From the Publisher
"...An intriguing thrill ride...a combination of the secrets and symbols of Dan Brown with the adventures of Jules Verne...unlike anything else you'll read this year."
AP
"An audacious adventure novel a la Jules Verne steeped in Norse mythology and Nazi esotericism."
Publishers Weekly - Publishers Weekly
"In this breathtaking debut novel, lavish with historic detail and colorful panorama, Jan Wallentin brilliantly evokes the mysterious, underwater, middle-earth worlds of Jules Verne, interwoven with the pulse-pounding, countdown thrillers of James Bond. STRINDBERG'S STAR is a tale of eternal evil - with two diabolical "fathers," more deeply disturbed than Darth Vader, pulling the hidden strings."
Katherine Neville, author of THE EIGHT and THE FIRE - Katherine Neville
"Evil Nazi schemes, Norse mythology, Pompeian legend and a balloon expedition to the North Pole are narrative bedfellows in this sprawling, fanciful tale…it scores as a larkishly offbeat alternative to the dour mysteries Swedes are known for."
Kirkus - Kirkus
"All the elements of a Dan Brown thriller…A perfect vacation read."
Booklist - Booklist
Booklist
All the elements of a Dan Brown thriller…A perfect vacation read.”
—Booklist
Katherine Neville
"In this breathtaking debut novel, lavish with historic detail and colorful panorama, Jan Wallentin brilliantly evokes the mysterious, underwater, middle-earth worlds of Jules Verne, interwoven with the pulse-pounding, countdown thrillers of James Bond. STRINDBERG'S STAR is a tale of eternal evil - with two diabolical "fathers," more deeply disturbed than Darth Vader, pulling the hidden strings.”
—Katherine Neville, author of THE EIGHT and THE FIRE
AP
"...An intriguing thrill ride...a combination of the secrets and symbols of Dan Brown with the adventures of Jules Verne...unlike anything else you'll read this year."
Kirkus Reviews
Evil Nazi schemes, Norse mythology, Pompeian legend and a balloon expedition to the North Pole are narrative bedfellows in this sprawling, fanciful tale driven by the desperate pursuit of a metal ankh, or amulet, discovered on a corpse in an abandoned copper mine. A bestseller in Sweden, Germany and France, Swedish journalist Wallentin's first novel is an Energizer bunny effort that keeps going and going across continents and time periods, piling on plot details as it does. After the bizarre murder of the diver who discovered the ankh, a history professor known for his research in symbols and myths, Don Titelman, is held for the crime. The son of a Holocaust survivor whose horrific accounts of torture have made him a pill-popping wreck, Titelman is mysteriously abducted by Germans from the Swedish Embassy and locked with his lawyer in a wine cellar. They escape and hook up with Titelman's strange, reclusive sister, Hex, who literally lives underground. The action leads to the Arctic, where Titelman uncovers the truth behind an ill-fated 1897 balloon expedition, during which three men perished, including Swedish photographer Nils Strindberg. For fans of overstuffed adventures who are adept at keeping up with slippery plot developments, this book has much to offer. In the early going, it scores as a larkishly offbeat alternative to the dour mysteries Swedes are known for, and its evocations of the Holocaust can be oddly affecting. But the deeper Wallentin gets into his grandiose concepts, which include the discovery of an ancient buried city in China's Taklimakan desert, the more he loses his narrative thread. Better suited to the role of odd-duck supporting character than protagonist, Titelman fails to elicit the rooting interest he should. Any one of the plot strains in this ambitious debut might have made for a satisfying novel, but woven together, they create more confusion than excitement.
