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A review by booksbythewindow
All the Horses of Iceland by Sarah Tolmie
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
For full review: https://booksbythewindow.wordpress.com/2023/03/29/all-the-horses-of-iceland/
Summary: All the Horses of Iceland follows Eyvind, a man from Iceland who joins a group of traders hoping to buy horses from Mongolia to bring and sell all the way back in Iceland. During the long and dangerous journey, which takes several years, Eyvind meets an eclectic group of characters and stumbles unexpectedly into a supernatural situation that will have a lasting impact on him and the mythology of Iceland.
Overall Thoughts: As is often the case with a mythological narrative, it took me a little while to adjust to the writing style and, particularly, the matter-of-fact way in which Tolmie takes the reader quickly from one incident to another with little time to reflect. For me, the middle section of the narrative, in which Eyvind, David, and the rest of the traders come to rest and negotiate with one of the Monogolian villages only to discover that the village is dealing with a draining supernatural crisis, was the most engaging part of Eyvind’s journey.
Overall, I enjoyed this novella and it was a quick read once I adjusted to the writing style. I thought that the protagonist was interesting and grounded the mythological elements of the narrative well, although I perhaps would have liked to see more of the longer term effects of his journey towards the end. I would recommend All the Horses of Iceland to those who enjoy mythological or legend-based narratives, particularly traditional fairy tales or folk tales as the writing style is similar.
Summary: All the Horses of Iceland follows Eyvind, a man from Iceland who joins a group of traders hoping to buy horses from Mongolia to bring and sell all the way back in Iceland. During the long and dangerous journey, which takes several years, Eyvind meets an eclectic group of characters and stumbles unexpectedly into a supernatural situation that will have a lasting impact on him and the mythology of Iceland.
Overall Thoughts: As is often the case with a mythological narrative, it took me a little while to adjust to the writing style and, particularly, the matter-of-fact way in which Tolmie takes the reader quickly from one incident to another with little time to reflect. For me, the middle section of the narrative, in which Eyvind, David, and the rest of the traders come to rest and negotiate with one of the Monogolian villages only to discover that the village is dealing with a draining supernatural crisis, was the most engaging part of Eyvind’s journey.
Overall, I enjoyed this novella and it was a quick read once I adjusted to the writing style. I thought that the protagonist was interesting and grounded the mythological elements of the narrative well, although I perhaps would have liked to see more of the longer term effects of his journey towards the end. I would recommend All the Horses of Iceland to those who enjoy mythological or legend-based narratives, particularly traditional fairy tales or folk tales as the writing style is similar.