Reviewed by Taylin
TITLE: Falconsaga
SERIES: Falconsaga #1
AUTHOR: Robert Winter
PUBLISHER: Robert Winter Books
LENGTH: 258 Pages
RELEASE DATE: January 31, 2025
BLURB:
In modern-day Iceland, a place of glaciers, volcanoes, and legends, the Norns have foretold a sorcerous invasion that could destroy everything.
Magnús, an elf of the huldufólk, is driven by the murder of his human lover a century ago to save those humans he can, and to figure out what is behind recent troll attacks on tourists. But the Norns have spoken. He must protect Altair, a young human from Boston, who is bringing a dangerous magical force to Iceland. If Magnús fails to keep Altair safe, the country will fall to a sorcerer called the Black Priest. Yet if Altair lives, Magnús will meet his doom.
For his part, Altair is a graduate student bullied to visit Iceland by mentors who seem to have their own agenda. He knows nothing of elves, sorcerers or prophecies. Suddenly, the handsome, mysterious Magnús is guiding Altair around Reykjavik and into danger. A witch, a berserker, and more elves are along for the quest across Iceland’s forbidding landscape. And why does everyone keeps calling Altair “the Falcon”?
An elf and a human with a shared destiny. Will they solve the mystery linking their fates before it is too late for all Iceland?
REVIEW:
Altair’s friends and peers insist that he travel to Iceland to gain inspiration for his future in engineering. Reluctantly, he follows their advice, but when he arrives, Altair discovers that the myths and legends he believed were historic hokum are real. And, for some reason, he is destined to be a linchpin. He only truly knows that he trusts Magnus to keep him safe.
Falconsaga is book one in the Falconsaga series. The first instalment ends on a cliffhanger, so it is fortuitous that book two, Falconguard, arrives on the shelves on April 4. It was wonderful to read a tale depicting a different set of paranormal activities than one usually sees. It was refreshing and enjoyable, albeit occasionally hard to keep track of the words’ gods, realms, and pronunciations—I eventually gave up on that part, opting to recognize the spelling instead. The potential of this story is vast, and by the end, I couldn’t wait to read Falconguard.
The story is told in the third person from the viewpoints of Altair and Magnus. At the beginning, there was a map of Iceland and a glossary of terms. It was interesting and valuable as something to refer back to, but it was so extensive that it was overwhelming. Also, unless the reader bookmarks the pages, they become a tad superfluous when reading an electronic version of the book.
The modern story is interspersed with interludes explaining how the gods, realms, and other elements’ backstories came into being. These interludes are not long, give depth to the story and don’t interrupt flow in any way.
Hailing from the foster system and eventually finding relatives, Altair works for his engineering doctorate and goes to Iceland on a study grant. It all seems above board—but is it? The blurb and other factors make it clear that there is a part of Altair hidden from him that needs to be released. But from whence it originated is a mystery. Altair is a lovely person with hangups about belonging and family that made me melt for him.
Magnus is an elf with a mission to protect humans. He is used to fighting trolls with magic and runestones. His past fills him with sorrow, and his future is tied to Altair, but to what end? You’ll find out in another book. Magnus is an elf with an outer guard that is only shed for friends. His heart bleeds and is dutiful and passionate, albeit he has times of confusion. He is wonderful.
I love the setting of this book. It is different, and I am a fan of Iceland. This first narrative introduces Iceland, its heritage, landscape, characters, and main storyline. There are pockets of action that give an insight into what is on the horizon – it’s exciting. There is also wisdom within some phrases that would be well-heeded within any society.
Overall, a damned good opening book, but not one that gets full marks because I hate cliffhangers.
RATING: 
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