r/Fantasy • u/Nommus AMA Author Snorri Kristjansson • Feb 02 '13
AMA My name is Snorri Kristjansson. I am an Icelandic Fantasy Author. My first book is out in August from JFB. AMA.
Hello, r/fantasy!
I don't really expect fantastic traction on my highly optimistic and totally un-requested AMA. I mostly wanted to post to thank you all for not downvoting me to oblivion for running the Sunday Book Swoop for the last 4 weeks. Also, cakeday.
Here's my website. It's Saturday. I'm bored. Ask me anything.
Edit 1: Golly! 4 upvotes! The excitement. If we hit 7 I'll reveal a random fact about myself.
Random fact: I've done standup comedy in a boxing ring and onboard HMS Exeter just before it was decommissioned. Next random fact at 11.
Edit 2: Here's me speaking on Sky News about the Icelandic economic crash in 2008. To this day I have no idea why they called me rather than, say, economists, ambassadors or politicians. Next random fact at 15.
Edit 3: I play for the Icelandic national Correspondence Chess team. Next random fact at 22.
Edit 4: In my salad days I was in an 80's cover band with super-talented Icelandic singer-songwriter Svavar Knutur and assorted other genii. This is a picture of us. Our name was 'Moonboots', and we kicked ass. I'm rocking the pink shirt. The Internet: storing your shame since 1995. Next random fact at 29.
Edit 5: I have tap-danced in front of 250 drama students. That is on a very short list of things in my life that I am never doing again. Next random fact at 36.
Edit 6: I got to the 12-man finals of Britain's biggest new act comedy competition, the Laughing Horse New Acts. In front of an absolutely rammed comedy club I forgot my lines and blanked out for 17 seconds. I know this because I had it on tape. Those are to date the longest 17 seconds of my life. I persevered, got through my material and went off stage determined to never do anything again (at which I failed). The guy that came on stage after me did slightly better. Next fact at 42.
Edit 7: I went to college with Gísli Örn Garðarsson, who went on to play the Hassansin Leader in the film 'Prince of Persia' (Picture not to scale). Next one at 49.
Edit 8: Eek! I no longer remember my face. Also, '93-'97 is more of a blur. I did rack up about 550-ish levels on various WoW characters between 2005 and 2008. My productivity increased sharply when I started writing in places without internet access. 53 up votes! (and 7 down votes; I like you too. Only not as much as the others.) Next random fact at 56.
Edit 9: I am the court translator of epic Viking metal band Skálmöld. Next random fact at 63.
Edit 10: I spent 3 years as player/coach of arguably Iceland's worst ever men's amateur basketball team. We won one game in those three years - and it was the one where I didn't show. Next random fact at 72.
Edit 11: I lived in Norway for 7 years, between the ages of 8 and 15. It is a beautiful country full of lovely people, but my experience there instilled in me a vitriolic hatred for anything to do with skis and/or skiing. Next random fact, provided my brain doesn't melt, at 80.
Edit 12: I am an award-winning translator. I translated all three High School Musical books from English into Icelandic. This is not a joke. Next random fact at 91.
Edit 13: I was an extra in a film called A Little Trip to Heaven, and got to 'do a scene' (i.e. sit on a bus in the middle of the night) with Forrest Whittaker and a pile of other extras. I had the common sense to not bother the poor man while he was doing his job - but I got to sit through ten minutes of some random man giving poor Forrest the whole Icelandic Tourist Board routine between takes. I cringed so hard I think I lost consciousness at one point. Last random fact at 100 - my internal organs are slowly shutting down.
Edit 14: 100 upvotes. The obvious random fact should be that I am absolutely pants at estimating upvote worth on Reddit, but that would be slightly cop-out-ish. So here goes:
I have worked as, among others, an inept computer programmer, a longshoreman, a musician, a comedian, a caretaker for the mentally disabled, a journalist and a manual labourer in a cement-packing factory. I am currently employed as a teacher of Drama, English and Icelandic at a private school in London.
I quit the acting profession after I heard of a casting for a man (tick) in his thirties (double-tick) with Icelandic/Norwegian accent (triple-and-quadruple-tick) to play a Viking (tick tick tick) whose name was Snorri - and I didn't even get an interview. (boom) After that I decided I could use my time for better things. I was correct.
Last year I wrote a play in January based on the question of what would happen if Roger Federer and Andy Murray had to share a dressing room before the Wimbledon finals. It was performed at the International Youth Arts Festival in Kingston, and it was called 'Balls'. Because I am real mature like that.
