A 1941 novel by Swedish author Jan Fridegård.
Holme is a Thrall in 9th century Sweden. He is the master blacksmith on a cruel Chieftains farm. When Holme's lover bears him a son, the Chieftain is furious, and orders it to be brought out into the forest. Holme rescues his family, arms himself, and flees. The chase will lead them towards the city of Uppsala, where the annual sacrifice is to be held. It will also bring them in contact with Christian missionaries, come up from Europe to convert the Pagans.
It was released in tandem with The Long Ships, to which it's often compared. However, Fridegård was a Socialist and a member of the "proletarian" school of writers, and Land of Wooden Gods is in many ways a Deconstruction of Viking romanticism, whereas The Long Ships (written by the very Conservative Frans Bengtsson) is an action-packed Swashbuckler.
Notable for its extremely beige prose. There is at best, like ten lines of dialogue in the entire novel!
A movie adaptation has been in Development Hell since the late 90's.
Tropes:
- Ambiguously Brown: Holme is described as being swarthy and having black "troll-like hair" which supposedly makes him scary and exotic.
- Badass and Child Duo: Holme and his boy, 30 years before Itto and Daigoro!
- Beige Prose: Hardly any adjectives, no similes, and hardly any dialogue! Your mileage may vary on whether or not it works.
- Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?: Holme and his wife have this reaction when Holme is discovered by Stenulf (the Chieftains toughest warrior) and kills him in an impromptu sword vs ax duel.
- Heroes Prefer Swords: Averted. When Holme pilfers the armory he spots a row of beautiful, freshly-forged swords, hanging from a beam in the ceiling. He decides against stealing one, since "swords are not a Thralls weapon."
- Lock-and-Load Montage: Holmes raid on the armory.
- The Starscream: The Chieftain have two of them in his retinue, named Stor and Tan. He dies before any of them can make a move against him.
