Three Vikings - Viking Restaurant Review with Mae Anderson To celebrate Norsevember, a world-wide online event celebrating all things Vikings (books, comics, games, movies, history, food, drink...), I'll be hosting a series of special posts with a few of my Viking-minded friends from around the world. The topic: Viking Restaurants from around the world!  Mae Anderson, an avid book reviewer as well as Executive Producer at CBC/Radio-Canada, ventured out to Three Vikings in Edmonton, Canada to do a #Norsevember restaurant review. Located in the culinary hub of the 124th Street area, Three Vikings offers locally sourced comfort food with Danish and British specialties with a dash of hygge! Here is what Mae had to say... 
What did you order and how was it? We started with chai tea and a coffee, along with some Maple Blomkål--fried cauliflower with a maple grain mustard sauce. It was good! For our main meal, we split Smøørebrød— two halves of an open faced sandwich, one with three types of beets, one with ham and other garnishings— which was slightly disappointing. I recommend the beet one for a snack, but the lack of pzazz in the bread makes it less exciting as a meal.
What was the best part of your experience at Three Vikings? The atmosphere most definitely, and the very kind service.  What is one thing Three Vikings could do to make the experience even better? For a restaurant with Viking-esque decor, it’s not at all clear what the meaning of it all is. I’d love if the owners had their story somewhere on the website, along with a dictionary to help understand the vocabulary used in the menu. Pronouncers maybe? Takk to Mae for checking out Three Vikings!
If you're in Edmonton and are thirsty on a Saturday night, check out Three Vikings on 124th street.
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Valhalla Bar Basel - Viking Restaurant Review with Kaitlin FelixTo celebrate Norsevember, a world-wide online event celebrating all things Vikings (books, comics, games, movies, history, food, drink...), I'll be hosting a series of special posts with a few of my Viking-minded friends from around the world. The topic: Viking Restaurants from around the world!  Kaitlin Felix, the author of The Seeing Trees as well as an upcoming novel featuring Gyda the Grim from her short story Waverunners, lives in Switzerland and took some time to check out Valhalla Bar Basel; this Viking-themed treasure features not only an incredible food and drink menu that would make Thor's stomach grumble, but live events including Viking live music nights and quizzes! Here are Kaitlin's responses to the Norsevember Restaurant Review Questionnaire...  Rate each category on 1 (low rating) - 5 (high rating): Theme ★★★★★ Food Menu ★★★★★ Drinks ★★★★★ Price ★★★★ Merch *Did not see any In Norse mythology, Valhalla is a vast hall, set aside by Odin for warriors and fighters of the highest calibre. Valkyries choose the bravest of the slain from battlefields and bear them to glorious afterlives. Half go to Freyja’s Folkvangr, while the rest are welcomed in Valhalla. Companions and enemies feast together, drink each other under the tables, and fight – all in preparation for the most glorious and world-shattering battle: Ragnarök, the fiery renewal of the world. Valhalla Bar in Basel, Switzerland, lives up to this vaunted description. "Companions and enemies feast together, drink each other under the tables, and fight – all in preparation for the most glorious and world-shattering battle: Ragnarök, the fiery renewal of the world." At the beginning of October this year, a good friend and I took the train up to Basel. We had a hotel room, none of our children, and an entire evening to pillage and plunder. After a tasty dinner at a Roman-themed restaurant, we ventured out like Valkyries to find Valhalla. Located beyond the usual high-street bars and restaurants, but not too far, this place proved to be an experience of its own. When we arrived, I felt certain Odin himself couldn’t turn out something better. This hung in the entry way, and while my rune-loving friends might squint sideways at it, I thought it was a badass touch.  Translation: “Welcome to Valhalla's walls, where neither fear nor discord lurk. Be our friends and enter to be equal among equals. Drink our drink. Linger the night. Receive the old gods’ power.” Only open for just over a year, Valhalla already has the feel of a well-loved pub. The place has it all - giant platters of food, tubs of booze, cool décor, and music to rip out your eardrums. Co-owned by modern-day Viking Raphael Bonato with two friends, the care and attention to detail is evident in every seam and corner. The DécorWhat arrested me immediately was the size. Most bars in Zurich city are rather cosy. Valhalla was welcoming and expansive, like a winter night spent basking around a mead-hall’s hearth. Across the indoor area, rustic timber tables were paired with fur-lined benches. Stuffed armchairs occupied a snug corner. To the left of the bar, a large space was available for events. Valhalla is known for its live music nights and quizzes. The night before I visited, they held a Lord of the Rings quiz. Fate was not on my side for that one!  After hanging up our jackets, my friend and I moved outside, passing through a large doorway and onto the patio. Here there were more tables and benches. Strings of lights lined the edges and an awning was ready to catch any rainfall. This was a Friday, yet the night was quiet and fair. Most of the patrons sat together like companions home from a raid, talking and drinking and eating. I wanted to sit among the benches, but my Swiss German is somewhat lacking, and I can be shy in crowds. We looked on from a corner before moving back inside for drinks.