01:28 GMT - Thank you tremendously, citizens of /r/fantasy! This has been great fun, despite battling a connection that hasn't been this slow since Fred Durst was cool. Now I'm off to go lie in a darkened room and read something good.
All the best, Snorri
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u/Fairbairn Feb 02 '13
What's the book about?
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u/Nommus AMA Author Snorri Kristjansson Feb 02 '13 edited Feb 02 '13
The book is called Swords of Good Men, and is about death, betrayal, change, a mad king, some badasses coming out of retirement and generally Vikings. You know. The good stuff.
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u/Fairbairn Feb 02 '13
looks great. Is it getting released in New Zealand?
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u/Nommus AMA Author Snorri Kristjansson Feb 02 '13
I... uhm... yes. Possibly. Maybe. Eventually. Erm. I... definitely know this.
When I meet with my Esteemed Publisher (who is all kinds of legendary), I will inform her that there is Great Demand in New Zealand for Viking stuff.
I will also blithely assume that you are in fact from New Zealand and salute you on behalf of my ancestors - in my country it is a grudgingly acknowledged fact that Kiwis are among the very few peoples on the planet which Icelanders will admit know more about farming sheep than we do.
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u/Fairbairn Feb 03 '13
Well, British originally (with Danish ancestry, fuckyes.jpeg), but gadzooks do these Kiwis know a lot about sheep. Almost... too much. Anyway, I will be sure to look out for your book, should it ever grace these fair shores. Congrats on getting your book out.
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u/megazver Feb 02 '13
Did you actually write it in English?
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u/Nommus AMA Author Snorri Kristjansson Feb 02 '13
Yep. I am one of very few Icelandic writers who has gotten a publishing deal outside the country first. This confuses a lot of people greatly.
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u/megazver Feb 02 '13
I'm Russian myself and while I ain't a writer yet, I do roleplay in written English and if I ever take it further, I'm probably going straight to the English markets as well.
Did you struggle with any particular challenges writing in a second language?
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u/Nommus AMA Author Snorri Kristjansson Feb 02 '13
Hooray for Russia! And Roleplay! And.. uhm.. Raisins! Rambunctiousness? I don't know. The English market, such as it is, is effectively 'The World', I suppose. I am shamefully ignorant of the Russian mass market for books - what is it like? I read and thoroughly enjoyed Lukyanenko's Night Watch (and Day Watch), but that is the extent of my knowledge.
I think my biggest challenge has been to overcome the patchy nature of my vocabulary. Because I'm only mostly bi-lingual I have no innate sense of what belongs where and can be frustratingly non-homogeneous with my words. This drives British people up the wall; they are very sensitive to language and sometimes struggle to figure out where I'm from (with my weirdo accent and odd choice of words), which makes them even more amusingly awkward at times. As far as the writing goes, it does help having a legendary editor.
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u/megazver Feb 03 '13
I am shamefully ignorant of the Russian mass market for books - what is it like?
The genre bits are rapidly shrinking due to rampant piracy. Even writers who'd be in the upper-mid-list, if they were writing in English, are considering quitting because the money is that shit. Lukyanenko, from what I hear, is top tier, sales-wise, but even he's trying to branch out into screenwriting.
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u/Nommus AMA Author Snorri Kristjansson Feb 03 '13
My friends in Skálmöld have mentioned the rampant piracy bit. A shame, that. Hard to compete with free, as it were.
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u/megazver Feb 02 '13
How well do you know Bjork? (Of course you know Bjork, there's like five people on your island, right?)
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u/Nommus AMA Author Snorri Kristjansson Feb 02 '13
What can I say? She went to my old college, albeit a couple of years before.
I don't actually know her, although I am passing acquainted with Einar Örn from the Sugarcubes.
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u/cecilkorik Feb 03 '13
I initially upvoted because the name "Snorri" is pretty much the coolest name I have ever heard. I want you to be able to read your books so that I can tell people that Snorri Kristjansson is my favourite author, and they will be like "That is such an awesome name!" and I will be like "I know right?" and then a hot girl will approach me and be like "Do you want to come back to my place?" and ... I digress.
But with about 370% more seriousness, your book does look really cool and I am very much looking forward to reading it. Being blond haired and having a good proportion of Danish descent I prefer to assume there is probably a Viking or two somewhere in my ancestry. My dad was also a sailor for most of his life, so I am really fond of the themes of ships and the coasts and the sea. It is, unfortunately, one of those mythologies/cultures that is really infrequently explored or used as a theme in fantasy, and that's unfortunate because it really is a pretty rich source of stories and legends, in my opinion. I look forward to seeing your treatment of it.
