Upcoming release: November 5
Loss. Love. Land. Happy Never After.
The truth Maya fought for all her life turns out to be a lie a thousand years long. She neither understands nor knows how to wield her hidden power, simultaneously endless and limited, forcing her to face responsibility for the harm she causes and parry countless questions she has no answers to. Neither time nor space can stop her – but can she stop herself?
Bound with an unbreakable love spell, Magni and Thorolf, both raised in darkness and pain, only share one thing: the fear of revealing their truths. One was born to be a God; the other only knows a slave’s life. One craves peace and quiet; the other believes peace is a brief reprieve between wars. As they mourn those they have lost, the constant war of their own threatens to destroy all they have left – each other.
Haunted by Gods old and new, in the shadow of Odin’s raven, they head to conquer the new Ásgard. Apart from their demons, nothing and nobody is what it seems. Unwilling to give up love, freedom, or land they’re fated to live happily never after… unless destiny can be altered after all?
The book includes strong language, depictions of sexual, physical, and emotional violence. Full list of triggers will be made available before the book’s release.
Humorous Norse Mythology retelling
Norse Mythology for fans of Terry Pratchett, Douglas Adams, The Bloggess, and Calvin & Hobbes
Poor Odin only just started existing and already has a Universe to decorate, a smug Tree to ignore, and two competitive brothers who think they’d make better All-Fathers. His wife, who knows the future, won’t tell him a word because of his cheating, which he hasn’t even invented yet. Horrible things such as celery, mosquitoes, Loki’s dubious sense of humour, and people keep happening at him. The esteemed egg whisk and highly regarded feather duster? Not so much. There are only two sensible things Odin can do: 1) hang from the judgy Tree for nine days with a spear through his side and 2) drink from the Well of Wisdom, whose guardian, Sir Daddy Mímir, likes one-of-a-kind gifts. In his head, Odin’s idea seems wise…
Perfect for fans of Terry Pratchett, Douglas Adams, Jenny Lawson, and Calvin & Hobbes, Why Odin Drinks is suitable for readers aged 14+. The book features no graphic content, although some characters wish it would.
‘A delightfully quirky satire I didn’t know I needed.’ – Jenny Lawson, author of Broken (In the Best Possible Way)
‘So, I loved it! Here’s my quote: “Funny, quirky and surreal, this is the Norse myth you’ve been craving.” Will it do?’ – Joanne Harris, author of The Gospel of Loki and Chocolate
Bjørn Larssen is…
an award-winning author of historical fiction and fantasy, dark and funny in varying proportions. His writing has been described as ‘dark,’ ‘literary,’ ‘cinematic,’ ‘hilarious,’ and ‘there were points where I was almost having to read through a small gap between my fingers.’
His debut novel, Storytellers, won a Readers’ Favorite Gold Medal (Best Historical Fiction Novel) and was shortlisted for Eric Hoffer Grand Prize Award. His fantasy works, Children and Why Odin Drinks have been shortlisted for eleven (11) Indie Ink Awards – so far; Children was also nominated for a Stabby Award (Best Indie Novel of 2020). Bjørn is a Queer Indie Award laureate (best speculative fiction author) and very proud of it.
Bjørn has a Master of Science degree in mathematics, and has previously worked as a graphic designer, a model, a bartender, and a blacksmith (not all at the same time). He currently lives with his husband in Almere, which is unfortunately located in The Netherlands, rather than Iceland.
He has only met an elf once. So far.
His upcoming release, the second book in The Ten Worlds cycle – Land – is coming out on November 5, 2024.
Gripping historical suspense novel of Iceland
If you don’t tell your story, they will.
Iceland, 1920. Gunnar, a hermit blacksmith, dwells with his animals, darkness, and moonshine. The last thing he wants is an injured lodger, but his money may change Gunnar’s life. So might the stranger’s story – by ending it. That is, unless an unwanted marriage, God’s messengers’ sudden interest, an obnoxious elf, or his doctor’s guilt derail the narrative. Or will the demons from Gunnar’s past cut all the stories short?
Side effects of too much truth include death, but one’s true story is another’s game of lies. With so many eager to write his final chapter, can Gunnar find his own happy ending?
Bjørn Larssen’s award-winning, Amazon #1 best selling novel is an otherworldly, emotive Icelandic saga – a story of love and loneliness, relief and suffering, hatred… and hope.
‘These strange, sad, funny, murderous people will stay with me for a long time.’ – Annie Whitehead, author of The Sins of the Father
Eric Hoffer Grand Prize Award – Finalist
Readers’ Favorite Gold Medal – Historical Fiction
Discovered Diamond – Winner
Grimdark Norse mythology retelling
Defy the Gods. Forge your destiny.
Maya, fostered by the Gods and sent away to fend for herself, is fed up with a life of servitude and deception. To find and assemble the pieces of her real identity, she must embark on a perilous quest. Her only weapon is magic she doesn’t understand; her shield – defiance.
Magni, son of Thor, wants the quiet life of a blacksmith. But destiny has other plans. When his world is shattered, he’s thrust into a realm of chaos and conflict. With a heart that yearns for peace, Magni is forced to wield his hammer as a weapon to battle those for whom he is nothing but a tool.
Bound by circumstance, Maya and Magni form an unlikely alliance. Forced to confront their pasts, they must forge a future where they hold the reins of their own destinies. Love and loyalty will be tested as they fight to change the Universe, challenge the Gods… and survive their wrath.
2020 Stabby Nominee – Best Self-Published/Independent Novel
2022 Queer Indie Lit Award
2022 Picky Bookworm Award – Best Worldbuilding
‘Children is as actually less of a coming-of-age tale as it is a study of trauma, a commentary on classism and privilege, an observation on the expectations placed on each other by child and parent, and a questioning of what it says about us when one group of people can dehumanize another.’ – Grimdark Magazine
‘The main thing which struck me was how different it was. Completely unlike the mainstream trad published fantasy. Then I went off and had a little cry.’ – Tim Hardie, author of Hall of Bones and A Quiet Vengeance
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