STRANDED ON LOKOR

Norwegian film director Eldar Einarson has written a compact and vibrant story about never giving up. He drew inspiration from an experience he had when he was eleven years old in 1958. He dreamed of being in a dark and desolate landscape, unable to find his way home. The nightmare seemed endless, and he felt helpless. He has used this feeling to write a story about perseverance, no matter how hopeless the situation appears.

In a clever twist, his main character, Eldar, awakens in a dystopian world on a planet in a parallel universe. Eldar has yet to learn how he got there and how to return. He is on his way to a slave market but manages to escape just before being sold. However, his escape only leads him from bad to worse. He ends up on a desolate island surrounded by a freezing sea, where his survival instinct is his only hope. A desperate act of survival lands him a dangerous job as an assistant to the maintenance chief of two windmills.

Einarson's vivid descriptions of the brutal mining community, where children are forced to work in the narrow mine shafts due to the dwarves' extinction, evoke a deep sense of empathy. The relationship that grows between the master and apprentice is beautifully depicted, adding emotional depth to the story. The narrative offers a captivating portrayal of two individuals who collaborate under challenging circumstances. The tension arising from the fact that only one can escape, to be decided by a coin toss, is well maintained.

This book is for children and youth aged ten and up, but it also works well for adults.