Catan: The Order of the Ravens (The Catan Series)
Set eighteen years after the events of Catan, Klaus Teuber returns to the Island of the Sun to explore the next generation of settlers. The Viking Jarl Thorolf rules the settlement of Woodhaven according to Norse tradition, but a local Christian priest has begun to influence the townspeople, stirring unrest around the ownership of slaves. When Thorolf’s headstrong daughter, Jora, falls in love with a thrall and joins a plot for freedom, the fragile balance of the settlement begins to unravel.
Catan: The Order of the Ravens is an imaginative and compelling novel that stands on its own, even for readers unfamiliar with the earlier book or the board game that inspired the series. The plot is exciting, and the characters are engaging and dynamic. Fans of the Settlers of Catan board game will appreciate how the story weaves in familiar gameplay elements, including settlement-building, trade, road networks, and even the desert and the robber, in a way that brings new life to an old favorite.
Teuber grounds his narrative in plausible historical parallels supported by emerging archaeological theories and presents an imaginative exploration of what might have happened if the Vikings had found themselves on an island in the Azores. This is an interesting read that blends speculative history and creative world-building.