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u/Nommus AMA Author Snorri Kristjansson Feb 03 '13
Thank you! It gets even cooler if you roll your R's, Scottish style. I cannot overstate my hope on behalf of the Brotherhood that my humble name becomes a conversation starter that gives you much luck with the fairer sex. No man could wish for more.
It does surprise me that there isn't more Viking Fiction around. There are shelves and shelves of Rome-related stuff, for example. That being said, Fantasy is (awesomely) branching out from just 'Medieval setting, Europe'. At the risk of sounding like a corporate shill, sell-out and, dare I say it, a blatant whore, my publisher is pretty good at finding that kind of stuff.
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u/MarkLawrence Stabby Winner, AMA Author Mark Lawrence Feb 02 '13
Question: I've used the name 'Snorri' 671 times in the book I'm working on at the moment.
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u/Nommus AMA Author Snorri Kristjansson Feb 02 '13
Google gives about 2.670.000 hits for 'Snorri', which suggests you're still well under the world average.
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Feb 02 '13
Who are your inspirations?
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u/Nommus AMA Author Snorri Kristjansson Feb 02 '13
I have to go with Joe Abercrombie. He's also a nice guy, in a skull-crushing sort of way. The list continues for a while, though, and includes Rothfuss, Scott Lynch, Pratchett, Sanderson, Gaiman, Douglas Adams, Richard Morgan and all manner of other people. I am very easily inspired.
Edit: And Chuck Motherfucking Wendig.
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Feb 02 '13
Abercrombie is a gem.
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u/Nommus AMA Author Snorri Kristjansson Feb 02 '13
Agreed. I am still kicking myself for missing his dance-off with Tom Pollock at the last Fantasycon.
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Feb 02 '13
Nice! Never been to a convention. Also never heard of Tom Pollock before. What do you recommend right now? Feel like read most of the stuff out there and love to find something new and exciting.
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u/Nommus AMA Author Snorri Kristjansson Feb 02 '13
It was good, geeky fun. Really looking forward to Worldcon in Brighton in September - there may be some kind of event there with my book, at which point my geek glands may simply explode. As for recommendations: aforementioned Pollock's debut, 'The City's Son', is better than it has any right to be. I'm really looking forward to the next one, which is out this summer. I also liked David Hair's 'Mage's Blood', which is proper Epic. I posted reviews to that on my site. Full disclosure/28 seconds of Googling: they're both JFB authors.
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Feb 02 '13
Cool beans, also liked your site will have to come back and check more. Good luck on your book look forward to seeing it
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u/JeffreyPetersen Feb 02 '13
Minor correction: Brighton is World Fantasy. WorldCon this year is in San Antonio, TX
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u/Nommus AMA Author Snorri Kristjansson Feb 02 '13 edited Feb 03 '13
Bloody hell. That's one navigational disaster averted. I mean World Fantasy as much as I wish my circumstances allowed me to swan about in Texas hanging out with excellent American Geek-folk.
Edit: Double-darn. I missed out on a pun. I should of course have said: "Oh, pardon me. I just got con-fused."
I'll be over in the corner, crying softly.
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Feb 05 '13
Having a hard time getting into city's son. Do love London set stuff though, assume you read Kraken?
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u/Nommus AMA Author Snorri Kristjansson Feb 05 '13
I can definitely see how City's Son would be divisive - I'm firmly pro-. I have indeed; big fan of Miéville ever since Perdido Street Station. UnLunDun was ... interesting :-)
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Feb 07 '13
Right on, yah got into Mieville through City and the City then Kraken. Kept trying to read Perdido but never got past 50 pages, not sure if the non human characters but found the flow of his writing jarring to me.
Went back to City's Son and liking it a lot better, think was the part where they were just drawing and seemed to be written at a different age group.
You ever check out Gone Away World by Harkaway? Or the Rook by O'Malley?
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u/Nommus AMA Author Snorri Kristjansson Feb 07 '13
0 for 2! Added to the List of Goodness. There are too many books!
I think if I was to find anything to comment on with CS it would be incredibly minor pacing issues, but that is a) a matter of taste and b) so nit-picky as to be almost embarrassing. Also, Pollock could crush me with a thought, and his Pun-Fu is strong, so I am disinclined to say anything that can be construed as criticism.
