The Bear King – A Svilland Novel

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The Bear King – A Svilland Novel

The Bear King, a novel within the Svilland universe, is a Nordic-inspired dark fantasy by author Steven Savile, set during Svilland’s harsh Second Age. The story follows Mavnos, a former ally who becomes disillusioned by the shapeshifting Bear King’s disturbing ambitions. This king, plagued by a mad desire to prevent the impending Black Winter, intends to sacrifice the High Council of Seidr—Svilland’s seers and magicians—to achieve his vision. Mavnos, determined to stop this grim ritual, is torn between loyalty and the need to protect the land from plunging into destruction.

This tale captures the bleak yet mesmerizing landscapes of Svilland, where Norse mythology-inspired themes of survival, betrayal, and fate are prominent. With Mavnos’s struggle against both the supernatural elements of Svilland and the malevolent Bear King, The Bear King offers readers an intense journey through a world that explores the darker facets of power and resistance.

The wind howled with the anguish of the dying. Its lament carried all across the Lash. There was no caress. No gentle cradling. It wasn’t the season for that. Not this far north. Not deep in the heart of the Black Winter.The wind sliced brutally at Mavnos’s skin, shaper than any blade. He put his head down, pulling his scarf tighter around his throat. The wool covered his mouth, but still mist wreathed up in front of his face, conjuring its own ghosts. He stumbled on, head down, listening to the rush of snow falling from overburdened branches that crowded in on him. The denuded forest rose all around him, bark-stripped away like the bones of a thousand corpses. His heart hammered against his rib cage. His breath caught in his lungs. Every muscle burned. But he could not catch his breath.