The Fellowship of Ghosts: A Journey Through the Mountains of Norway

By Paul Watkins

Book Overview

From the author of The Ice Soldier, comes a real-life adventure among the fjords and icy mountains of Norway. Certain geographies speak to people. We are awed by mountains, challenged by the ocean, haunted by the bleakness of deserts. The effect of landscape on human consciousness is at the heart of novelist Paul Watkins's exhilarating travel story. Long bewitched by the stark beauty of the Scandinavian Alps, Watkins sets off among the ice-clad peaks and dark fjords of the arctic with only a tent and rucksack. On the way, he stops at rustic inns, follows the paths of other solitary travelers, navigates the punishing weather, and confronts the magisterial presence of the past among these mountains--a journey that makes for one of our finest accounts of the life and the land in the frozen north.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312359411
• ISBN13: 9780312359416
• Release Date: December 2006
• Publisher: St. Martins Press-3PL
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.5" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

Too much talking

While he has lots of good things to say about the Norwegian landscape, he has almost nothing good to say about the Norwegian people. One picture (of himself). One map in the front to which one must constantly refer back to. He goes away from the story too often. He does tell a lot about Norwegian culture and terminology but it gets lost in his many extraneous side stories.

Fantastic

If you're a travel buff or fantasize about travel, you'll find this tale of Watkins' journey through the mountainous terrain of central Norway a page turner. His descriptions of ladscapes are vivid. Additionally, he aquaints the reader with the people, customs, and foods of the area. In fact, he does a phenomenal job such that if you really get into the book, you'll feel as if you've traveled to central Norway yourself. He carries books by those before him who have already made the journey. He uses previous tales of Norwegian travels to guide his tour. These are his ghosts, i.e. the ones before him. He constantly refers to these previous works, giving the reader a synopsis of previous travels by others in addition to the vivid description of his own account. If you're a sightseer and enjoy the outdoors, you will likely enjoy Watkins' tale. If, on the other hand, you prefer to spend you time indoors and in the city, you might find his tale quite dull. I thoroughly enjoyed the book, but I love the outdoors, state and national parks etc.

An Inward Journey

Paul Watkins' "The Fellowship of Ghosts" is equal parts highly readable travelogue and introspective musings as the author hikes and travels through the mountains of Central Norway. The ghosts of the title are earlier, mostly English, authors who wrote about their travels in the mountains of Norway: Watkins travels much of the same ground and notes what has and has not changed. As an American graduate of an English boarding school, the author is in a position to critique his precessors. Watkins' interest in Norway is stirred when, as a college student working on a fishing boat, he is injured in an accident. During his convalescence, a shipmate entertains him with stories of his Norwegian homeland. Watkins is enthralled by the stories and visits as soon as he is well. The experience never quite leaves him, and the present book is oriented around Watkins' second visit many years later. The area of Watkins's travel is Central Norway, specifically the Rondale, Jotunheimen, and Dovrefjell ranges, beautiful and still largely underdeveloped country. Watkins' observant eye captures a series of vignettes of the fickle weather, the austere tourist facilities, the magnificent terrain, and of his sense of mysticism inspired by the experience of being there. In these mountains, man is not the center of the universe and defines himself against an epic natural landscape. Watkins finds both the outer beauty of the mountains and a measure of inner peace. Part of Watkins's commentary is a comparison of the marauding Viking stereotype against the kind and honest, if stoic, Norwegians with whom he has contact. Watkins touches on the long history and extensive mythology of Norway in a manner that provides context to his travels and to the Norwegian customs he encounters. Watkins' prose is wry and entertaining, often at his own expense as an American who speaks virtually no Norwegian. It is unfortunate that the book has only one map and a single photograph of the author in the mountains. This reviewer was able to follow Watkins' adventures with a medium scale map of central Norway. This book is highly recommended to those who have visited central Norway or plan to do so. It is not meant to be a travel guide but will provide some perspective to enhance the experience of those who cover the same ground.