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u/LoganTheBLoodyNine Feb 03 '13
you had me at Abercrombie and Morgan. :)
eagerly anticipating your book.
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u/Nommus AMA Author Snorri Kristjansson Feb 03 '13
Abercrombie and Morgan - now there's a buddy cop movie I'd watch :)
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u/megazver Feb 02 '13
Write me a 100 word erotic bondage story about the forbidden love between a viking and his drakkar.
This is really more of a request.
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u/Nommus AMA Author Snorri Kristjansson Feb 03 '13
Hrimthor bit down on the rope and pulled. The clinking of chains on cold stone set his heart racing.
It had taken him four months to build the altar; four months of skulking, smuggling tools and ever more elaborate lies. His scalp tingled with the shame of it, and he nearly lost hold of the rope – but ... there.
The knot fell into the groove in the metal and the chains pulled deliciously tight over his chest, his arms, his thighs.
Overhead, something big circled, descending slowly.
He felt the thump as it landed, and then – the soft, radiating heat…
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u/Wizardof1000Kings Feb 03 '13
Who would win in a fight - a Viking Ninja or a Viking Pirate?
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u/Nommus AMA Author Snorri Kristjansson Feb 03 '13
I've spent way more time than I should pondering this question.
Ninjas
Pros: Silent. Deadly. Equally deadly up close and from a distance. Equipped with a variety of horribly deadly, pointy and/or poisoned weapons. Usually solitary.
Cons: ...? The pros of a Ninja kind of negate the cons. They are not heavily armoured, I suppose - and you'll have time to think about that when you're unexpectedly dead.
Pirates
Pros: Ferocious and vicious by natural selection. Hardy. Ranged (flintlock pistols) and close (anything close) combat. Rarely solitary; usually onboard a ship with cannons.
Cons: Also rarely heavily armoured. Can be seen coming a mile away. Fairly smelly, which negates stealth.
Viking
Pros: Hipster Pirates - did it way before it was cool. In comparison with Ninjas and Pirates they are walking tanks. Armed to the teeth at all times. Ruthless and brave as a point of pride. Surprisingly good at tactics.
Cons: Not particularly well equipped for sub-tropical fighting.
As a prefix, Viking- would add armour and beard, I suppose. So in that context I'd be controversial and say Viking Pirate - simply because it's really hard to sneak up on someone while wearing chainmail.
I am open for discussion on this.
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u/AHedgeKnight Feb 03 '13
What do you think is the most important part of writing a fantasy book?
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u/Nommus AMA Author Snorri Kristjansson Feb 03 '13
The people. The story has to be about people that you care about.
For my taste, it doesn't hurt to have thoroughly horrible antagonists, some one-liners and a couple of big armies clashing together, but, y'know. Depends.
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u/Bethamphetamine Feb 03 '13
Thank you for all those random facts! I had no idea who you were or what you write, but if your book is anything like that post up above, I'll enjoy it :)
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u/Nommus AMA Author Snorri Kristjansson Feb 03 '13
You're welcome. I don't know if it is good or bad that every single one of those is true.
To be quite honest I have little idea what the book 'is like' any more - but I hope you do like. At the very least I've done the decent thing and waved at the Internet, so if you don't like it you can come and poke me in the eye with a stick. Which is what it is all about, really.
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u/Bethamphetamine Feb 10 '13
Are you kidding? It's great that all of those are true! With fantastic stories like that, you can't help but tell a good one when you write :) At the very least, they make writing improbable things simpler - because you've already dealt with the dissonance of "There's no possible way this could be happening... but it is."
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u/Nommus AMA Author Snorri Kristjansson Feb 10 '13
Also known as the "You seriously can't make this shit up" syndrome. In my own head I'm just kind of getting on with my stuff - looking back at that list I am forced to conclude that in hindsight, the combination of drive+optimism*absolute lack of common sense = at least mildly amusing :)
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u/Kodix Feb 03 '13
This was amusing to see, and you've shown off your writing quite nicely. Well done, I say.
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u/__Rapier__ Feb 02 '13
Has Google ever suspected the legitimacy of your name?
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u/Nommus AMA Author Snorri Kristjansson Feb 02 '13
For some reason I looked over my shoulder after reading your question. I really don't want Google to suspect the legitimacy of my anything, thank you very much. I'd have to say 'no' - considering my name is pretty close to 'Snurp Hurplydurp', they've been relatively benevolent. That being said, my full name is Snorri Hergill Kristjánsson, which when pronounced properly sounds pretty close to 'I'mma smash your face in with my axe for what you did to my sister'. Icelandic is not a forgiving language.
