Gunnar Theodór Eggertsson
Author & animal studies academic
Fiction
A Place For My Stuff.
Lake of Fire
Electronic artist and musical misfit Gríma has arrived in East Iceland to play at the Eistnaflug metal festival, although she generally has little in common with metalheads and feels the festival much too mainstream for her eclectic taste. But the trip turns out to be a turning point in Gríma's life, because in the town of Neskaupsstaður she comes across an old, Swedish folk album that is connected to a mysterious and violent murder case in the early 1970s. And before long, an ancient piece of music has caught a supernatural hold of the young musician.
Lake of Fire is a philosophical horror story about music that strikes a new chord in Icelandic literature. The setting shifts between contemporary Iceland and Sweden's "progg" era, but also travels far and wide in time, from prehistory into the future, as humanity's relationship to music is examined from an unexpected and often dark perspective.
Filmmaker Asbjorn Axel agrees to try to locate an Icelandic animal rights activist who has disappeared without a trace in the Netherlands. Little does he know that his search for Solveig Boer will lead him down a strange and perplexing path, nor what unforeseen discoveries await him in the colourful company of European animal advocates.
Slaughter Season is a darkly funny and thrilling tale of an
unexpected journey that sheds light on the many sides of this pressing social issue.
"Gunnar Theódor has managed to write an entertaining and at the same time poignant novel about an interesting subject that is rewarding for all those who care about the welfare of both animals and humans."
Brynhildur Björnsdóttir / Fréttablaðið
"...a great story about the coexistence of animals and humans that moves the reader and keeps him engaged until the end."
Alexander Gunnar Kristjánsson / Morgunblaðið
Ima finds herself trapped within the ruins of an ancient palace when suddenly a mysterious white cat appears, guiding her deep into the heart of the mountain. Meanwhile, Andreas is abducted by the elves and to make matters worse, his nemesis, the prince, has found Unseen Isle and sets out to seek revenge. The fate of the island now rests in the hands of Ima and Andreas, as they must unravel the mountain’s mysteries and unite its inhabitants against their enemies.
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"The Mystic Mountain trilogy is a classic fantasy … a very well-crafted trilogy … The narrative style is light and entertaining … The story is complex and exciting."
María Bjarkadóttir / City of Literature
The second book in a brand new and thrilling fantasy series with a story that includes rich illustrations.
Andreas and his fellow travellers have settled at the Unseen Isle. There the elves make them feel welcome though not without keeping a certain distance. Ima struggles with her witchcraft training and learns of a terrible secret hidden in the mountain. The true darkness of the island, however, does not appear until night falls…
"Gunnar succeeds in creating a believably fantastical world in this story, like so many times before. He is not afraid to connect two worlds, the world of humans and the world of fairy. He challenges young readers with chilling descriptions and sometimes pulls no punches. The book is pleasantly illustrated with pictures by Fífa Finnsdóttir."
Rósa Harðardóttir / Morgunblaðið
Witches’ Brew is the first book in a brand new and thrilling fantasy series for children and young adults with a story that includes rich illustrations.
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Ima is not happy with her life. She gets stuck with all the worst chores on the island while her sister gets to learn magic from the witches! Andreas is learning to be a blacksmith from his father on the mainland but dreams of becoming a knight and all the heroic adventure it entails. Fate has something else in store for both of them, however, and soon a series of surprising and terrifying events turn their lives upside down.
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"All in all, this is a greatly enjoyable and exciting piece of work, and readers will no doubt be anxiously awaiting the next book in the series. Let us hope that it comes out as soon as possible."
Ragnhildur Þrastardóttir / Morgunblaðið
Var and her friends gather at a fantasy book festival abroad to see their idol – Bjorn Kraksson, the mysterious author behind the Disa book series. But Bjorn lets them down and then disappears without a trace. After this, the teenagers can barely believe their eyes, as it seems like the entire setting of the book series, with its monsters and endless marvels, begins to spill over into reality.
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Dream-Disa is Eggertsson’s third book about the girl who was once a regular teenager in Reykjavik, vanished after an adventurous battle in a far-off land, but lives on through the writings of Bjorn, her friend from the past. Gunnar displayed uncommon imagination in his previous books, Dead-Disa and Devil-Disa, and he doesn’t compromise in this final installment of the series.
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"Dream-Dísa is a surreal ending to the Disa-trilogy and, like the previous books, full of Gunnar Theodór's incredible imagination."
Katrín Lilja / Lestrarklefinn
Disa looks like a perfectly normal high school student, but this is far from the truth. In reality, she is three hundred years old with magical powers, powers she’s used to battle monsters and demons from the past. These days, she only uses her powers for fun, but in a reckless moment, she inadvertently awakens an unknown force, sending her on a life-threatening adventure.
Devil-Disa is a stand-alone continuation of Dead-Disa, which received universal critical acclaim when it came out in 2015.
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"Galdra-Dísa is complex and thought out, with many intertwining threads that form a really well-crafted and exciting story ... it is very engaging and easy to immerse yourself in the reading. Here is a real fantasy that makes the reader think and really leaves an impression."
María Bjarkadóttir / Bókmenntir.is
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"Gunnar Theodór has an almost limitless imagination that takes flight in the books about Dísa."
