A Gathering of Ravens
Page 38
Steve was right, as he often was. Putting Orcs in any other context was risky, but inserting them into our own past? Perilous, indeed. Writing a novel is a precarious endeavor at the best of times, but here I was coming off a hiatus and into a scenario where my last book, The Lion of Cairo in 2010, had not lived up to expectations. Still, I wanted to do something different, something that might allow this book to stand out in that stellar crowd of Orc-themed fantasy already on store shelves. And so, despite some good advice to the contrary, in late 2011/early 2012 I went back to the drawing board. I played a little game of “what if?” with myself. As in: “What if Tolkien found his inspiration for Orcs in mythology?” and “What if they had actually existed?”
What the answers to both questions had in common was what W. H. Auden referred to as Tolkien’s fascination with “the whole Northern Thing”—that confluence of Norse, Germanic, and Anglo-Saxon myth that informed much of the Professor’s creation. Viewed through that same north-looking lens and filtered through the language of the sagas, historical parallels fell readily into place. The veneer of the Orc, popularized via fantasy literature, inexorably cracked and flaked away. What remained was the fabled kaunar. They existed, and their legend spread as the garbled retellings of an older cycle of myths that crossed multiple cultures—with a memory of them found in the creature Grendel from Beowulf, an echo of them in the Fomorians of Irish legend, even a parody of them in the kallikantzaroi of Medieval Greek fairy tales.
And this is the result. A book—that book—about a vengeance-minded kaunr whose DNA was laid down by Tolkien; an Orc who is never explicitly called an Orc—though the Anglo-Saxons might label him orcnéas, while the Danes might name him skrælingr, and the Irish will forever curse his name as one of the hated fomóraig …
Here, in the end, I can only hope I did as I intended and redeemed the Orc. But whether I did or not—or whether I fell flat and lost the plot entirely—I leave it to you, Gentle Reader, to decide.
SCOTT ODEN
DECATUR, AL
10 AUGUST 2016
Acknowledgments
Writing a novel is one of the few solitary endeavors a person can undertake that actually requires an army to pull off. And for this one, let me tell you, I had an army of champions watching my back. First, thanks to Mido Hamada, my friend and frequent sounding board, for suggesting early on that the young monk, Aidan, would be more effective as a young woman; to Steven Savile, for providing nudges of inspiration and for helping me understand Danish; to my cadre of editors and beta readers, who make sure I don’t look like an illiterate ass in public: Louis Agresta, Rusty Burke, Tom Doolan, Ryan Wagner Flessing, Patrice Louinet, David Murray, Josh Olive, and Marcus Pailing.
A very warm thank-you to Robert Szeles, for giving my words an added dimension through the genius of his artistry; to Michael Mikolajczyk, Simon Walpole, and Jason Deem for their sketches of Grimnir.
Thanks, also, to my patrons, who kept me going when times were rough: David Murray, Rusty Burke, Richard Brown, Emily Delaney, Kenneth Apple, Amy Herring, Scott Hancock, Paul McNamee, Tom Doolan, Chrispian Burks, Charles Rutledge, Keith Rose, Doug Ellis, and Josh Olive. To Delores and Joe Morris, my second parents, who let me lean on them more than once. And a heartfelt thank-you to The Authors League Fund for their generous grant, which allowed me time to heal and time to write.
A grand thank-you to my cheering section—my myriad social media friends, who keep me energized, who urge me on, and who hold my feet to the fire when I’m slacking.
Thank you, as well, to the fine folks at Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin’s Press, who make me look spiffy and professional. And finally, to those three people who make it possible for me to do this, through their boundless patience, their expertise, their willingness to listen (and kick my ass when needed), and their bedrock support: my agent, Bob Mecoy; my editor, Pete Wolverton; and my lovely wife, Shannon.
To one and all, I thank you.
ALSO BY SCOTT ODEN
Men of Bronze
Memnon
The Lion of Cairo
About the Author
SCOTT ODEN was born in Indiana but has spent most of his life shuffling between his home in rural north Alabama, a hobbit hole in Middle-earth, and some sketchy tavern in the Hyborian Age. He is an avid reader of fantasy and ancient history, a collector of swords, and a player of tabletop role-playing games. When not writing, he can be found walking his two dogs or doting on his lovely wife, Shannon.
Oden’s previous works include the historical fantasy The Lion of Cairo and two historical novels, Men of Bronze and Memnon. He is currently working on a follow-up to A Gathering of Ravens. You can sign up for email updates here.
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Contents
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Epigraph
Maps
Book One
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Book Two
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Book Three
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Book Four
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Epilogue
Author’s Note
Acknowledgments
Also by Scott Oden
About the Author
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
THOMAS DUNNE BOOKS.
An imprint of St. Martin’
s Press.
A GATHERING OF RAVENS. Copyright © 2017 by Scott Oden. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
www.thomasdunnebooks.com
www.stmartins.com
Cover design by James Iacobelli
Norse Viking tattoo © ClipArtHunt; building © VOJTa Herout/Shutterstock.com; bird © Adam Fincha/Shutterstock.com
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Oden, Scott, author.
Title: A gathering of ravens / Scott Oden.
Description: First Edition. | New York: Thomas Dunne Books, St. Martin’s Press, 2017.
Identifiers: LCCN 2017003046 | ISBN 978-0-312-37294-1 (hardback) | ISBN 978-1-250-02288-2 (e-book)
Subjects: | BISAC: FICTION / Fantasy / General. | FICTION / Fantasy / Historical. | GSAFD: Fantasy fiction.
Classification: LCC PS3615.D465 G38 2017 | DDC 813/.6—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017003046
e-ISBN 9781250022882
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First Edition: June 2017
1. From The Best of the Cimmerian, “Lonely Mountain, Crowded Expectations; Or, Prelude as Successor,” originally posted 25 October 2008.