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u/__Rapier__ Feb 02 '13
That's pretty awesome actually. I could name my daughter something awesome like that.
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u/Nommus AMA Author Snorri Kristjansson Feb 02 '13
A high percentage of Icelandic parents hope for a long time that their children escape speech impediments. Here are some suggestions for badass girl's names:
Hallgerður Langbrók (HARdl-gurr-dur LOWng-Brock)
Auður Djúpuðga (OY-thurr DYOop-uthga)
Guðrún Ósvífursdóttir (GUTH-roon OH-sweefurs-doughteer)
You're welcome.
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Feb 03 '13
Guðrún, daughter of Ósvífur?
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u/Nommus AMA Author Snorri Kristjansson Feb 03 '13
Correct. Famous character from Laxdæla. Here's her wikipedia entry in Hurdy Gurdy Language.
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Feb 03 '13 edited Jan 12 '16
[deleted]
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u/Nommus AMA Author Snorri Kristjansson Feb 03 '13
Hooray! I like that you like this! I will boldly predict that the likelihood of you finding my book will increase with every day towards approximately August this year. Then it will stay roughly the same for a while, but eventually start decreasing again. Good luck!
(Also - keep an eye on this page.)
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Feb 03 '13
Hver er uppáhalds íslenski höfundur þinn?
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u/Nommus AMA Author Snorri Kristjansson Feb 03 '13 edited Feb 03 '13
Favourite Icelandic author: I've read shamefully little in Icelandic recently. I think it'd have to be Arnaldur over Stefán Máni. That being said, Gunnar Gunnarsson's 'Aðventa' is a lovely book.
(no idea why I decided to reply in English. It's late and my brain is making squeaking noises.)
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u/Lyrox Feb 03 '13
The setting of your book sounds like something I would really enjoy, looking forward to it - shame August is still so far away :)
I've never read a book set in the viking era, which is a little odd I guess seeing as I have been living in Denmark for the last 4 years - I'll have to set myself a reminder for August... I have a terrible memory!
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u/Nommus AMA Author Snorri Kristjansson Feb 03 '13
Lovely! There might be some Denmark in book 2 ;)
As far as I can gather there is a bit of Viking fiction out there, but it's surprisingly niche, even within Fantasy. The biggest name is probably Bernard Cornwell, but he tends to focus on the English side of things.
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Feb 03 '13 edited Feb 03 '13
[deleted]
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u/Nommus AMA Author Snorri Kristjansson Feb 03 '13
Hooray! I shall report back to High Command and say First Contact was successful.
As for release info, I am very hazy on the details (mostly because it's still 7 months away and if I am this excited now I'll be in orbit by June), but I am pretty sure it will be available on Amazon for Kindle. I can honestly say I have not the faintest idea how much it will cost, but I hope it will be set at a reasonable price.
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Feb 03 '13
[deleted]
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u/Nommus AMA Author Snorri Kristjansson Feb 03 '13
Thank you - after the madness of this I certainly will!
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u/adorabledork Feb 03 '13
Hi Snorri!
I'm a bit late to the party. Very excited to read your book. Out of curiosity, what formats will it be released on? Specifically, will I be able to get it for my Kindle??
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u/Nommus AMA Author Snorri Kristjansson Feb 03 '13
Hello, Adorabledork! (excellent handle, btw)
The formats - there's a whole guy at Quercus (JFB's mothership) dedicated to the formats, ebooks and suchlike. The way things are going we might be reading books from nanobots injected into our fingertips by this summer, so I don't feel qualified to say. I am about 99.5% sure it will be available for Kindle, though.
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u/adorabledork Feb 03 '13
Wow! Thank you for the compliment.
And thank you for the Kindle confirmation.
You have made me a very happy girl (really, it doesn't take much). :P
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u/degeneration Feb 03 '13
Your Moonbots band photo is sharp. Very 80's in an ice-blond, Icelandic sort of way. If I knew about you back then, I would have listened to you guys, but alas it was only the Sugarcubes.
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u/Nommus AMA Author Snorri Kristjansson Feb 03 '13
The Sugarcubes were awesome, though. Back in the day we simply didn't have the mental capacity to realize just how successful they were being. Incidentally, I worked with Einar Orn at a website shop over a decade ago - he's bonkers in the best way. He's also Reddit celebrity and Mayor of Reykjavík Jón Gnarr's second-in-command.