Drinking & FeastingWith an extensive drinks list, we were spoiled for choice. There were cocktails, beer, and liquor, but the real treat was the variety of mead, or “met” as it’s called in German. Having already split a bottle of excellent wine, I was tipsy and feeling the Norse spirit rise like fire in my belly. I ordered the original mead, with no extra flavouring, though later I ordered the juniper infusion, which was excellent. I eyed the cranberry, but missed out on trying it in favour of a glass of Oban single malt to end the night. (I do like a good full-bodied Scottish whisky!) The mead came in a metal cup, a bit like a Moscow Mule. It was cool and sweet. The honey was strong, and so was the cheer. I sipped it slowly to savour the experience. Though I didn’t ask, I wonder if buying a bottle to take home would be possible.  Having already had dinner, we did not order food. But as we stood at the bar chatting with a few patrons and waiting for drinks, huge platters whizzed by our heads. Stacked with fries and burgers and doused in sauces, the amount of food would have had Thor’s mouth watering enough to fill the sea!  The names on the menu card were intriguing:
Music & EventsI said before that Valhalla is known for its music, and though we did not have a live band that evening, Raphael himself commanded the music booth, choosing songs that would have made any skald headbang. A few of my current favourites played, including Saltatio Mortis’ version of My Mother Told Me, in Old Norse, of course. After a search, I found a Spotify playlist for the bar, so if you’d like a flavour of what they play on any given night, take a look! "I said before that Valhalla is known for its music, and though we did not have a live band that evening, Raphael himself commanded the music booth, choosing songs that would have made any skald headbang." Final ThoughtsThe rest of the evening was spent laughing and talking with another group that joined us at our table. They were friendly, welcoming, and enthusiastic about our visit. Which very much reflected the vibe of Valhalla. This is a place where truly all are welcome, no matter your background or familiarity with the scene. It was a thoroughly exhilarating evening, one to be repeated! On our way out, we encountered a new friend. Whether greedy Fafnir or fierce Jǫrmungandr, such a serpent can only be honoured with its own table beside the door. A toothy greeting and a fanged farewell, but still an invitation to return and experience a night full of legends and myth.  "A toothy greeting and a fanged farewell, but still an invitation to return and experience a night full of legends and myth." So the next time you find yourself raiding or trading in Switzerland, feast at Vallhalla Bar Basel. Thanks to Kaitlin for her review!
