Warrener's Beastie: A Novel of the Deep

by William R. Trotter

In this magnificent modern rendering of a classic Norse myth, award-winning writer William Trotter transports the reader to faraway Vardinoy in the exotic Faeroe Islands, the remote Scandinavian locale that has bewitched Allen Warrener since his first and only visit there twenty years before. Now middle-aged, Allen decides that to revitalize his wearisome existence he must return to Vardinoy, the island that has haunted and inspired him for most of his life — and so wanders unwittingly into circumstances far more sinister, and potentially far more dangerous, than he ever could have supposed. Among the many temptations and risks of this increasingly mystifying land there is the creature, the legendary undersea monster that becomes a metaphor as captivatingly elusive as the Golden Fleece; Andreas Dahl, a famous painter, whose appearance on the island seems too fortuitous a coincidence; and Elsuba, the woman who still mesmerizes Allen even decades after their affair.

Uncommonly suspenseful and richly atmospheric, Warrener’s Beastie is a hypnotic literary adventure that will entrance readers — even as it reminds them to be careful about what they wish for.

Genres: Fiction, Horror

496 pages, Paperback

First published May 24, 2006

Reviews

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

WARRENER'S BEASTIE is a big, big book that feels a bit too big, particularly in the beginning, as events start very early in the characters' lives, and we get to know each in microscopic detail (and the original was even longer, prior to substantial editing by the author). While it all seems a bit tedious at first, as the tale progresses, Trotter's strategy begins to reveal itself, and the reasons for focusing on early, formative events in the characters' lives become clear. The novel details the lifelong journey of Allen Warrener, who moves from precocious child to cynical, middle-aged college professor through a series of experiences that are themselves the definition of irony. Early on, Warrener experiences certain mystical events that shape the direction of his life, while on a parallel track, seemingly unrelated mystical currents sweep up a young woman named Karen Hambly; inevitably, these paths converge — along with those of several other individuals — and their collective goal becomes the quest to find the cryptozoological holy grail: a fabled thing known only as the Vardinoy Monster, which haunts the North Atlantic near the Faeroe Islands. The "Vardinoy Expedition" at first seems a grand, enthralling adventure. But as always, nothing is quite what it seems, and events take more than a few unexpected turns.

Trotter builds tension slowly before unleashing salvos of dramatic set pieces, each piece upping the ante on its way to the climax. The tight, intricately-developed framework of the early chapters, which have the distinct flavor of "literary fiction," gives way to the gritty, thrilling action of the classic pulps, and the incongruous blend is almost jarring. However, despite a few rough edges that sometimes threaten to derail the train, Trotter holds the beast together, if sometimes just barely. The weakest link tends to be the dialogue, which occasionally lapses into sheer cuteness, and a few anachronisms and/or vagaries of time that may be a result of the book having been developed over a number of years. (The most jarring is perhaps a quote to the effect that "no one noticed that the sixties had slipped by until some nerd murdered John Lennon"; since Lennon was killed in 1980, the elimination of the 70s altogether seems rather brutal.)

While its flaws sometimes loom a little larger than niggling things, in the overall, WARRENER'S BEASTIE is a more-than-engaging ride, full of poignant, emotional depth and grandeur — a spectacle worthy of Hollywood at its best (hint hint).

Five beers out of six.

[Xysea · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the story of a man on a quest for a mythological creature - and a mythological time - and a mythological woman.

All of them converge in this well-woven piece of fiction. The book is daunting in appearance - 680 pages, but they move quickly and fairly effortlessly.

The beginning of the narrative is a well-set stage to build the crux of the story, but what keeps me from giving this book 5 stars are two things: First, there are parts that should have been edited. I found typos in the text, too. I find that aggravating. There are instances where two different characters repeat the same dialogue, almost verbatim. I am not sure if this was intended to be a device or not, but it was annoying. Especially when the instances happened within pages of each other.

The second was that the story, in the end, proved to be disappointing. Formulaic and staid. What started out so promising, with quirkiness, humor and originality, by the end was just your standard 'hero saves the world story.' Yes, epics can be like that, and Beowulf or not - this still felt like a disappointment. I thought it deserved more - and if it couldn't have gone out without the proverbial blaze of glory, couldn't it at least have retained some of its quirky humor and originality?

[Stacy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed the author's writing style as a whole, but this book wasn't what the descriptions had built up. I felt that several hundred pages could have been removed, and perhaps by doing so, the author would have had more energy to continue the strong writing with which he had started the book.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I originally hesitated at the library when I was chosing this book, thinking it was going to be a macho-epic-violent-adventure manly type of book. It was; however, it also had great character development and a sort of "coming-of-age" element to the book.

It truly enveloped several genres of novel into one. Some parts of the book were downright bizarre, especially the drug-induced scenes. But these weird scenes made it really come to life and I embrace the creativity that Trotter put into this book.

Near the end, things got more bizzare as the climax built. Some things I felt were glossed over (a few character's deaths) and made unrealistic to make the plot move forward. The book seemed to almost blast out of control in many instances, but perhaps that is the feeling that Trotter was trying to induce.

Overall, I would whoelheartedly recomment this book for someone seeking originality, creativity, and a multi-genre novel that will leave you feeling a bit exhausted but ultimately satisfied.

[Mariah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Warrener's Beastie was a very unique novel. It was very long but I didn't mind; for some reason, starting the story so far back felt right. It was as if starting anywhere else would have made the novel lose its impact, cutting important details and character development. Truly, the novel was like a sequence of events (events that ranged from banal, to fantastical to bizarre), all leading up to one climatic ending. I loved the range of themes and genres, the humor, violence, emotion and mythology. This book had a bit of everything. It was amazing, confusing, exciting, inspirational, exhaustive and exhausting. It short: I loved it. The only reason I'm giving it four stars is because Allen died and, although I understand that that was a meaningful and very natural way to end the book, I was very upset; and thus, quite petulantly, I give 4 stars....

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read with characters I liked, vivid adventure, cool viking stuff, a little fantasy, and a little sex. And the ending rocked.