by Anonymous
First published 2005
Grettir lives as an eleventh-century warrior in Iceland, clinging to the old heroic ways as Christianity spreads across his homeland. He cannot adapt to the peaceful farming life that others embrace. Instead, he fights both criminals and supernatural creatures that terrorize the countryside. After defeating the malevolent ghost Glam in combat, Grettir finds himself cursed. The curse condemns him to live alone, cut off from human society. He wanders the wilderness, battling giants, trolls, and berserks in solitude. His strength makes him formidable against monsters, but it cannot break the supernatural curse that keeps him isolated from the community he once knew. The story follows his struggle between the pagan warrior code he represents and the Christian world emerging around him.
Genres: mythology, historical-fiction, adventure, fantasy
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, suspenseful
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, man-vs-nature
Setting: Iceland
Period: 11th-century
267 pages · Paperback · Penguin Classics