David Thomas Kay is a masterful storyteller. His prose is illustrative, allowing for the formation of dense landscapes and layered intrigue and retains a flow that both enthralls and delights. What results from his depiction of tenth-century Norway is THE SWORD OF SAINT ISIDORES, a tale that reads very much like a legend; humorous, horrifying and mystical in equal measures. There’s a constant sense of impending danger, fed and misshaped by the reader’s sympathy for the characters as they are relentlessly haunted by their own sense of mortality. This awareness, combined with the complex emotional ties that define their reality, forces the story to continually readjust its dimensions.

Because of the sheer volume of perspectives laced into the plot, THE SWORD OF SAINT ISIDORES offers many different planes of engagement. From amusing clashes and misunderstandings to grievous partings and battle wounds, the story caters to readers of assorted interests. In the spirit of this elasticity, the first portion of the novel is defined by great doses of humor, which then bend and twist to accommodate various heartbreaks as the story progresses. One of the novel’s opening scenes draws humor from a language barrier, showing an aggressor perceiving his loot as an offering made by the monks, whose habitat he has invaded. Outstretched hands and cramping muscles, frozen with fear, take on a new sense, allowing the reader to reap comedy from the display of contrasting emotions. This duality makes for a great read, and resurfaces on more than one occasion. Later on, its use allows the lack of directness between Ragnarr and Theresa, the central couple, to act as a punchline to a joke to which only the reader is privy.

Kay’s use of interviewing storylines is also impressive. What the reader is initially presented with are snippets of the characters’ lives, all connected by the titular sword. Gripping and captivating in their own way, they appear almost as vignettes, highly entertaining but limited in scope. And yet, the narrative quickly coalesces around the figure of Ragnarr, whose presence weaves religion and Norse customs into an increasingly tense plot. The clash between Christianity and polytheism is particularly engaging, as it begets conflict. Talk of gods, visions and mythical creatures also plays a role in drafting suspense. Much like the characters’ dispute regarding faith, the story’s mysticism remains both plausible and elusive throughout, allowing the reader to decode its unique potency. Overall, THE SWORD OF SAINT ISIDORES offers a captivating tale of emigration, a departure from established traditions, relations and physical domains.

In THE SWORD OF SAINT ISIDORES–a sprawling saga of Norse kings, jarls and warriors, linked and menaced by the same exquisite, cursed sword–David Thomas Kay proves that an impassioned imagination and an expertly wielded pen produce storytelling that defies the creative limitations of any set genre.

~Neil Czeszejko for IndieReader