Æ

by Jon Eschsri

Facing the loss of his job, Dr. Callum Chamberlain, Lecturer in Icelandic Language and Literature at one of England’s premier universities, meets and falls for fellow scholar Antonia and agrees to her scheme to search for a lost Icelandic saga. As his journey takes him to Reykjavík and beyond into the uninhabited Icelandic hinterland will he achieve his quest for history or do others have a vested interest in his success?

245 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 29, 2022

About the author

Jon Eschsri was born in Somerset and currently lives in Cambridgeshire. He has a degree from Manchester University and a Masters from the University of the West of England. When not writing about his home county he can usually be found reading the Icelandic sagas or trying to learn Icelandic, mostly unsuccessfully.

Reviews

[Joshua Summers · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you have travelled to Iceland or are planning a trip I highly recommend this book. It will enhance your experience by giving you a story that weaves through the history of the Icelandic people, the Sagas that have shaped the countries identity and the language they speak. I had the pleasure of reading this during a trip to Iceland and it brought a different perspective to our trip. Thoroughly enjoyed it.

[Susan Patton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect reading companion for a trip to Iceland and Reykjavik. Also a well written mystery with good character development. The surprise ending left me pondering our current situation- who planned it and will the good guy win?

[Alex Mayer · Rating 5 out of 5]

My best rated Goodreads book of 2022.

[Boni · Rating 4 out of 5]

So what seemed to be a really boring topic to me turned out very readable, due to the author’s smooth writing style, not harping on too-long descriptions, and giving us believable characters passionate about their (sorry) boring passions (in this case, language and something called Icelandic sagas (a detailed history passed down in the country… actually I had to google this to get an added oomph of detail.)

Definitely fun remembering a recent trip to Iceland and especially Reykjavík, with all its specific sites (that horizon-dominating cathedral and the Hitchcock-like Gullfoss Waterfalls), industries (aluminum), strict family naming rules, disdain for the Danes, fermented shark nibbles (hakarl) reserved for tourists and chased down with the local liquor, Brennevin (also called Black Death), etc.

There is a little mystery why a gorgeous, smart, rich woman picks a nerdy underachieving, unkempt, socially inept, soon-to-be-unemployed professor to be her partner in study… and in bed. The story ending was a little bit of a letdown though, with political intrigue ruling the day.

[Lee-Anne Fox · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short on title but long on enjoyment! I really enjoyed this book, although I was tense throughout as I think you can tell that something isn't quite right, and the interspersed chapters with someone clearly up to no good add to this feeling of impending menace! The slightly hapless Chamberlain, about to lose his lecturer's post, falls for his gorgeous fellow expert Antonia, and gets roped into a hunt for a lost Icelandic saga, before being stranded in Iceland by an eruption and things beginning to escalate, both between the two of them and in the search. Initially, my interest in Icelandic language meant I was curious as to why it was called 'Æ', (pronounced in Icelandic as 'eye') and didn't find an explanation in the story, but it certainly went into my record books as the shortest titled book I've read! Then reading a comment from the author, where he mentions that the letter æ is of course called an 'ash', it makes much more sense with the aforementioned eruption!! I'll be honest and say that (judging a book by its cover here!) I thought it looked self published, so I was prepared for it to possibly be relatively mediocre, poorly edited etc but I was pleasantly surprised and had to eat my pre-judgy hat, it was really well done! As a fan of Iceland it was also really nice to be able to picture the locations as the well paced and engaging action happened. Definitely recommended!

[Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Certainly my book of 2022.

[Fred · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gripping thriller, really gets you into the feel of being in Iceland. Great twist at the end.