The Country Beneath the Ice: The Book of Death

In this second book about the country beneath the ice, Leo Rubin, the chosen one, is faced with a gruesome challenge: He must travel from his homestead Smalvik to Karnak, the temple at the southernmost end of the country beneath the Ice. He has to get there by solstice, the longest night of the year. There, he has to make an impossible choice: Death – for himself or for his friend. It is the secret sect, the Order of the Sun Temple that is behind this? And the sect’s leader, the ruthless Hathor, is hiding somewhere in Smalvik.

The sect is preparing for doomsday, together with a growing army of vicious caped cats. But first they have to get hold of The Book of Death. This is the protocol that contains the answers to the mystery of death. Hathor will stop at nothing to get hold of the book. But who is she? Can inspector Jerstad disclose her identity? Can Leo manage the impossible mission in the land beneath the ice? And can they find The Book of Death in time?

The Book of Death is a captivating fantasy story wherein the ancient Egyptian religion forms the backdrop. The book is a sequel to Mæhle’s great success in 2009, The Country Beneath the Ice (Landet under isen). This novel was awarded the Ministry of Culture’s Literary Prize for best children’s book, UPrisen (Young reader’s prize) and Fabelprisen, and it was also nominated for Brageprisen (the Norwegian book prize).
The jury of the Ministry of Culture’s Prize said: “Ever since talk began of the so-called `fantasy wave´ within books for children and young adults, we´ve been waiting for the big, Norwegian fantasy novel. It´s arrived.”