Icelandic by Victoria Cribb 'Iceland's outstanding crime novelist' Daily Express On a jagged, bleak lava field just outside Reykjavik stands the Gallows Rock. Once a place of execution, it is now a tourist attraction. Until this morning, when a man was found hanging from it...

Translated from Icelandic by Victoria Cribb 'A magnificent writer' KARIN SLAUGHTER A murdered woman. A missing child. And a father intent on revenge. On a cold day in Reykjavik, a baby goes missing from her pram. When the child's blanket washes up on the beach, and the mother is found dead...

Translated from Icelandic by Victoria Cribb 'I love the Children's House series and Yrsa delivers again with The Doll. Such engaging characters and a compelling, twisted and creepy mystery - I couldn't put it down!' SHARI LAPENA 'Yrsa is a wonderful storyteller. Her stories are atmospheric...

Geologist Otto Lidenbrock is perusing an ancient Icelandic manuscript when he discovers a mysterious encrypted note. The message reveals the account of a sixteenth-century explorer who claims to have found a passageway to the center of the earth. In his quest to penetrate the planet’s...

Fall asleep fast a with Icelandic Fairy Tales: Soothing Bedtime Stories for Adults, an enchanting audiobook that will transport you to a serene world and effortlessly lull you into a restful slumber. This audiobook is designed to create the perfect ambiance for a restorative sleep experience.

Brought to you by Penguin. The final nail-biting instalment in the critically acclaimed Hidden Iceland series - FROM THE MILLION COPY BESTSELLING AUTHOR 'A world-class crime writer . . . One of the most astonishing plots of modern crime fiction' Sunday Times 'It is nothing less than a landmark...

Penguin presents the audiobook edition of The Island by Ragnar Jónasson, read by Amanda Redman. Four friends visit the island. But only three return . . . Detective Inspector Hulda Hermannsdóttir is sent to the isolated island of Elliðaey to investigate and soon finds haunting similarities...