(no subject)

[skygiants]

I really wanted to write up Sarah Tolmie's novella All the Horses of Iceland immediately after reading it, but for various reasons I ended up writing other posts instead and now I'm feeling regret, because I liked it so much and I think I will no longer be able to convey as effectively what made it so good as I could have a month ago! But so it goes and I will nonetheless make an attempt.

There's a certain style that certain authors are able to catch (and which I'm wildly envious of) that manages to create the illusion of reading something profoundly non-modern, something in translation, while also being so charming and smart about it that it draws the reader in to the same extent that it distances. All the Horses of Iceland is really phenomenally good at this. It's the story of a Norse trader, Eyvind, who joins up with a Jewish merchant from the steppes on a trading expedition through Central Asia, despite their cultural differences:

"Your bak is Jewish, then?"

"He is," replied David, "and so is his court. Many nobles. Some merchants. Myself, for instance. But not everyone in the empire, by any means. Not even Alp Tarkhan. There are many religions here. We in Khazaria are caught in a trap of God: Christians to the north and west of us and Sarks to the south. Those of us who prefer one God have chosen the God of the Hebrews. He is very old and we prefer old things. I have heard old men say that the God of the Israelites, whose name is not to be uttered aloud, is like the ancient Kok Tengri, the God of the blue sky. He is widely worshipped here and right across the blue steppes, as far north as Bjarmland."

"I despise gods," said Eyvind. "I see no need for them. Men, animals, ghosts, and luck. That is what the world is composed of."

"But who makes the luck?" asked David.

"The interactions of men, ghosts, and animals."

Fortunately or unfortunately for Eyvind, the interactions of men, ghosts, and animals proves to be profoundly relevant to his life when he ends up in the middle of a Ghost Situation in the middle of the steppes that results in the acquisition of, among other things, a large herd of horses. Eyvind then spends the rest of this slim little book trying to get said horses home to Iceland, where they will make his fortune, but the plot isn't really the point -- it's the joy of seeing Eyvind bring his own particular viewpoint to the various places he moves through, and how beliefs and traditions and languages move and travel through the world, bouncing against each other like marbles as they go and sometimes leaving unexpected legacies behind them. It's also a little bit about a magical intelligent horse. idk it's really good and you should read it (and thank you to jiggit for posting about it such that I was convinced to read it likewise!)

Comments

[sovay]

He is very old and we prefer old things.

Do I resemble this remark?

[skygiants]

it feels like a very palpable hit on several of us tbh ....

[kate_nepveu]

borrowed!

(oops that was an audiobook. it's only $4: bought!)

[skygiants]

I got it from the library but am absolutely going to be acquiring a copy of my own.

[merit]

It was such an enchanting novella - almost mythic, otherworldly quality despite being very rooted by Eyvind's earthy and matter of fact mindset.

[skygiants]

yeah, it balances between those modes in SUCH a compelling way!

[osprey_archer]

This sounds delightful! And I was looking for a short book to read over the next few days before my trip begins...

[troisoiseaux]

+1 to recommend this! (I'd also recommend Tolmie's other novella, The Fourth Island.)

[thistleingrey]

I'd also recommend Tolmie's other novella

Ah, good to know! I really enjoyed All the Horses, though perhaps more for being medievalist- and steppe-friendly rather than for reasons extensible to other work.

[skygiants]

I am so glad I could bring this rec to you at the right time for you to read it!

[newredshoes]

Ooohhh, this has SO many things I like in it!!

[skygiants]

oh man you should ABSOLUTELY read this

[lannamichaels]

Ooh, this sounds like something for me.

[skygiants]

It's really a delight!

[sophia_sol]

yeah! yeah!!!! this book was SO good, and the style you describe in the second paragraph is a big part of what's so impressive and fun and interesting about it

[skygiants]

I'm SO jealous tbh, she pulls it off so perfectly that it looks effortless and I know for a FACT that it is NOT

[chestnut_pod]

This was such a wonderful novella! I also appreciated the frame-story monk and his palpable longing beneath the disapproval.

[skygiants]

YES the frame story was a delight, I am already sort of wanting to reread with an eye to him in particular

[imbir]

Fortunately or unfortunately for Eyvind, the interactions of men, ghosts, and animals proves to be profoundly relevant to his life when he ends up in the middle of a Ghost Situation in the middle of the steppes that results in the acquisition of, among other things, a large herd of horses. Eyvind then spends the rest of this slim little book trying to get said horses home to Iceland, where they will make his fortune, but the plot isn't really the point -- it's the joy of seeing Eyvind bring his own particular viewpoint to the various places he moves through, and how beliefs and traditions and languages move and travel through the world, bouncing against each other like marbles as they go and sometimes leaving unexpected legacies behind them. It's also a little bit about a magical intelligent horse.

Thanks for the write-up, I look forward to reading this book where Keith once again fails to give a shit about Austin’s artisanally crafted socioeconomics.

[strixalba]

Okay I was already charmed and already sold on the book (I love when authors manage to do that "distant/foreign text in translation" trick!) and then the magical intelligent horse at the very end hit me like a fish across the face. In a good way!