Today I have another anthology recommendation for you all! 🙂 Althingi: The Crescent and the Northern Star is a collection of fourteen stories about the interaction between the Vikings and the Islamic world. Co-edited by authors Muhammad Aurangzeb and Joshua Gillingham, whose name might sound familiar from The Gatewatch and our interview, I enjoyed each and every single one of these stories. I was fascinated by the setting and loved learning about different perspectives through the numerous characters I met. Read on for the synopsis and my thoughts.
In our increasingly polarized world there is an urgent need for cross-cultural conversations, bridges of understanding between people of different beliefs, and a recommitment to a common understanding of our shared history: the history not of any one particular group but of humanity itself. Althingi: The Crescent and the Northern Star, co-edited by Muhammad Aurangzeb Ahmad (A Mosque Among the Stars, Islamicates) and Joshua Gillingham (The Gatewatch, Old Norse for Modern Times), is an anthology of historical fiction which explores the intricate and often-overlooked interactions between intrepid Viking voyagers and inquisitive emissaries from the powerful Islamic kingdoms. Featuring stories by an incredible slate of authors writing in the historical Althingi universe, Althingi: The Crescent and the Northern Star offers a glimpse into a fascinating forgotten past and will prove a must-read for fans of both Viking and Islamic history.
Content Notes include violence.
Thoughts on Althingi
Althingi: The Crescent and the Northern Star is the perfect book to read around a fire. Each story is beautifully written and focuses on not just interesting characters, but also portrays the interplay between the people of different religions and belief systems. Here is a little something about each story:
- Speaking with Giants is about finding a common ground to love each other and being open to learn from our differences while finding joy in our similarities. This sets the stage for the whole collection very well, bringing up the prominent themes and messages right away!
- The Blasphemy of the Gods had the most immersive storytelling. Travelling allows us to gain a broader worldview and experience things we won’t be able to if we always lived in the same place. Interacting with people of different cultures can lead to a fateful encounter with a god.
- I loved the spirit of The Short Tale of Thurid the Exasperated in learning other customs.
- Torunn Unhoused is one of my favorites around-the-fire tales. It has ghouls, hauntings, personal demons, friendships and much more!
- What a Miserable Drink, and What a Terrible Place is about two political representatives coming to an understanding, noticing the similarities in their rituals and words. This one reminded me of constantly making progress and facing each day head on.
- The Saga of Aud the Seeress is the heartbreaking story of a seer who had been wrongly accused. Interwoven with beliefs, Aud’s story explores what it is like to discover companionship with other cultures.
- Dragoslava Dreadkeel is the story of a warrior princess whose family is massacred and she finds unlikely companions and friends.
- The Gold of Iskander made me ponder scacrifices and executing the will of god.
- Exiles is the story of unlikely friendships and lost love.
- Wave Runners is about a child’s commitment to stand with his family.
- A Clah in Kaupang questions loyalty and what it means to know people.
- Sif the Fair was another immersive tale! I really liked the significance of relationships between different places is emphasized through trade.
- In Sky of Bronze, a Northman and a Muslim journey together to Mecca. On the way they are faced with two truths – one that religion doesn’t stop hatred, and second, that we all carry wounds.
- So do I write and color the runes is uniquely written with stories about Odin interwoven between the main plot, this is a beautiful end to the collection. An unforgettable tale that brings it all together.
As you can probably guess from the cover, each chapter comes with its own character art. I liked that aspect of the book as it helped me paint the picture of these people and places much easily in my mind.
I have been reading a lot about Norse mythology lately and I am glad I picked up this book around the same time as reading The Goddess of Nothing At All. It was nice to see characters discuss Thor and Loki while reading about them as characters themselves in another book. I have watched shows like the Vikings and what comes to mind is the Northmen interacting with Christianity and the crown. Althingi gave me a glimpse into life that co-existed at the same time. As people were traveling and establishing trade routines, it makes sense that the Vikings interacted with other religions and people from other regions – I had just never pondered that before!
With strong characters and immersive storytelling, Althingi is a thoughtful read about people who think they are very different making friends and peeling away the prejudices they might hold.
Will you pick up this book?
Althingi: The Crescent and the Northern Star is now available. Be sure to check your local library and support them.
Amazon Print
Amazon Kindle
Many thanks to the publisher, Outland Entertainment, and Joshua Gillingham for providing me a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Cover image: Cover Photo by Aditya Vyas on Unsplash
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