A review by maryleong
Hekla's Children by James Brogden
4.0
This is one of those novels where I'm going to need a re-read just to fully parse any details I might have missed the first time round. A deeply unsettling novel which merges ancient folklore, history, and mythology, where time and reality are distorted and bent.
Nathan Brookes is deeply tormented by the mistakes and regrets of his past. As a teacher on a field trip, four of his students go missing, with three never to return. The one who re-emerges is traumatized, distressed, and never speaks of what happens. When an ancient body, dubbed the “Rowton Man”, is unearthed at the site of the disappearance, it is initially believed to be one of the students. Strange and sinister incidents start to happen and Nathan must delve into the world of Un, a shadowy world which mirrors our own, spanning millennia and cultures.
While the story is framed as one between cosmic good and evil, it is really a story about the darkness that festers within each of us when we refuse to confront our own past. The cyclical nature of that darkness, and how we pass it on to others around us. Overall, a really intriguing page-turner which I'll definitely need to return to.
Nathan Brookes is deeply tormented by the mistakes and regrets of his past. As a teacher on a field trip, four of his students go missing, with three never to return. The one who re-emerges is traumatized, distressed, and never speaks of what happens. When an ancient body, dubbed the “Rowton Man”, is unearthed at the site of the disappearance, it is initially believed to be one of the students. Strange and sinister incidents start to happen and Nathan must delve into the world of Un, a shadowy world which mirrors our own, spanning millennia and cultures.
While the story is framed as one between cosmic good and evil, it is really a story about the darkness that festers within each of us when we refuse to confront our own past. The cyclical nature of that darkness, and how we pass it on to others around us. Overall, a really intriguing page-turner which I'll definitely need to return to.