More Norsevember restaurant features to come! ODINS - Viking Restaurant Review with John Hyatt To celebrate Norsevember, a world-wide online event celebrating all things Vikings (books, comics, games, movies, history, food, drink...), I'll be hosting a series of special posts with a few of my Viking-minded friends from around the world. The topic: Viking Restaurants from around the world!  John Hyatt, host of the Gifts of the Wyrd Podcast, took some time to share about his favourite Viking-themed restaurant, ODINS Haithabu in Busdorf, Germany. Beyond the historic building and the incredible menu, ODINS is also a brewery, meadery, and winery! The All-Father would be pleased, I'm sure. Here are John's responses to the Norsevember Restaurant Review Questionnaire!  Rate each category on 1 (low rating) - 5 (high rating): Theme ★★★★★ Food Menu ★★★★★ Drinks ★★★★★ Price ★★★★ Merch ★★★★ Which Norse god are you most likely to find hanging out here? Definitely Odin. This place is filled with feeling good about eating and socializing. What did you order and how was it? Housegemachte Nudeln. It was excellent. The right amount and great flavor. I also enjoyed a few glasses of ODINS bier (beer) and ODINS met (mead). Both excellent! What was the best part of your experience at ODINS We were there in October and arrived in the evening about 8 p.m. The restaurant was moderately occupied and the atmosphere was warm and cozy. Lighting was perfect and the decor makes you feel welcome and like you just entered a little cottage in the woods. What is one thing ODINS could do to make the experience even better? I really don’t have a suggestion for this. I had a great time as it was. Fun fact: ODINS has left the 'I' unlit on their sign so if you go at night you'll only see OD NS, as shown in the picture below from John's last visit...  So the next time you find yourself in Germany, go grab a brew at ODINS! More Norsevember restaurant features to come!  Welcome Laken! Thanks for taking some time to chat about writing. First, a few quick-fire questions: Coniferous or Deciduous? Spring or Fall? And if you could spend a weekend away in any forest in the world, which one would it be? I love this question. I do appreciate the beauty of the changing colors with deciduous trees; there is something magical and natural in the way these trees mark the passage of time for us humans. However, I prefer the presence of coniferous trees. I like the way they smell. I prefer cold weather climates. I’m fortunate in that the forests here in New Hampshire tend to have both. But if I had to choose one, I would prefer to live in a colder climate in the presence of coniferous trees. "I do appreciate the beauty of the changing colors with deciduous trees; I love the changing seasons. Winter is my favorite. Summer, my least favorite. So difficult to pick between Spring and Fall… If I had to, I would say Fall. There is something peaceful, quiet, and magical about Fall. Perhaps it's the presence of Samhain or a time when the veils grow thin, but I’m definitely cognizant of that shift during this time of year. I feel a strong call to the boreal forest which is spread across parts of Canada and the arctic circle. Back when the continents were connected, this was all one forest, but it is spread across multiple continents now. Traces of boreal biome can be found in New Hampshire, but really need to be a little further north to experience it.  A beautiful New Hampshire Boreal Forest I’m always keen to talk about the reality of a writer's life as many people imagine us sitting up in some ivory tower drinking tea while songbirds flit around us. That is certainly not my experience! What is your writing life actually like? Where do you write? How long are your writing sessions typically? Is it really structured or flexible to fit around other commitments? Do you set goals or do you progress as ideas come naturally? Yes, it’s so easy to idealize writing. My “writing life” is often divided between actually writing/editing a WIP and also reading other writer’s work, marketing/promoting my current novel, learning my craft, and keeping up with social media writer friends. That last one is important. People shun it or say it's extraneous, but it’s not. Having friends to share the writing journey with is priceless. So the time I spend just writing during a day is maybe one to three hours. I write at the same time each night, 10:00pm after my son is asleep and I’ve set him up for school the next day, the laundry’s folded, all that home stuff is done. Then I sit down to write uninterrupted. I put my phone on silent and just write for at least an hour. Sometimes it’s two or even three hours. It’s amazing how much I can get done in that uninterrupted time. "Having friends to share the writing journey with is priceless." Sometimes I have time to write during the day, but if I do it’s usually only for an hour or so. I often take notes during the day as pieces of the story come to me, but I don’t have the ability to sit down and just write. I wrote the ending of my current WIP at a traffic light the other day. I saw it in my mind, like a film playing out. So I jotted it down at the next light and then put it in my manuscript later that night. In terms of goals, I’d love to get to a point where my writing is sustainable. I don’t need to be the next big name in fantasy, but if my books are making enough money that I can afford to just focus on writing them, that is what I am working towards.  