The Celtic Ring [Hardcover]

Bjorn Larsson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1998

On a dark night in the Danish harbor of Dragor, Ulf is handed a log-book by a lone sailor who then disappears. The bizarre events in the log lead Ulf and his friend Torben to make a dangerous winter crossing of the North Sea to Scotland in the 31-foot yacht Rustica. As they are passing through the Caledonian Canal, a lock-gate bursts open and nearly puts an end to their boat and their lives. Is this an unlucky accident or attemptd murder?

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

A best-seller in Europe, Larsson's thriller is a homage to Erskine Childers' amateur-yachtsman-turned-spy classic, The Riddle of the Sands (1903). For Larsson, the reluctant heroes are two Swedes, Ulf and Torben, who encounter an enigmatic Finn, Pekka, who before his demise reveals the existence of something called the Celtic Ring. Driven by curiosity, masochism, and justice, the two sail across the North Sea in the dead of winter, surviving, besides the voyage, encounters with several homicidal persons. They discover a vast Celtic underground, encompassing but not limited to a revived Druidism and dedicated to the autonomy of Scotland, Ireland, Wales, and Brittany. The intrigues and betrayals of Larsson's yarn are complex and sometimes implausible, but brisk action, plenty of splendid nautical detail, and gripping scenes of peril at sea make it high-interest fare for lovers of tales of the salt. Roland Green

Review

"...this is a fine cruising yarn in which 'The Riddle of the Sands' is a clue." -- Cruising World, February, 2002

An insider's knowledge about the world of sailing adds rich texture to The Celtic Ring. -- Publishers Weekly, February 1997

Bjrn Larsson has written a vivid tale, which rivals Erskine Childers' The Riddle of the Sands with its riptides of dark nights, fogs, gale-force winds and elusive villains... Larsson can write with a command of narrative and evocative description that makes you feel you are there. This is a thriller to cherish and read again and again. -- Sailing, January 1998

There are few 'hands on' yachting thrillers and even fewer with a convincing plot. This one reads like a modern day 'Riddle of the Sands' and deserves to become a classic. -- Cruising, Spring 1998

This riveting page-turner of an adventure yarn set on the high seas between Sweden and Scotland introduces two of the most likable fictional characters in many a year and rates comparison with one of the classics of the genre, Erskine Childers' "The Riddle of the Sands."...One of the author's greatest achievements is his success in conveying the thrill of sailing to landlubbers and sea dogs alike. -- Inverness Courier, May 1997

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 388 pages
• Publisher: Sheridan House (September 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1574090240
• ISBN-13: 978-1574090246
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,019,959 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An intelligent page-turner!, December 28, 2001

By 

Pierre Weydert (Zurich, Switzerland) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Celtic Ring (Paperback)

Let me clarify a few things right at the beginning: I am no sailor, I have never been to northern Scandinavia nor to Scotland, and I had never felt a great interest for Europe's Celtic heritage. But this book changed all that! It made me want to live on a boat, it gave me an appetite for a trip to northern Europe, and it aroused my interest in the history of the Celtic civilization. In short, "The Celtic Ring" has it all: an intelligent page-turner, so to speak. But what exactly is the book about?

On a cold January night in the Danish port of Dragor, Ulf - a young Swede living aboard his 31-foot-yacht "Rustica" - gets to know Pekka, an inscrutable Finn who has just arrived in the port utterly exhausted and green with fear. Pekka hands his logbook over to Ulf before disappearing again during the night that follows. After reading the logbook, Ulf decides to sail across the North Sea to Scotland together with his friend Torben in order to find out more about the so-called Celtic Ring, an enigmatic organization dedicated to the obtainment of political autonomy for the former Celtic nations of Scotland, Ireland, Wales and Brittany. Along the way, Ulf and Torben have to battle both with adverse meteorological conditions as well as with shady characters who clearly disapprove of foreigners poking their noses into matters that are none of their own. In the end, the two Swedes succeed in uncovering a vast network of activists fighting for the Celtic cause, although much about the Ring's core organization remains unknown.