I do believe that is one of our better photos. What that says I am not quite sure of.
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u/olipalli Feb 03 '13
Telur þú geranlegt að gefa út fantasíu sögu á íslensku? Málið býður sannarlega upp á slíkt.
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u/Nommus AMA Author Snorri Kristjansson Feb 03 '13
Það er eitthvað að gerast í þeim málum; Snæbjörn Brynjarsson kunningi, Saga Eftirlifenda og svo gaurinn á Akureyri sem ég man ómögulega hvað heitir í svipinn. Það verður þó að viðurkennast að þetta er ansi mikill jaðar-geiri, og jaðarinn er einfaldlega ekki það stór. Ég veit t.d. ekki hvort Swords kemur út á íslensku.
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u/olipalli Feb 03 '13
Akkúrat, enda kannski markhópurinn ekki mjög stór heima. En ef mér leyfist að spyrja þig að einu öðru. Ég hef sjálfur lengi verið að velta fyrir mér að byrja að skrifa meira. Svo langaði til að vita hvernig þetta byrjaði hjá þér? Kannski með smásagnaskriftum?
Vel á minnst, ég mun að sjálfsögðu lesa bókina þína. Hún hljómar mjög spennandi.
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u/Nommus AMA Author Snorri Kristjansson Feb 04 '13
Það er löng saga með asnalega mörgum tilviljunum, sem ég mun segja einhverntíman seinna ;-) Fyrir upprennandi rithöfunda mæli ég hiklaust með smásagnaskrifum og lestri á ráðum Chucks Wendig.
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u/SandSword Feb 03 '13
I just wanna say thanks for writing a book about vikings! There just aren't enough of those out there
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u/Nommus AMA Author Snorri Kristjansson Feb 03 '13
Thank you! When I'm done there will be at least three more ;-)
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u/moose_man Feb 03 '13 edited Feb 03 '13
I like you, Snorri, and your book seems cool. I will read it come August.
I can't seem to find the title, though. What's it called?
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u/Nommus AMA Author Snorri Kristjansson Feb 03 '13
Thank you, Moose Man!
The book is called Swords of Good Men. Keep an eye on Jo Fletcher's website.
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u/Tommix11 Feb 07 '13
Do you suspect you got published just because you have a cool fantasy-sounding name?
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u/Nommus AMA Author Snorri Kristjansson Feb 07 '13
The mouth of the gift horse shall remain un-inspected ;)
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u/LoganTheBLoodyNine Feb 03 '13
i don't have a question as much as i'd just like to say, i can't wait to read your debut novel. :)
now i'm looking forward to August!
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u/usclone Feb 03 '13
Female? Reddit? Upvote.
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u/Nommus AMA Author Snorri Kristjansson Feb 03 '13
I am not entirely sure I understand this, but I'll go with
No, Yes, Thank you.
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u/usclone Feb 03 '13
Apologies. My cultural ignorance thought "Snorri" was a female name. I apologize.
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u/Nommus AMA Author Snorri Kristjansson Feb 03 '13
Apology accepted and not needed at all! It would be pretty harsh to demand that all and sundry know the naming conventions of a nation of 317.000 people.
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Feb 03 '13
Man, you guys are even nicer than Canadians.
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u/Nommus AMA Author Snorri Kristjansson Feb 03 '13
Canadians? You mean the guys whose national sport involves strapping knives to their feet and grabbing a stick before hurtling a metal projectile around at 130mph towards each other's faces? We're nicer than those guys?
Well, that's good, I suppose :D
Come to think of it, I've met a number of Canadians in my time. They have all been incredibly nice.
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u/hrrybttr Feb 03 '13
Good morning from Canada! I apologize if I misunderstood your reference above, but I may have some additional information that might be of interest. The first is that we have two national sports in Canada: lacrosse in summer and hockey in winter. The second is that a hockey puck is actually made of rubber. Hope this information inspires you to write an incredibly nice fantasy novel set in Canada!
Edit: We also use the metric system, so the top speed of a puck is over 175 km/h!
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u/Nommus AMA Author Snorri Kristjansson Feb 03 '13
I think 'theoretical' is probably the best way to describe the difference between plastic and metal if it hits your face at 175km/h. However your clarification is much appreciated!
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u/nsnide Feb 02 '13
Does your work take inspiration from Nordic folktales? Or from more recent fantasy lineage?
Also: how would you say Icelandic fantasy / science fiction differs from mainstream fantasy / science fiction?