The Dedalus Book of Finnish Fantasy

These stories have two common denominators: nature and war. Finland is sparsely populated, and its citizens form close ties with nature; it has also been torn between the empires of Sweden and Russia. Wolf Bride, by Aino Kallas, is set in the mid-17th century. Aalo, a woodsman's wife, watches a wolf hunt. Later, she can't resist joining the wolves in the forest and becomes a werewolf. At night she runs with wolves, by day she plays the part of a devoted wife. It's an eerie tale with an unexpected ending. Tove Jansson is best known for her Moomintroll stories, but her piece is very adult. Following an unspecified disaster, a wife shops for her injured husband by climbing through shattered windows and looking for food among the wreckage. She relishes her role as breadwinner far too much! The editor's own offering, Transit, tells how a young autistic girl speaks for the first time in 14 years and persuades a drunken hellraiser to help her steal some dolphins.

... intriguing and eye-opening. Rooted in the myths and legends of Nordic sagas, it's very alive to the modern world, too. -- Matt Warman in The Daily Telegraph


Genre: Fantasy