It’s an old story. An author produces a singular work of genius that receives rave reviews and awards, only to follow it up with a weaker sequel.

The Curse of the Viking Grave is not a horrible book. It’s just can’t compare to the grandeur of its predecessor, Lost in the Barrens.

The biggest problem I found was the lack of singular direction in the plot. The first 70 pages tell a different story than that rest of the book. Combine that with a slower pace and a distracting romantic sub-narrative and you’re left with a decent-yet-unremarkable adventure story.

I should note that the charcoal illustrations by Charles Geer in the 1980 McClelland and Stewart edition are stunning. He’s able to capture the movement and excitement of a canoe in rapids perfectly.

If you’ve read the first one, you should read this too—just don’t set your hopes too high.

Mowat, Farley. The Curse of the Viking Grave. McClelland and Stewart, 1980.