Karlsson, Ørjan Nordhus
Entry updated 30 October 2023. Tagged: Author.
(1970- ) Norwegian author of thrillers, murder mysteries, sf and fantasy juveniles. Karlsson's first contribution to the genre was the Marko Eldfell trilogy, comprising the novels Huset mellom natt og dag ["The House Between Night and Day"] (2014), Speilets bakside ["The Back Side of the Mirror"] (2016) and Den lengste dagen ["The Longest Day"] (2019). This action-filled story, set in a gloomy and unpredictable world reminiscent of Cyberpunk and the disillusioned future scenarios of the 1980s, is complex and unlike Norwegian genre literature from the previous decades. The year is 2106 and Norway has entered the Nordic enclave Thule. The exception is the sealed-off capital City Oslo. 21 years have passed since a scientific experiment caused the loss of one million lives; an outbreak of genetic plague has created Mutants and other malign living things, such as the mysterious Finkene ["The Finches"] who have an important impact on events. Marko Eldfell belongs to a group of genetically modified (see Genetic Engineering) elite soldiers stripped of their human rights. With Lenny, a close friend of his from the past, he manages to escape from his pursuers. They are rescued and transported to a mystic house in the twilight zone, where they are sent on a mission to New Berlin. From there on, the story is speeded up and takes new and unexpected directions, ending up in Oslo for the ultimate confrontation with Marko Eldfell's many enemies.
Karlsson's Lanse ["Lance"] trilogy for Young Adults began with Tidsrosen ["The Rose of Time"] (2015). The Norwegian student Martin Sølvfoss attending a boarding school in Cambridge receives a message that his father has gone missing. Strange things occur; returning home he learns that he has inherited an estate in Telemark in the southern part of Norway. He realizes there are many things about his ancestry he did not know: for centuries they have been the secret guards of the three holy fragments from the lance that penetrated Jesus on the cross. In Sjelens brønn ["The Well of the Soul"] (2016) the protagonist finds a Time Gate taking him to Nazi Germany in 1941, where he must find the second fragment of the lance to get back to his own time. So far the third book remains unpublished.
The Bifrost series is for children from 10 years up. Nattspeilet ["The Night Mirror"] (2017) tells about Martin, who is hospitalized. One night a mystic girl called Tara appears, telling him about the world Bifrost and asking him for help to fight the evil that lurches there. In Ylva og myldremørket ["Ylva And the Teeming Darkness"] (2018), two red-haired girls in the north of Norway disappear. Everybody is searching for them, but Ylva knows that they are no longer on Earth and have been abducted to Bifrost. The third book Dragedalen ["The Valley of the Dragon"] (2020) is about Imre, who strongly believes in dragons (see Supernatural Creatures). As a bonus, each book has an independent game at the end, where the reader can explore further. [CPe]
Ørjan Nordhus Karlsson
born Bodø, Norway: 17 April 1970
works (selected)
series
Marko Eldfell
- Huset mellom natt og dag ["The House Between Night and Day"] (Kristiansund, Norway: Vendetta Forlag, 2014) [Marco Eldfell: pb/Han som tegner]
- Speilets bakside ["The Back Side of the Mirror"] (Kristiansund, Norway: Vendetta, 2016) [Marko Eldfell: pb/Trond Kulterud]
- Den lengste dagen ["The Longest Day"] (Oslo, Norway: Gyldendal Norsk, 2019) [Marko Eldfell: hb/Trond Kulterud]
works for young adults
series
Lanse
- Tidsrosen ["The Rose of Time"] (Oslo, Norway: Gyldendal Norsk, 2015) [Lanse: hb/Børge Bredenbekk]
- Sjelens brønn ["The Well of the Soul"] (Oslo, Norway: Gyldendal Norsk, 2016) [Lanse: hb/Børge Bredenbekk]
works for children
series
Bifrost
- Nattspeilet ["The Night Mirror"] (Oslo, Norway: Gyldendal Norsk, 2017) [Bifrost: hb/]
- Ylva og myldremørket ["Ylva And the Teeming Darkness"] (Oslo, Norway: Gyldendal Norsk, 2018) [Bifrost: hb/]
- Dragedalen ["The Valley of the Dragon"] (Oslo, Norway: Gyldendal Norsk, 2020) [Bifrost: hb/]
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