Ágúst H. Ingólfsson / Stundin
When everything goes haywire between Disa and the most popular clique in the ninth grade, she flees with her parents to the country. Three hundred years earlier, a boy sits in the same valley, waiting for a Skoffin — a mythical creature with a lethal gaze — to be born, even though there’s a strict ban on raising such a monster. Neither one of them knows it, but soon Disa and Bjorn’s paths will cross and set off a course of events that will surpass all the monster stories the world has ever known.
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"The book is a thrilling reworking of the Icelandic folkloric heritage... Gunnar also deserves praise for how well he manages to create funny and lively characters... Drauga-Dísa is an exciting adventure story that comes highly recommended."
Sólveig Ásta Sigurðardóttir / DV
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"Dísa is a good protagonist, reasonably fragile and fragile but a tough tool when it comes down to it... The progress is fast and pleasantly divided between time periods... a particularly fine fusion of antiquity and modernity, an exciting story and pleasantly horrifying."
Árni Matthíasson / Morgunblaðið
Bergur wakes up one day and the sun is high in the sky, but everything else is unfamiliar. The world is grey and dull, ruled by the Stone Creatures – terrifying monsters with slimy arms and razor sharp claws… However, Bergur is not alone in the world.
A mysterious, cape-clad girl follows him at every turn. She is born into this gritty world and has never known anything but monsters and hardship. They set out on a dangerous journey together with a precious item in a bag – possibly mankind’s only hope to beat the Creatures and reclaim the planet.
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"A great, fun, exciting, original and creepy story that raises moral questions about man's relationship with nature."
Brynhildur Heiðar- og Ómarsdóttir / Fréttablaðið
How can a dog turn into a statue? That is somewhat mysterious but exactly what happened: Ring, old Ulf’s dog turned into a statue and immediately all the grown-ups in our village behaved as if he’d never existed. And Ring wasn’t the only animal to disappear without a trace leaving a stone statue behind. We had to get to the bottom of it. Which is why Erla, Haukur, and myself entered Dark-cave on a more adventurous quest than anyone could ever have foreseen.
Gunnar Theodór Eggertsson won the Icelandic Children's Book Award for this exciting story, which was unanimously praised by critics. According to the jury of the award, The Stone Animals is an exciting and original adventure story inspired by folk-tales and legends, yet totally unique.
"This is just like the wild sheep in the Westfjords that were not allowed to live in peace. If the animal cannot be properly defined, there is simply no room for it."
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"Not a gray area in sight."
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The position of the pet in urban society has long been unclear. It lives in a gray area between being a wild animal, a domestic animal and a family member. Any discussion about pets and pet regulations therefore risks becoming both complicated and unclear. This publication is intended as a contribution to that discussion.
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"This book is a fine contribution to conversations about cats and humans ... an idealistic book."
Kristín Heiða Kristinsdóttir / Morgunblaðið
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Download the e-book here (Icelandic only).
"He tells us that the couple only eat baby meat. That's why they didn't finish him off. Tasted the legs but fed the rest to the cat."
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"Vetrarsaga" received the Icelandic Criminal Society award (Gaddakylfan) for best horror story in 2005. Children in a small village have been disappearing and so far none of them have been returned alive. Several parents band together to track down the abductors and seek revenge. The story is a spin on folklore about the Icelandic Yule Lads.
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Read the story here (Icelandic only).
"Of course Katrín knew she couldn't go to the old ice city. She had heard stories about the cold and the frost and the terrible accidents that had happened long ago."
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In the distant future, Iceland is frozen and the population lives underground, where warmth can still be found. For teens Katrín and Lúkas life goes on as usual, until a new student joins their class - all the way from the stars.
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In an instant, everything changes. Who is this mysterious girl and what is waiting for them out on the ice?
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Fimbulvetur is a light reading book for teenagers, published by the Directorate of Education in Iceland. Illustrations are by Erla María Árnadóttir.
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Read the e-book here (Icelandic only).
On Thursday, April 2, 2020, the short story "The Mound" by Gunnar Theodór Eggertsson was broadcast on the National Radio Service (RÚV) for Children's Book Day. The story was specifically written for the occasion.
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Gunnar won the Icelandic Children's Book Award in 2008 for his first children's book, Steindýrin, and was nominated for the Icelandic Literature Award in 2015 for Drauga-Dísa.
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Download the story here (Icelandic only).
"He mustn't get scared. The monsters were just in the game. There were no real monsters."
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"Unless, of course, you count the bullies."
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The Three Heroes is the sixth book in the Sit and Read books series from the Directorate of Education in Iceland. The material is intended for children in junior and middle school.
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The story is about kids who play a role-playing game, but unexpectedly end up in a real adventure involving bullies and thieves.
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Read the e-book here (Icelandic only).
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"The eyes glowed like two spirit candles, the nose was stubby like a mushroom and the mouth resembled a tiny mailbox."
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"My name is Vélmar, answered the robot."
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The Robot in the Rye is the fifth book in the Sit and Read book series published by the Directorate of Education in Iceland. The material is intended for children in the youngest and middle levels of elementary school.
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The story revolves around Þóra, a young girl who goes on summer vacation to visit her father in East Iceland, where she stumbles upon a secret buried deep underground...
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Read the e-book here (Icelandic only).