In Search of Beira's Hammer

A Fantasy Novella

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Pub Date 19 Apr 2022 | Archive Date 06 Dec 2022

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Description

Well, what would you do if you bumped into a troll on your hike?

An adventure filled with silliness, folklore, grumpiness, and absurdity. In Search of Beira’s Hammer follows Scarlet and Amhlaidh on their adventures along the West Highland Way in Scotland.

Scarlet travels from Berlin to look for a legendary hammer that will allow her to perfect her city by adding mountains to it. On the way, she meets Amhlaidh, a grumpy troll, who is willing to help her at a cost. Join them in their search, discovering Beira, kelpies, and other legendary creatures along their way, and find out how their adventure unfolds.

If you love comedic fantasy, modernised folklore, and/or archaeology, you'll love this debut novella. Check out the reviews to see what people are saying.

Includes:

  • Story by Kristina Young
  • Illustrations by Marina Mensi (see cover for style)
  • Map illustration by Kristina Young
  • Endnotes to learn about Scottish and German Folklore and language
  • Author description

Well, what would you do if you bumped into a troll on your hike?

An adventure filled with silliness, folklore, grumpiness, and absurdity. In Search of Beira’s Hammer follows Scarlet and Amhlaidh on...


Advance Praise

""Suspend normality (what is normal anyway) and dive right in for this non-stop riotous journey where you meet one mythical character after another, often with hilarious consequences. Knowing people that live in Berlin who complain that it is too flat means that the premise for the story makes sense - I can't divulge the hilarious way it ends as it would spoil the journey but do have a read. It's high time we had another Terry Pratchett - I just hope it doesn't need another lockdown for a complete novel to come to fruition."" M. Clark

""An extremely funny and well written debut. Part fantasy, part myth with a great mix of modern technology that works well (the troll attempting to fly a drone was especially hilarious). Great characters and lovely illustrations. Strongly recommend."" Ajay Chowdhury (author)

""From sock-tailed sheep to hitchhiking pebbles - Beira's Hammer was a whirlwind of the absurd. Through the absurdity though stands a relatable tale, emphasising the joy of travel, and encouraging the reader to look for the mystical in the everyday. In this, the story stayed relatable and relevant - I felt as though I was there half of the time, and wished that I was there for the other half."" Darren Young

""A very captivating, imaginatively written and witty tale, which takes you into the fantasy world of trolls and all sorts of strange creatures, but also brings a dose of modern ""21st century"" reality.

Without a doubt, the author uses a great deal of clever humour, sarcasm and puns which make the tale so much fun to read! The dialog between the characters is very amusing, and at the same time, there is an enticing storyline that keeps you wanting to find out how it all unravels - as soon as possible.

The book is a good read for people of all ages. It makes a great reference to the absurdity of the bureaucracy, which is very relatable in the real world, and it is a fusion of mystical fiction, the current technology reality and social network hype. I definitely recommend this book"" Lia Tsenova

""Suspend normality (what is normal anyway) and dive right in for this non-stop riotous journey where you meet one mythical character after another, often with hilarious consequences. Knowing people...


Available Editions

ISBN 9781739653804
PRICE $2.99 (USD)

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Average rating from 11 members


Featured Reviews

This was really funny actually. I laughed out loud at numerous scenes. This idea that one day out of the blue an ordinary person could bump in something random like a troll - it was great

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Thank you Kristina Young, BooksGoSocial and Netgalley for this free ARC in exchange for a review.

This was a cute, fun book, yet it lacked description. Maybe a full length novel would have been a better idea, rather than only a novella.

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On a walk along the Scottish Highlands in search of the resting place of Beira's Hammer, Scarlett crosses paths with a small number of fantastical and mythological creatures. Along the way she is assisted by Amhlaidh, the troll whose payment for his help is to be read Scottish Poetry before bedtime.
This is a fun book that can be read in one sitting and is a genuinely pleasant way to spend an afternoon. Kristina Young's humour is a little on the absurdist side, throwing in today's technology with mythological creatures as well as some talking grass and phantom pebbles.
It is well recommended.

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Thank you for Netgalley for the copy.

I picked this up on a whim. The cover drew me in.

I generally avoid whimsy magical realism, but I really connected to this one. I would have finished it in one sitting, if I hadn't started reading it at midnight.
It breezy and fun, The setting was charming and full of magic. I loved finding out about all the fantastical details and learning about all the different creatures that populate this world.
I would read more by this author.

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Sitting in winter Germany, missing the Highlands of Scotland, this has been a great read for me.

The search for Beira's hammer lead me through a wonderful journey along the Westhighland Trail together with mythical creatures I already knew and others I immediately fell in love with.

This book leaves you with the same warm feeling as a Ghibli movie does ans I am eager to read more by this Autor.

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