The Storyteller and Other Tales
Page 10
This, this we leave. The ealdorman, the thegns, the churls, this is all that remains. Victory denied, defeat forgotten. Who will remember or care, once the women have wept and the monks have recorded? How many unnamed, with the few now recalled?
In the dust, it does not matter.
What is a hero in the end but a man a poet sang?
And in that year someone first advised that tribute be yielded to the Danish men, because of the great terror that they wrought by the coast. That was, at first, ten thousand pounds.
About the Author
K. V. Johansen was born in Kingston, Ontario, Canada and is the author of numerous works for children, teens, and adults, including the epic fantasies Blackdog, The Leopard: Marakand Volume One, The Lady: Marakand Volume Two, and Gods of Nabban, published by Pyr. She predominantly writes secondary world fantasy, but is also the author of some science fiction and literary criticism, and of a collection retelling mediaeval Danish ballads. Johansen has an M.A. from the Centre for Mediaeval Studies at the University of Toronto, and is an alumna of Mount Allison and of McMaster as well. Her lifelong interest in ancient and mediaeval history and the history of languages has had a great influence on her writing and world-building. She has also worked as an editor, freelance journalist, book reviewer, and dabbles (infrequently) in illustration. She lives in New Brunswick with a moderately wicked dog.
Johansen’s website for the world of Blackdog (which is also the world of “The Storyteller”) can be reached at www.kvj.ca, while one primarily about her works for younger readers and her literary critism on the history of children’s fantasy can be found at www.pippin.ca.
More books from Sybertooth Inc.
www.sybertooth.ca
~Donald Jack~
The multiple-award-winning Bandy Papers series
about First World War ace Bartholomew Bandy
Three Cheers for Me (original 1962 stand-alone version)
E-book ISBN: 9780986497445
Winner of the Leacock Medal for Humour
That’s Me in the Middle
E-book Forthcoming 2012
Winner of the Leacock Medal for Humour
It’s Me Again
Print ISBN: 9780973950519
E-book ISBN: 9780981024455
Me Bandy, You Cissie
Print ISBN: 9780973950571
E-book ISBN: 9780981024448
Winner of the Leacock Medal for Humour
Me Too
Print ISBN: 9780981024486
This One’s On Me
Print ISBN: 9780973950557
E-book ISBN: 9780981024462
Me So Far
Print ISBN: 9780973950502
Hitler Versus Me
Print ISBN: 9780968802489
Stalin Versus Me
Print ISBN: 9780968802472
And Donald Jack’s theatrical comedy
The Canvas Barricade
The first original modern play performed on the main stage of the Stratford Festival
Print ISBN: 9780968802496
~Max Ferguson~
And Now... Here’s Max
An irreverent memoir of the CBC
with a foreword by Shelagh Rogers
Print ISBN: 9780981024479
Winner of the Leacock Medal for Humour
~Paul Marlowe~
Books for teens
Sporeville
Print ISBN: 9780973950540
“Fans of Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy will certainly enjoy this novel. In fact, readers who like gothic literature, science fiction, fantasy, and history will all relish this book... I cannot wait for the sequel...It was absolutely the best, most delicious thing I have read in some time.”
- Bonnie Campbell, Resource Links
Knights of the Sea: A Grim Tale of Murder, Politics, and Spoon Addiction
Print ISBN: 9780973950595
“Paul Marlowe’s style of humor is reminiscent of Neil Gaiman’s lighter works... if you enjoy dry wit, Victoriana/steampunk elements, and plucky teenagers saving the world, you’ll probably like Knights of the Sea. It’s an tale of high adventure that takes a humorous look at… well, pretty much everything, from politics to romance to lycanthropy. Give it a shot if you liked Stardust or Good Omens.” - fantasyliterature.com
~Steven Appleby~
From the creator of the cult-classic Captain Star TV cartoon series: the first collection of comic strips tracing the strange but illustrious career of Captain Jim Star - the greatest hero any world has ever known - from its surreal beginnings to its improbable middle. Witness his triumphs, learn from his words of wisdom, and meet his crew on the Boiling Hell, Navigator Black, Officer Scarlette, and Atomic Engine Stoker “Limbs” Jones.
