Historian (The Civil War in North Carolina
) and novelist (The Fires of Pride
) Trotter sends up Nordic myth in this delightfully incongruous tale of midlife crisis, redemption and mythical sea monsters. Allen Warrener has long dreamed of doing "something memorable," but his life has been less than spectacular: he does not become a war hero like his father, nor does he complete the great American novel he sets out to write. His marriage fails, and by age 40, Warrener finds himself in a dead-end professorship. So, when an old acquaintance asks him to organize a North Atlantic expedition to search for the mythical Vardinoy Monster, Warrener agrees and assembles an unlikely crew, including his girlfriend, an old flame from his student days and a former porn director and his wife, "the Queen of Quality Porn." The expedition is quickly unsettled by strange discoveries, hostile Nordic islanders and a sabotaged boat. As bodies begin to pile up and an impending volcanic eruption looms, Warrener may finally have his shot at glory. Immensely entertaining, this sprawling adventure straddles the lines between sci-fi, fantasy and thriller and will find a readership in each camp. (July 11)
