The Empty Hand retells
Beowulf, which perhaps contributes to
its being my favorite installment of the trilogy. In this novel, Gudrun has
been banished from the kingdom, intent on having her revenge. She sends a
magical, phantom-beast after her son Kari, eating anything and anyone who
stands in its way. A secondary plotline follows Jessa as she tries to hunt down
a thief, uncovering a treasonous plot in the process. Her cousin Thorkil is
mentioned, but not seen again—perhaps because he was so boring in the first
book he needed to be replaced.
Where The Snow-Walker’s
Son is titled after a major character, Kari, The Empty Hand refers to a character that doesn’t appear until the
story is well underway: a servant named Hakon whose hand was crippled by Gudrun
as a child. Compared with the bland Thorkil he is a much more relatable and
interesting character.
However, although this book is named after him, Hakon is not
the protagonist. Neither is Jessa, although she does actually do something
integral to the plot. No; once again, it’s Kari who saves the day.
The Empty Hand is a
rare sequel that outdoes its predecessor, as it has a much scarier antagonist,
a twist to the plot of Beowulf, and
some emotional depth. It concludes with Kari realizing that Gudrun won’t accept
defeat peacefully—he’s going to have to fight her, and only one of them will
come out of the final battle alive.
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