Viking Wunderwaffe. “Fire of the Lake” – book review

Polish Dan Brown?

The literary market is full of sensational novels strongly inspired by history. Of course, the best in this genre is Dan Brown, whose works take us to the corners of the Vatican, the alleys of Paris or the undergrounds of Venice. As it turns out, however, Poland can also boast an author specializing in this type of emotional prose. Robert Kilen uses motifs that we know well from such literature: travels, frequent change of place of action, use of locations known to us from everyday life, confusion of time planes. Fire of the Lake is one of those books that inspire us to explore the world around us. Just like reading Angels and Demonsreaders set off to see Rome with their own eyes, so after the latest work of the Polish author they will come out to meet Polish and Norwegian monuments. It is an educating novel while keeping the reader in constant tension.

 ABW vs. descendant of the Vikings

In Fire of the Lake , we again stand at the side of Max Keller, a full-time hero of Robert Kilen’s books collaborating with the Internal Security Agency. It comes to light that the power of the old Vikings came from the lethal weapons that the warriors had at their disposal. A ruthless arms dealer, Thorwald Jacobsen, decides to discover its secret, written in the ancient runes. The title Odin’s Fire in combination with Thor’s Hammer can give him a power that our world has not yet seen. Keller must lead his investigation to outdo the psychopathic rich man and frustrate his plans.

The action rushes at breakneck speed

One thing must be admitted to the author – the book’s action does not slow down even for a moment. We start out like Hitchcock’s, with a big “boom”. The murder in the tallest skyscraper in Warsaw introduces us to a rather heavy and threatening atmosphere of Fire of the Lake. The further we wade into the book, the more crimes of this type are waiting for us. The chase is the chase, the search for medieval treasures is intertwined with the investigation of another murder. Robert Kilen cannot be denied the considerable eloquence with which the narrative is conducted.

 History is intertwined with the present

I love it when the action of the novel skillfully interweaves historical threads with events set in the present. In Robert Kilen’s work, the dark secrets of Nordic power and medieval themes alternate with a dynamic investigation conducted in contemporary Poland and Scandinavia. The reader is looking forward to the next historical episode, then begins to fidget in anticipation of the continuation of the investigation. I must admit that the author perfectly measured the appropriate length of each chapter. A division of several pages makes it hard to break away from the rushing plot.

Who is who?

However, if I had to stick to something, it could be a multitude of characters. The huge number of heroes in the book means that at times we just get lost in who’s who. This is obviously not a big problem, we can always go back a few pages to clarify the situation. However, such an activity always ends with breaking the rhythm of the action and the necessity to delve into the atmosphere again. The fast pace of the novel is perfectly appropriate, but there should be a little more order here, as it slowly borders on chaos.

The novel we need

In conclusion, Fire of the Lake is a very good example of a title that is missing in our country. Monumental sensational novels based on historical investigations enjoy unwavering popularity among readers, but in our native reality we have them as a remedy. However, Robert Kilen comes to the rescue of Polish fans with his next novels. A suspenseful intrigue, great manipulation of time planes, a lot of information and an interesting note from the author at the end of the book, which additionally introduces us to the historical realities and mysterious theories of scientists. Keep it up, Mr. Kilen!