The Ring of the Dark Elves, The Midwest Book Review gives it five stars

The Ring of the Dark Elves, The Midwest Book Review gives it five stars

Seattle author Victoria Randall announced the advent of The Ring of the Dark Elves, an Editors' Choice selection of iUniverse. This marks the first time the saga of Sigurd Fafnirsbane has been retold in English since William Morris' translation of the Volsunga Saga in 1870.

The Midwest Book Review gives it five stars and says: Utilizing the same mythic conflicts that drive Richard Wagner s immortal operatic cycle, The Ring of Nibelung , The Ring of the Dark Elves tells of Odin s efforts to hold off the onset of Ragnarok by ensnaring Sigurd s service and using him to regain the ring of power from the ruthless dragon Fafnir. An epic, enthralling tale, . . entertaining and imaginative storytelling and a highly recommended addition to personal and community library Science Fiction and Fantasy collections. (Midwest Book Review, Sept. 21, 2003)

For centuries the Norsemen plundered northern Europe, leaving devastation and terror in their wake; but they also created a hero who has lived for over twelve centuries in sagas, epic romance and opera. The story of that hero, The Ring of the Dark Elves, is set in the savage, beautiful world of Norse legend. It is a tale of valor and avarice, love and vengeance, and the uncanny curse laid on the sea nymphs' golden ring. This is the tale from which Richard Wagner created his great operatic Ring cycle, and from which J.R.R. Tolkien derived many of his most potent plot elements. But it is a tale of courage and enchantment in its own right, worthy of retelling.

Asked how she came to write The Ring of the Dark Elves, Ms. Randall says, "I became familiar with the story of the ring when Wagner's Ring cycle was performed by the Seattle Opera Company, and I began investigating its sources. I thought it would make a wonderful movie, and was amazed that no one had written a definitive modern version. I'm not a movie maker, so I did the next best thing and wrote The Ring of the Dark Elves in an attempt to make the tale accessible to people unfamiliar with the opera." Asked who she envisions as the audience for her book, Ms Randall says, "Despite the dragon on the cover, it's not a children's book. There are adult themes such as incest and forced marriage, and a lot of bloodletting. I recommend it for mature 15 year olds and up."

A graduate of Oberlin College, Victoria Randall published The Witchstone, a fantasy novel, in 1976. Her oldest son, Keith Graham, is the artist who created the cover painting for The Ring of the Dark Elves.

The Ring of the Dark Elves is the archetypal ring legend, the tragic tale of the greatest hero of Norse legend, of which William Morris wrote, "This is the great story of the North, which should be to all our race what the tale of Troy was to the Greeks."

Available in May 2003, ISBN 0-595-27235-5, $20.95 from barnesandnoble.com, amazon.com or by calling iUniverse at 1-877-823-9235. It is also available from Ingram or Baker and Taylor.