issue 3 // volume 44

arts // no. 9

Douglas alum

releases second
self-published novel

> ‘Exile of Fenrir’ has original stories and
a fresh take on Norse Mythology

Caroline Ho
Arts Editor

 

eter Curson has one Business
Management Diploma and two
self-published novels under his belt.

Curson recently finished his studies
at Douglas in the spring of this year.

He also released his second novel,
Exile of Fenrir, this past July—which
was written and edited in just a year,
while also balancing coursework.

Despite studying business, Curson’s
passions and ambitions have long been
in writing, and he filled his electives
with Creative Writing courses. His
favourite of these courses, he told
the Other Press in an interview, was
Speculative Fiction with Amber Dawn.
Not coincidentally, both of his novels
are in the genre of speculative fiction.

Curson’s first book The Reign of
Evil (2015) is a more traditional fantasy
novel set in an original world entirely
of his own creation. It’s like “Lord of
the Rings, but a lot more toned-down,”
said Curson to the Other Press. The
Reign of Evil lacks Tolkien-style elves
and orcs, but it does contain two men
with mysterious birthmarks, powerful
kingdoms, and epic wars, all in one
standalone novel, although the author
is currently working on a sequel.

Exile of Fenrir takes place ina
possibly more familiar, yet no less
fantastical, setting: The world of Norse
mythology and the gods of Asgard. The
novel follows the shapeshifter Fenrir,
son of Loki, ona series of adventures
that are linked to traditional Norse

mythology, though the plot is original
rather than simply a retelling of standard
lore. Fenrir is almost always depicted

as evil in stories, but Curson explores
another side to well-known legends by
portraying Odin, Thor, and the other
gods of Asgard as the ones responsible
for Fenrir’s actions. For readers who are
familiar with Norse mythology, or with
popular adaptations such as Marvel’s Thor
movies, Exile of Fenrir casts characters

in a completely different light.

Although Curson’s novel contains his
own new stories, he has also tried to stay
true to the spirit of the traditional tales.
When writing the book, he undertook a
lot of research into both the mythological
stories and the culture from which these
stories arose, delving into the worldview of
the Vikings and their own understandings
of their gods. Exile of Fenrir captures
this characteristic Viking brashness
and humour, with a tone that Curson

  

Photo of Peter Curson by Caroline Ho

believes might appeal to fans of TV shows __ there’s zero start-up cost to the author. Writing courses he’s taken at Douglas.
like Vikings and The Last Kingdom. “Anyone can write a novel. It The biggest benefit of this, he’s found,
Curson hopes to have Exile of Fenrir doesn’t take a Creative Writing major,” has been having a writer’s community, a
eventually published traditionally, said Curson, who wrote Reign of Evil group of peers to read and critique each
through an agent and a publisher. For in his first year out of high school. others’ work. Since the Creative Writing
now, both of his novels are available “Tt takes time, it takes commitment courses here are all workshop-based, they
online via Amazon or Chapters, in ... But anyone can write one.” provide an excellent environment for this
hardcover, paperback, and eBook versions. The commitment might be the real type of feedback and support. “Even if it’s
The process of self-publishing a challenge, especially for someone also just one friend that you can be vulnerable
book on Amazon, according to Curson, juggling school and other responsibilities. | and share your work with and they'll give
is actually a very simple one. Amazon The trick, according to Curson, is to you true and honest feedback on it, it
has a free platform called CreateSpace keep yourself inspired—in his case, honestly helps so much,” said Curson.
where an author simply uploads their through music (Viking metal), other For readers seeking a taste of Norse
manuscript and cover, sets their pricing, books (especially J.R.R. Tolkien), mythology and writing talent honed at
and waits for the website to approve and and nice walks through nature. Douglas, the first four chapters of Exile
put it up for sale. Every time a book is Still, Curson says he’s learned a lot of Fenrir are available for free on Peter
sold, Amazon takes a cut of the profit; and benefited hugely from the Creative Curson’s website, www.petercurson.com.

Chairman of the Board: Catch me 1f you can

> Nowhere to Go’ board game review

Ed Appleby
Contributor

 

x *

here is a long line of pedigree when

it comes to two-player games. From
Mancala (c. 700) to Chess (c. 1475) to
Checkers (c. 1150), simple mechanics
have ruled the day. So how does a
modern spy-themed game stack up?

Nowhere to Go (2012) is a two-
player strategy game designed by Hank
Atkins and published by Educational
Insights. In the game, two players
square off by moving a playing piece
around an interconnected hexagonal
grid and then blocking off a route.
Each player takes turns until one
cannot move their piece because all
escape routes have been closed off.

The game plays very similarly

to Santorini (2017) and other grid

blocking style games, but lacks the

complexity necessary to be truly

engaging. The extremely simple rules
make this a great game for children or
anyone looking to pick up a game and
start playing it right away, without any
hassle. The games run only about ten
minutes, so they’re a great time waster to
pull out when waiting for other games.

Looking into the game's

development and the publisher’s
reputation, I can tell that Nowhere
to Go was developed in order to help
the development of children with
regard to spatial reasoning, which I
wholeheartedly approve of. But with
regards to being a two-player game, it
lacks the depth of strategy that other
games have done better. As an adult,
I would give it a pass, unless you have
someone younger to play with.

 

Illustration by Ed Appleby