OK I know its been a couple of weeks since we got back, but here are my holiday reading recommendations.
Giants of the Frost by Kim Wilkins
Victoria Scott gets a job at an isolated Norwegian weather station in the Arctic. Little does she realise its a gateway to the world of the Norse Gods, she is the reincarnated love of Odin's son Vidar and Odin doesn't like it one bit. Not a bad read from the Aussie horror writer with some nice creatures taken out of Norse mythology. Thought the heroine was a bit drippy though, Pinafore dresses in a horror story I ask you?
Murder on the Leviathon by Boris Akunin
Second murder mystery featuring the Russian detective Erast Fandorin. A collector of Indain antiquities in 19th century Paris is bludgeoned to death, all of his staff have been poisoned with morphine, a silk scarf is missing. The only clue a gold whale brooch issued only to 1st Class passengers on the first voyage of the SS Leviathan. The story of how Fandorin unravels the mystery is told in the journals of the Leviathan's passengers. Clever story, if a bit derivative of others in the genre and Kipling, but will pass a couple of days by the pool. May have lost something in translation.
Captain Alatriste by Arturo Perez-Reverte
Spain's one man answer to the three musketeers overturns a plot by the inquisition to murder Prince Charles Stuart and the Duke of Buckingham as Charles woos the King of Spain's daughter. A rip roaring adventure, plenty of intrigue and action with some very nicely drawn villains
The Last Kingdom and Lords of the North by Bernard Cornwell
I read these back to back. Uhtred is the son of a Saxon noble whose family are all killed by the Vikings. Uhtred is adopted by the Danish leader and grows up to become a Viking himself. As ever from Cornwell a pair a brilliantly researched books. Uhtred has to make some difficult choices (this does seem to be a bit of a recurring theme with Cornwell's heroes) as he reaches adulthood is he a Saxon or a Dane? The whole story is played out against the background of Alfred the Great's fight back against the Danes and gives a first hand account of several battles and the grisly death of King (St) Edmund. Plenty of action and violence, just the thing to keep a boy happy. Can't wait to read the third part of the trilogy.
The Vampire in Myth and Legend by Montague Summers
Montague Summers was a bit of a nutter. He used to dress and style his hair as an 18th Century Catholic priest and claimed to have been ordained, but there is no record of this being true. The book is a collection of case studies of vampires and similar creatures from all over Europe. Once you get past his ponderous style it contains some interesting stuff.