The Captain Star Omnibus
Print ISBN: 9780973950564
“Sheer poetry! Steven Appleby spins an epic saga of men whose touchiness shook the universe, and the women who were indifferent to them...” -Alan Moore, author of Watchmen and V for Vendetta
~Helen VanWart~
Letters from Helen: A Canadian Student in Germany on the Eve of the Great War
Print ISBN: 9780981024493
In August of 1913, a young University of New Brunswick graduate set out for Germany to study music at the renowned Royal Leipzig Conservatory. Helen VanWart was a vivacious, optimistic girl, eager to experience all that Europe had to offer. Her weekly letters home to her family paint a portrait of Europe’s last months of peace, a time that, for Helen, passed all too quickly in classes, lessons, and practice, practice, practice, interspersed with many concerts, operas, and trips to such places as Dresden, Switzerland, and Rome. As with so many others in Europe and the British Empire, the outbreak of war appears to have taken her utterly by surprise.
~K.V. Johansen~
Literary Guides & Criticism
Quests and Kingdoms:
A Grown-Up’s Guide to Children’s Fantasy Literature
Print ISBN: 9780968802441
“... this is not only a fine reference tool but a finely-written book...This is undoubtedly a seminal work guaranteed to stimulate discussion on children’s literature...” -Books in Canada
Beyond Window Dressing:
Canadian Children’s Fantasy at the Millennium
Print ISBN: 9780968802458
“I applaud the honesty and forthrightness of her analyses. Far too often, reviews of children’s books provide little more than vague plot summaries with very little, if any, questioning of the aesthetic or literary value of a text. Not so with Johansen’s analyses. She has her opinions and she quite adroitly defends them. She establishes clear criteria for what she considers a valid and valuable fantasy, and judges each text accordingly. And, I must admit, I found her criticism of even some of Canada’s literary icons both refreshing and, more significantly, quite convincing.” -J. Kieran Kealy, Canadian Literature
Children’s Books
The Drone War: A Cassandra Virus novel
Print ISBN: 978-0973950526
“This book is a non-stop adventure...It’s a very fun, often funny, intelligent read. I highly recommend it.” -Teens Read Too
The Black Box: A Cassandra Virus novel
Print ISBN: 9780986497407
“Better-written than most best-selling kid-spy books, The Black Box will appeal to fans of adventure stories and to anyone who would love to have a benign sentient supercomputer at their beck and call.” -CM Magazine
Torrie and the Dragonslayers
Print ISBN: 9780981024400
“Another excellent installment of the Torrie adventures. Johansen has a magical gift for creating delightful tales of ancient lore... Johansen’s novels are fast-paced, high action and adventure stories which inte
rtwine strong characters of both sexes with ancient lore and a quest which allows good to prevail over evil. Torrie and the Dragonslayers will have high appeal for both male and female readers...” Rated “E” for Excellent. - Sharon Armstrong, Resource Links
Short stories for adults
The Storyteller and other Tales
Print ISBN: 9780973950588
“Johansen demonstrates her mastery of different styles of writing with each of these stories...The stories drip with atmosphere and feeling. Johansen’s background in history, medieval studies, and Old English comes shining through, and she knows how to do characters... This wonderful offering from Johansen deserves an unabashed five stars.” -Angus Bickerton, FantasyLiterature.net
~Rae Bridgman~
Kingdom of Trolls
Print ISBN: 9780986497414
“Bridgman packs the fantasy with a remarkable amount of information about Iceland... pen and ink drawings appear throughout the novel showcasing Bridgman’s considerable talent and creativity... [she] successfully combines adventure, travel, magic, mystery, mythology, and history in Kingdom of Trolls to enthral, educate, and entertain young readers.” -Darleen Golke, CM Magazine
~Douglas Lochhead~
Love on the Marsh: A Long Poem
Print ISBN: 9780973950533
E-book ISBN: 9780981024417
Love on the Marsh, a long poem in 100 stanzas, is described by Lochhead as “an extension of High Marsh Road” (his Governor-General’s Award shortlisted and Carlo Betocchi International Poetry Prize-winning poetry collection set on the Tantramar Marshes).
Looking into Trees
Print ISBN: 9780981024431
“What Lochhead’s poems achieve, virtually effortlessly, is an aural and imagist immediacy without sacrificing the richness of layering. Metaphors are repeated, and there is a cyclical nature to these connections - we keep returning to dreams and prayers, memory and the insistence of love - but the immediacy is tangible. These poems engage the senses and the heart.” - Heather Craig, The Telegraph Journal
For more on books from Sybertooth Inc. visit
www.sybertooth.ca