[The Hurricane Party is] an ambitious and fully fleshed-out entry in the Myths series.
The Herald
An exhilarating adventure that races through times, places and ideas. Metro
A courageous blend of sci fi, crime fiction and mythology, of genre sensibility and literary style. Sunday Business Post
Hanck Orn’s son is dead. When they come to the door they tell him it was a heart attack, but he knows they are lying. So he travels to the outermost reaches of the land to find out what really happened. When he lands on the island he is met by a young woman, hair streaked with blood, raving like a lunatic. She is one of the sisters, who tell him the story of how his son died in the great hall of the Clan, the Norse gods, who were holding a party. But the festivities soon got out of hand, the guests began to argue with one another, and the mischievous shapeshifter Loki dealt a deadly blow.
Set in a dystopian future that recalls Orwell and Zamyatin, Klas Östergren has weaved a dizzying story of magnificent scope and foul play. Moving from the golden halls to the depths of the underworld, it is about one man’s search for justice for his son in a world on the brink. A place where true love is so strong it can bring about the end of time.

Klas Östergren was born in Stockholm in 1955 and is the author of several novels including the landmark Gentlemen (1981) and its sequel, Gangsters (2005). A leading star of Swedish literature for nearly three decades, he has won the Piratenpriset and the Doblougska prize from the Swedish Academy. A founder of the rock band Fullersta Revolutionary Orchestra, Östergren has also worked as a translator, playwright, and scriptwriter for television and screen, and he co-wrote Mikael Håfström’s film Ondskan, which was nominated for an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. He now lives with his wife and three children in the seafront town of Kivik in southern Sweden.
Is this not being published in hardback? It only seems to be in paperback on amazon!
[...] Klas Ostergren The Hurricane Party [...]
[...] But here’s a link to some info about the upcoming English-language release from the official M… [...]
It is extremely disappointing that this book does not appear to be available in hardback; if this trend continues I will cease buying books in the myths series.
I too find it terribly disappointing that this book is paperback. One of the strongest reasons for buying each volume in this excellent series, is the beautiful & matching hardback editions.
I am also disappointed by the fact that this was not released in hardback. I tend to shy away from paperbacks and it’s sad to see Canongate make such a fundamental mistake on a wonderful series like this
Softback only? Yet still the same price as most of the previous hardbacks? What a shame. It shows that Canongate have lost faith/commitment in the series and the readership will do the same. What could have grown into a superb series (and was doing so, up to now) suddenly becomes something to be left behind on the train. Canongate even avoid menioning the demise of the hardback too – perhaps they hoped we wouldn’t notice! Or will they just bring hardbacks out later in the hope we’ll buy twice? Sorry Canongate, we won’t!
Thanks to everyone who has commented here for your feedback on this. It’s great to know that there are so many fans of the series. We understand the frustration that changes in format for a series can cause, however we do also have to consider each title individually to make sure that it is available in the edition most appropriate for that particular title. We will certainly take your feedback into account as we make decisions for future Myths.
I echo the feelings of other readers here. The lack of a hardback version is a mistake on Canongate’s part. The hardcover editions were the reason I started buying this series. If they are discontinued I cannot see myself buying future entries in the series. What’s more, Canongate’s response makes absolutely no sense in publishing or any other terms. A real shame.
[...] only problem with this is that The Hurricane Party is the latest in the Canongate Myths series and — you guessed it — a rewrite of Norse mythology. Which makes the above [...]
Seems that I’m not alone in being disappointed the Canongate have chosen not to publish this book in a hardback edition. It does seems as if enough people like the series enough to buy it in hardback; my local Waterstone’s always manages to sell it’s H/Bs without any difficulty.
Come on Canongate, get The Myths back into hardback. Do you really want to lose so many loyal fans?
I wouldn’t go as far as ceasing to buy any further titles in the series (and I’m already looking forward to the Year Of The Flood – in paperback,alas!), but I nevertheless remain one of the ‘disappointed’ throng…
I was very disappointed at this not being published in hardback as to me as well this was one of the attractions of the series. I phoned Canongate and they gave me the answer that they have put on the website. I did point out that as publishers they must be aware at the type of people us avid readers are that is the type that love the smell, feel and appearence of a book as much as the content. I did get a slightly more ‘real’ response but it was still all about the market!
Hello! Haven’t read the book yet, but I’m looking forward to it. I too am disappointed in no HB edition. Couldn’t you do a short run!? A limited edition? I will still buy the book because I really enjoy this series, but I do so grudgingly… At the very least, a limited edition HB copy would be very much appreciated! You could even charge a little bit of a premium, and perhaps include the short work by Philip Pullman for those of us who missed it the first go round! Thanks for listening.
I’m really sad there’s no hardback too. Whilst the story’s of crucial importance, the presentation can definitely add something special.
I shall have to redesign the whole myth section of my bookcase to incorporate the rogue paperback. Have a heart please for all us anal collectors.
Another disappointed collector who assumed there was a mistake on amazon (who sometimes do get things wrong) until seeing this link. Very sad, like others a big reason for buying rather than hiring from the library was building an attractive collection – like the Everyman Wodehouses etc.