The second volume in the Sister Bells Trilogy follows a new generation bound by an ancient prophecy, a missing tapestry, and a changing world. It is 1903. Twenty-two years have passed since the loss of Astrid Hekne. Her son, Jehans, lives a solitary life on a remote mountain homestead, making his living by fishing and hunting high above the village. One morning, Jehans shoots a massive wild reindeer--and comes face-to-face with a mysterious foreign hunter whose arrival alters his destiny forever.
Meanwhile, in Butangen, Pastor Kai Schweigaard remains consumed by guilt over the past. Obsessed with making amends, Kai searches for the long-lost Hekne tapestry, a medieval textile woven by the conjoined sisters that contains a chilling vision of Doomsday.
As Europe moves toward the turmoil of the 20th century, Jehans and Kai must confront family secrets, old rivalries, and the dangerous truth of the Hekne legacy.
Praise for Lars Mytting:
"A magnificent, sweeping novel... Mytting writes with extraordinary atmosphere, warmth, and detail." -- The Times (UK)
About the Author :
Lars Mytting is one of Norway's most celebrated contemporary novelists and writers. Born in Elverum in 1968, he worked as a journalist and editor before devoting himself full-time to writing. Mytting achieved major international renown with his historical fiction, beginning with The Sixteen Trees of the Somme, which won the Norwegian Bookseller Prize. His landmark Sister Bells Trilogy--comprising The Bell in the Lake, The Reindeer Hunters, and The Night of the Scourge--has established him as a master of atmospheric, folklore-infused historical sagas.
His works have sold over one million copies across nineteen languages, earning widespread critical praise for their rich characterizations, meticulous historical research, and deep reverence for Scandinavian landscape and tradition. He is also the author of the nonfiction phenomenon Norwegian Wood. Mytting lives near Oslo, Norway.
Review :
"A masterful and spellbinding piece of storytelling . . . The stories of three men are superbly merged, with each chapter having an enigmatic end - not wanting to end, but then instantly engrossing with the beginning of next chapter. The magnificently developed characters engage with their stories, exploring the ups and downs that life throws at them . . . A spellbinding tale with beautifully explored themes of life."
--Mystery and Suspense Magazine
"Lars Mytting's epic, enchanting historical novel The Reindeer Hunters ushers a remote Norwegian village into the modern age . . . In this spellbinding historical saga, love and lore have an alchemistic effect."
--Foreword Reviews, *starred* review
"The first novel of the trilogy was a hard act to follow, but Mytting has triumphed again with this sequel. As in the earlier novel, Deborah Dawkin is a sensitive translator. The books can be read as standalones, but there is a different richness in the combination, just as there is in the sound of two bells rung together rather than apart."
--Historical Novels Review
"The world Mytting creates is immersive, including descriptions of reindeer hunting and the feel of a scythe on a whetstone. The result is a fascinating story with centuries old echoes, their muted peal resonating like the separated sister bells."
--Booklist