A big congratulations to you on the publication of The Chrysillium Tree! As of September 2021, readers can find their copy online and get lost in this adventure rife with ancient lore, sacred trees, and found family. I know that the ‘post-book’ blues can be a thing and many debut authors are unprepared for it. For authors with upcoming debuts, what strategies or practices helped you to manage the many ups and downs of your debut book launch? Thank you so much! I was really fortunate to have many published writer friends from Twitter before I published my first novel. I learned from them. So I went into this knowing not to have bloated expectations. I think it’s the expectations that get us. I try to keep a practical, realistic viewpoint around sales. I kept my expectations low. Not because I don’t believe in my book. But because I’m realistic about my situation. I chose to be a self-published author. I didn’t even bother to query. I have good reasons for this decision - maybe a conversation for another time - but I knew that with this decision would be the problem of reach. I could have the best novel of all time, but if I’m not getting it into the right hands, who would ever know? I know this is my greatest challenge. Honestly, it would still be a challenge if I traditionally published. It is the challenge of all debut authors. How to get my unknown name and my book out there? How to find my readers? I look at it like that. I am still finding those people. It’s a process. It’s going to take time and probably more than one book. "I was really fortunate to have many published writer friends from Twitter before I published my first novel. I learned from them. So I went into this knowing not to have bloated expectations. Having said that, I was very surprised with how well The Chrysillium Tree is doing. The numbers far exceeded what I had thought possible. In this first month, it has reached a number 400 ranking three times in the top fantasy reads section on Amazon which is a massive genre. And the sales numbers have reflected this. I seem to have established a base of readers who are genuinely interested in my novel and the sequel I am currently writing. I am so grateful for this! This is an accomplishment. This is the beginning. Am I rolling in money? Of course not! I’m not even near enough money made to cover the cost of publishing the second novel. I have my worries. I have my concerns that I won’t make enough money selling my book to cover the costs of creating a new one, but I don’t dwell in that place. There are people out there who love this story. It touched them. They care about what happens next. This is what matters. The Chrysillium Tree has been praised for its incredibly in depth world and its mesmerizing imagery. What inspired this world and what was your process in building it? Did you spend a lot of time building before you began writing or did it come into focus as you wrote the narrative? What tips do you have for writers who are just at the beginning of building their fantasy worlds? That’s a difficult question. I’m not sure if it’s something that can be easily explained or learned. I’m an imaginative person. I have multiple worlds living in me and when I go there, I’m fully there. I can see, smell, taste, feel, all of it. To write immersively, I think a writer needs to immerse themselves and when writing fantasy that has to be through imagination. I think many world-building techniques can actually be a hindrance to this idea. Because they are so concrete they pull a writer out of the important part - the imagining. When I’m imagining, I can feel. That’s not to say the more concrete world-building techniques aren’t important. They are! Travel maps, histories, character arcs, world design, etc. and all the research that goes into these elements is very important. But if that’s all a writer is doing, it’s going to be flat. To me, imagining is most important. I’m enthralled by Idris and Eod. I’m struck by their beauty and I care for their vulnerability. I’m repulsed by the sterility of the Palace of Light and the blind ambition of the Azantium kingdom. I have feelings for these settings. I care for them in one way or another. "Travel maps, histories, character arcs, world design, etc. and all the research that goes into these elements is very important. But if that’s all a writer is doing, it’s going to be flat." So my rough draft is probably like 90 percent imagining. I might get stuck on a detail I need to look into, but I try not to get stuck there in the first draft. Then in the second draft I first go in and clean up, add in those other more concrete details. How long it takes to travel from point a to point b. What is the history behind Queen Druscilla’s hatred of the Lumani… surely it goes beyond just ignorance and bigotry. What else is there? Once that is complete, I return to the second draft and imagine again. What does this scene look like, feel like, taste like, smell like… and weave some more of that in there. So my advice is, please do not get tied up in the concrete details. This is a pit that can suck the life out of your work. I know people who this has happened to. Feel your story. Immerse yourself in your own story. This has been the greatest help to me in my writing. And then weave in the more concrete elements as you need to. When it’s time.  