"The Celtic Ring" is a gripping novel bristling with nautical detail and historical footnotes that will appeal to experts and laymen alike. The plot is fast-moving and full of unexpected twists. The only part of the book I did not quite like was the end which leaves the reader in considerable doubt about the story's outcome. Also, the map provided in the book is of a too general nature, and I would have greatly appreciated a second, more precise map outlining those parts of the Scottish coastline that are so vividly described in the book.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Mystery, Sea & Conspiracy, May 27, 2001

By 

Elyon (Mesilla, New Mexico) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Celtic Ring (Paperback)

Before making my comments below, I should preface this review by stating that I read this novel while recuperating from oral surgery, and therefore my appreciation of this book may have been influenced by the medications I was taking as well as by lack of sleep and expected interruptions in my attention span. Nonetheless, while engaging in its descriptions of the sea and as an ode to sailing, as well as initially creating and sustaining a sense of suspense and mystery, the conspiracy elements introduced in the novel never became successfully resolved, and at book's end did much to undermine the novel's other strengths, and were I allowed to award half stars, this work, because of this, would have merited only three and a half stars.

The book starts out well enough under dark, threatening skies in the harbor of Dragor, Denmark, the cold, wintry setting and empty, inhospitable sea establishing the perfect milieu for the chance and mysterious encounters that are to propel the main protagonist, Ulf, to undergo a nautical and dangerous journey to Scotland where he will soon find himself involved in murder, secret societies and intrigue. The initial stages of this voyage, undertaken in the midst of winter and involving the potentially deadly crossing of the North Sea, are marvelously detailed and suspenseful in the slow unraveling of the plot, each secret revealed further adding to the evolving mystery, and bringing the protagonist closer and closer, not only to answers but the inherent danger the truth may contain. Between the often gripping perils encountered on the ocean and the increasing and murderous attempts to prevent their quest for answers, suspense builds, the mystery deepens and the reader is compelled toward the final, and what will hopefully be, exciting and climactic conclusion.

However, without giving too much of the narrative away, the resolution of the mystery behind this book is predicated upon the existence of a loose confederation of secret Celtic societies, with hints of ancient rituals and possible magic. While during the bulk of the narrative the potential of a hidden and menacing cult's existence propelling events contributes to both the mystery and suspense building within the novel, the necessary resolution never comes, the identity and motivations of the "cult"---the true nature of the underlying conspiracy---remaining vague and tenuous, hidden within a fog of hints and references as veiled as the mists that physically disguise the setting at book's conclusion. Though it is perhaps unnecessary to entirely unmask the "villains" at book's end, too much is left to conjecture, the conspiracy that has threatened the protagonists throughout, and whose exposure is the purpose behind all their efforts and risks, remaining but for its outline unclear and dissatisfyingly revealed. Despite the book's strengths of characterization, plot and description, the absence of any true resolution to the mystery prevents me from wholeheartedly applauding this novel.

Nonetheless, those who love the sea and sailing, or are intrigued by things Celtic---readers who have admired Erskine Childers to whom this book is an acknowledgment---will find much in this novel to recommend it. The author has deftly drawn his primary characters---Ulf, his friend and sailing companion Torben, MacDuff and the mysterious Mary---creating individual and memorable characters, and the basic foundation of the story and its setting are admirably and often strikingly and beautifully established. There is little question that the author himself is a sailor. And even those who have never sailed or visited the western coast of Scotland will likely wish to re-experience the lochs, the islands and rugged coastline, as well as the slap of the waves on a hull firsthand. Had the author resolved the suspenseful mystery he had created more conclusively, with less plot threads left dangling, this book might have reached the full potential the author had within his grasp. As it is, the sense of mystery is left suspended.

As a final note: when reading this novel I would suggest ignoring the map provided at the book's beginning---it is neither complete nor accurate, and is ultimately more confusing than clarifying. Additionally, be prepared to gloss over some momentary problems, due either to errors in translation or poor editing. They crop up enough to attract notice, but ultimately remain only a minor distraction.

8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This one has it all., May 19, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Celtic Ring (Hardcover)

Sailing, politics, history, terrorists, exotic ports. Outstanding, creative plot. Made me want to move onto a boat. I've kayaked the same route Torben and Ulf take accross Scotland (only in reverse), and Larsson describes it to the letter. One of my favorite reads ever. As my wife said, "I wish I didn't know what happened so I could read it again." Is this guy going to write another? I'll be first in line