Children

Defy the Gods. Forge your destiny.

Maya, fostered by the Gods and sent away to fend for herself, is fed up with a life of servitude and deception. To find and assemble the pieces of her real identity, she must embark on a perilous quest. Her only weapon is magic she doesn't understand; her shield - defiance. 

Magni, son of Thor, wants the quiet life of a blacksmith. But destiny has other plans. When his world is shattered, he's thrust into a realm of chaos and conflict. With a heart that yearns for peace, Magni is forced to wield his hammer as a weapon to battle those who use him as a tool. 

Bound by circumstance, Maya and Magni form an unlikely alliance. Forced to confront their pasts, they must forge a future where they hold the reins of their own destinies. Love and loyalty will be tested as they fight to change the Universe, challenge the Gods... and survive their wrath.

2020 Stabby Nominee - Best Self-Published/Independent Novel

2022 Queer Indie Lit Award

2022 Picky Bookworm Award - Best Worldbuilding

"The main thing which struck me was how different it was. Completely unlike the mainstream trad published fantasy. Then I went off and had a little cry." - Tim Hardie, author of Hall of Bones and A Quiet Vengeance

"A haunting, brutal, and emotional coming of age story, steeped in Norse mythology and written in spare but lyrical prose, Children is a book that demands to be felt rather than read. Its hard-hitting story and dark humor combine to make this a grim book with lots of heart, a book that will stick with me for a long time." - Angela Boord, author of Fortune's Fool

"Faced with gods who are interested only in their own goals, happy to use their own children to further their ambition in the face of a foretold end, Children can be read as allegory or fantasy. Drawing on established Norse myths but adding a unique interpretation, Larssen's tale made me wince with witnessed pain, and cry, and, once or twice, snort with laughter. His evocative prose will linger in my mind for a long time. Not a book easily forgotten." - Marian L Thorpe, author of Empress & Soldier and Empire's Daughter

"This dark retelling of Asgard's pantheon is no rosy Marvel Universe depiction, the violence and savagery of the deities and their contemporaries being on full display. [...] Children is as actually less of a coming-of-age tale as it is a study of trauma, a commentary on classism and privilege, an observation on the expectations placed on each other by child and parent, and a questioning of what it says about us when one group of people can dehumanize another." - Grimdark Magazine

Note:

British English conventions, spelling, and grammar were used in this book.

The book includes strong language, depictions of sexual, physical, and emotional violence. For full list of triggers, which may contain spoilers, see: https://www.bjornlarssen.com/children-tw