The Shapeshifters: A Novel

I'm halfway through this book at the moment (and will update when I'm finished), but I am completely captivated. With each sentence I feel like I am right there with the characters, experiencing every detail, and absorbed in trying to solve the mystery. I think my favorite thing so far is how I feel the cold, the snow, the wind, and how I see so vividly the forests and houses and towns. This is a perfect thriller to read for winter. It's also a fascinating look into Scandinavian folklore.

The book is incredibly promising. I have yet to finish it, and I'm sure I'll end up giving it a higher rating. But I'm having some trouble getting through it as I believe the copy I receive may have been misprinted, perhaps?The sentences do not line up from page to page. Initially, I thought this could have been just a piece of his writing style, but it's at the point now where the story isn't making sense. Every page reads as if I randomly opened the book, and I feel like I'm missing a few sentences inbetween.I began reading this first at Barnes and noble, and then ordered it offline. I didn't get very far in-store, however I did not encounter this problem then. This all leads me to believe I've received a copy that was printed incorrectly. If I'm wrong and it is just a creative decision please let me know. I've been researching trying to find someone with the same problem, but I've yet to come across it.Other than that, I would definitely recommend trying the book out. The writing is fresh and the fantasy is something I'd never heard of before. Im looking forward to figuring this problem out.

Do stallo (trolls) exist? A picture taken by her grandfather has led Susso to ask this question and set up a website asking for proof of their existence. The disappearance of a little boy and the picture of a strange little man near his grandmother’s house may lead her to answers, but also leads to danger for her and her family.You’re not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but when I saw the cover of this book in a Bergen, Norway bookshop, I wanted to find out what it was about. When I finally was able to get an English language version from the U.K., I was not disappointed. The motivation of some of the characters was not that clear, but overall I enjoyed this book.

This is such an itricately woven story. It's mystery, horror, sci-fi all in one. I loved it!! I could not put it down.

This is a great book on shapeshifting trolls. A great page turner that keeps you on the edge of your seat.

although translated from original language this is a well plotted..strange..and very different mystery-fantasy-horror novel.Fully developed structure wise this is an entertaining read..order this in a used edition like I did and save yourself some money..this makes the experience even better!

Did not like or finish the book

Stefan Spjut's SHAPESHIFTERS is a creepy, atmospheric horror novel about Nordic mythological creatures in modern-day Sweden. In 1978, a little boy is carried off from a campground by something gigantic, but no one will believe his mother's story. Twenty-five years later, another child goes missing, and the only lead is a photograph taken by troll-hunter Susso Myren. The photo shows what appears to be a gnome-like creature, and the missing boy's grandmother insists the little man had been hanging around the house in the days before the boy's abduction. The story follows Susso's efforts to track down the truth about the so called "stallo," or shapeshifters, beings with supernatural powers and the uncanny ability to hide in plain sight. What happened to the two missing boys? And are the stories about trolls and gnomes simply folklore, or are these creatures really as much a part of our world as rabbits, bears, and squirrels?Susso is an interesting character; she became intrigued with trolls when she was a young girl - her grandfather had supposedly photographed one, even though he was never able to prove the photo's authenticity. When Susso herself manages to photograph one, she feels responsible for unraveling the mystery, not only of the boy's disappearance, but of her grandfather's discovery. She has a website which catalogues the various troll sightings she has investigated, a website which eventually draws the attention of the very creatures she so longs to find. And Susso soon learns that the stallo have so woven themselves into the world around them - including the lives of the humans they have encountered - that it's impossible to separate them from the natural order of things. If SHAPESHIFTERS is a horror novel, it's one that draws its horror from within, rather than from some external menace.Those looking for a fast-paced, action-centered story will be disappointed in SHAPESHIFTERS. Spjut's style is both lyrical and descriptive, but it is not typical of the horror genre. The POV shifts from that of Susso to her mother Gudrun (who narrates some of the chapters) to Seved, a young man who seems to know more than he's letting on about trolls and shapeshifters. And the horror builds very, very slowly as Susso gets closer and closer to the truth she seeks, and Seved grows more and more uncomfortable with his own role among the stallo. Are these creatures really evil, destructive beasts from a darker time, or are they just trying to live in a rapidly changing world?I enjoyed reading SHAPESHIFTERS, but I have to admit it dragged in places. This is a very long novel, and the length has more to do with the sheer amount of detail and description Spjut uses than it does the actual plot. It was an effort to get through the first third of the novel, before I really understood what was going on. But once the story developed and the characters became more familiar to me, I was definitely intrigued and invested in what would ultimately happen. And I liked the ending, which is a big thing for me - too many novels seem to fall apart in the final act. Not so this one. The ending was believable and satisfying, without ever feeling pat or easy.The best thing about SHAPESHIFTERS is the way Spjut manages to make his mythological creatures seem as real and natural as the rest of the world. These are magical beings - they do have mental and physical powers that are inexplicable - but their magic seems so much a part of the Swedish wilderness that I never quite saw them as magical. I've never read anything quite like this.Overall, if you have the patience for a story that builds slowly and centers more on setting and atmosphere than it does on action, then SHAPESHIFTERS is definitely worth a read. I do recommend it.