Thirty-two men aboard the side trawler Seagull, with a ship full of redfish are hit by a major storm just as they prepare to turn for home; the sea is cold enough to kill a man, and the trawler quickly ices up in the biting frost and violent tempest. The heavy icing weighs down the already fully-laden craft, which is pummelled by one breaker after another — and here, out on the open sea, there is no exit route. From the fishing grounds around them can be heard distress signals from other ships in the same situation. It is a battle of life and death.

A dramatic story about the desperate struggle of a group of Icelandic fishermen against the ruthless forces of nature.

• Selected as one of the Best Books of 2020, Fiction in translation, by Financial Times.
• Book of the Year in the Translation category of Sunday Times’ overall selection 2020.
• Kulturhuset Stadsteatern International Literature Prize 2020, Sweden.

“In Storm Birds, Einar Kárason breathes new life into the classic theme of man vs. nature. The desperation on board a trawler caught in a storm is described so sharply that the reader feels the icy cold emanate from the page. A hair-raising reading experience, made stronger by John Swedenmark’s excellent translation.”
JURY OF THE KYLTURHUSET STADSTEATERN INTERNATIONAL LITERATURE PRIZE 2020, SWEDEN

“Gripping and exciting.”
SUNDAY TIMES BOOKS OF THE YEAR

“This gripping novel is as good at describing the magnificent seascapes and the unforgiving elements as it is at examining the inner lives of the besieged crew, toiling ceaselessly against implacable nature.”
FINANCIAL TIMES BOOKS OF THE YEAR

★★★★★ 5 stars out of 5
THE SUNDAY TIMES

“A masterpiece from hell!”
ROY JACOBSEN

“This slim book vividly captures the the drama and terror of a crisis at sea.”
CHOICE MAGAZINE

“An incredible reading experience, and the book does exactly what great literature is supposed to do: it changes you.”
GUDMUNDUR ANDRI THORSSON, WRITER

“Storm Birds’ poetry and prose bring to mind Joseph Conrad, a Polish-British writer who famously toiled on board various ships, and whose work often has a nautical setting and depicts the human spirit facing an impassive, incomprehensible universe. Kárason’s professional path was similar. He knows what it is to graft at sea, in the most inhospitable conditions, to feel the cold water that can freeze a man within a couple of minutes, and the biting frost and ice that covers every available surface.
… Storm Birds will leave you breathless and reaching for an extra-warm blanket.” 
EWA SHERMAN, EUROPEAN LITERATURE NETWORK, UK

“… this book is a masterpiece …”
AGUST B SVERRISSON, DV

 “Here is a book reminiscent of Tyson’s famous right hook, developed over years of tireless work, practiced again and again until it became as effortless as breathing. In the same way, this book is flawless in its brevity and precision… the best thriller written in Iceland in recent years. Congratulations, Einar Kárason.”
BUBBI MORTHENS, MUSICIAN

“… the author succeeds in creating an atmosphere of chaos and tension that reflects the situation on board, with men fighting for their lives while other ships, their crewmen in the same position, also sound the alarm. Later, the sailors’ battle is placed in context with other historic maritime disasters, such as the Titanic tragedy and the sinking of the Lusitania… There’s a building sense of drama in the book, with powerful descriptions of the sailors’ reactions to impending death.
… Conclusion: Einar Kárason has penned an unrelenting, dramatic and memorable tale about the sailors’ fight for survival.”
KOLBRUN BERGTHORSDOTTIR, MORGUNBLADID DAILY

“A narrative of drama and great strength.”
EGILL HELGASON, EYJAN.IS