Icelander - by Dustin Long (Paperback)

About the Book

"Icelander" is the debut novel from a brilliant new mind, an intricate, giddy romp steeped equally in Nordic lore and pulpy intrigue. When Shirley MacGuffin is found murdered one day prior to the annual town celebration in remembrance of Our Heroine's mother -- the legendary crime-stopper and evil-thwarter Emily Bean -- everyone expects Our Heroine to follow in her mother's footsteps and solve the case. She, however, has no interest in inheriting the family business, or being chased through steam-tunnels, or listening to skaldic karaoke, or fleeing the inhuman Refurserkir. But evil has no interest in her lack of interest. A Nabokovian goof on Agatha Christie, a madcap mystery that is part "The Third Policeman" and part "The Da Vinci Code, The Icelander" is one thing above all else: a true original.

Book Synopsis

Nordic myth, murder, and total apathy collide in this hilarious novel where "Nabokov meets Lemony Snicket in this manic Chinese box version of a mystery" (Publishers Weekly).

Our Heroine is a former professor of Scandinavian Studies at Iceland's New Crúiskeen university whose current interests include drinking, sleeping, and drinking. But when an aspiring author is found murdered the day before the annual celebration in remembrance of Our Heroine's mother--the legendary crime-stopper and evil-thwarter Emily Bean--everyone expects Our Heroine to follow in her mother's footsteps and solve the case.

She, however, has no interest in inheriting the family business . . . or being chased through a steam-tunnel . . . or listening to skaldic karaoke . . . or fleeing the inhuman Refurserkir (don't ask!). Unfortunately for her, this particular evil has no interest in Our Heroine's total lack of interest. . . .

A Nabokovian goof on Agatha Christie, a madcap mystery that is part The Third Policeman and part The Da Vinci Code, The Icelander is a truly original work "born out of hysterical laughter and a lingering sense of childhood adventure" (Los Angeles Times).

Review Quotes

"Icelander is a giddy sendup of postmodern fiction . . . Long obviously knows what it's like to hover between wanting to read about underground kingdoms and purloined documents and wanting to read about just plain real people. In fact, he seems perfectly happy to keep on hovering there, and he knows how to make his readers happy there, too." --Laura Miller, Salon

"Icelander . . . is unlike any book you've read before. Imagine an Agatha Christie-style murder mystery, set in a wintry fictional U.S. state, littered with references to Norse mythology, and peopled with characters from a Wes Anderson film. Next, add several different narrators. It all sounds painfully difficult, but in fact it is just good, albeit slightly absurd, fun." --Calgary Herald

"Icelander is . . . a kind of Series of Unfortunate Events for adults . . . It is writing born out of hysterical laughter and a lingering sense of childhood adventure." --Newsday

About the Author

Dustin Long was born in California in 1977 and studied literature at UC Berkeley. He is the author of Icelander and Bad Teeth.