Your protagonist Mæve Faolái is being held captive in the Palace of Light by the Crown Prince when she learns of how the Lumani’s sacred Chrysillium Trees are being woefully exploited. In the shadows around this perilous court, a rebellion is brewing with the aim of setting the world right again. There seems to be an interesting contrast here with the traditional reference to light as primarily ‘good’, with darkness representing evil; here it is flipped around. What inspired you to spin this trope on its head and how do you use that throughout the story in terms of imagery? I do not appreciate the idea that light is good, dark is evil. In other cultures, white is the color of death because it is the absence of color. Whereas black is life or all colors. As a privileged American white woman, I see how our narrative is spun in light to hide very terrible things. Genocide, slavery, exploitation, rape - what is this other than light behaving as evil? It’s dishonest. It’s meant to trick so that violence can continue. Like a white bone demon. And if people don’t have a mind to discern what they are being told, then the trick goes on and so does the violence. This is not just American history, it's European history too, it’s modern history. This is the Azantium kingdom. "I do not appreciate the idea that light is good, dark is evil. I am currently working on the final edits for the third book in my trilogy titled The Elder Trees, so I am really deep in a headspace of thinking about the lore of trees. Which mythology or cultural narratives inspired your world-building around the Chrysillium Trees and what draws you to write about these incredible wonders of our natural world? I love the title of your book! I would like to look at your work. It sounds like something I would be interested in. And yes, that is also difficult to say. Truthfully, it was 98% imagining. Having said that, the imagining does not come from a void. A few academic texts I read shortly before writing The Chrysillium Tree and have had a paradigm-shifting impact on me include: Shamanism by Mircea Eliade, Making a New World: Founding Capitalism in the Bajío and Spanish North America by John Tutino, Why Indigenous Literatures Matter by Daniel Heath Justice, Ishmael by Daniel Quinn, Civilization & Capitalism: The Structures of Everyday Life by Fernand Braudel, and Women Who Run With the Wolves by Clarissa Pinkola Estés. I’m especially interested in scholarship pertaining to Indigenous narratives, critiques upon the social and environmental impacts of capitalism, and spirituality. "I’m especially interested in scholarship pertaining to Indigenous narratives, critiques upon the social and environmental impacts of capitalism, and spirituality." So I had these ideas ruminating around in my head at the time I came up with this story. And now that I look at them, I can see how they helped form the framework from which the more imaginative world was built upon. I think taking what we know already and using that as a framework to create the fantastical. My appreciation for the natural world comes from being in it. I grew up in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Nature, especially forests and mountains, were sanctuaries for me, they were sacred places. Then I left and lived in big cities - London, New York, Boston - for the next ten years of my life. I appreciate now how scarce these sacred, green places are becoming. And I spend as much time in them as possible. What draws me there? I don’t know but it is a calling. And when I’m there, it’s a listening. There is a language beyond words that exists in the forest and mountains, the oceans and rivers. I feel it when I’m there, I can sense it, and I also feel like my receptors to that message are dulled. So maybe the process of creating these natural wonders in The Chrysillium Tree are, in part, just remembering the magic that innately exists in nature.  The White Mountains, New Hampshire Can you tell us about your next upcoming project? Is it the sequel? Another story altogether? And, if you’re able, can you give us a sneak peek or a little teaser? Yes. The Star of Shalik is the sequel to The Chrysillium Tree. As of today, the 29th of October, I’m at 40k words and a little more than half-way finished. It’s a little light, but my first drafts usually are. I cannot say too much about it. It is a little darker than the first one. The stakes are higher. The setting is very different. It begins on the plains of Ulli, which we are familiar with from The Chrysillium Tree. Then we travel to Kråshain, which is only mentioned in The Chrysillium Tree. It is the Lumani library housed within the obsidian cliffs on the outer rim of Eod. Then in part II of the story, we journey to Thalis. A desert land of rolling red sands and forgotten histories. Part III is set on an island amongst a glass city. "It begins on the plains of Ulli, which we are familiar with from The Chrysillium Tree. Then we travel to Kråshain, which is only mentioned in The Chrysillium Tree. It is the Lumani library housed within the obsidian cliffs on the outer rim of Eod..." Some of the characters from The Chrysillium Tree return and there are some new ones. There is a young girl who can call down the stars, there are sinister wizards, a beautiful demon, and desert nomads. Even though this is a continuation of the same story, the feeling, the settings are quite different. They need to be and you’ll see why. Last, but not least, where can readers find your books and keep up with your future publications? I am most active on Twitter. But Goodreads and Instagram are also good places to find me. I have a newsletter where I provide monthly updates on my work as well as book recommendations, and updates from my blog.
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AuthorJoshua Gillingham is an author, editor, and game designer from Vancouver Island, Canada. Archives
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