The Land of Lindworms

Frida Nilsson

Sem and his little brother Immer are in foster care with Aunt Tyra, who works at home as a polisher for the nickel silver workshop. The boys are forced to help with the hard work while the other children play in the yard, and they miss their real parents. One day, the rat Sooty shows up, from a land far away, with an offer: those who will follow him and become Queen Indra’s children will receive all the toys and silk clothes they could wish for.

Childless Queen Indra is not at all as they expected her to be, she belongs to one of the last of the ancient and magical creatures called lindworms, but there’s no lack of luxury in her castle. The staff consist of a collection of animals that she has enchanted so they can walk on two legs and talk. Sem and Immer’s days are now filled with play. Soon enough, Sem notices that Indra seems to like Immer much better than she likes him. And the animals in the castle begin to behave strangely… Surely there is something mysterious about Tjodolf, the brown bear who is the queen’s forester. Why is he looking at Sem and Immer as if he hated them?

A story about longing for love, but also about the difficulty of doing the right thing instead of the easy one. How, as Sem asks himself, should one be to be able to love oneself?

Illustrations by Alexander Jansson.

“The author is our new Astrid Lindgren.“
M Magasin

“Nilsson is a master at interweaving the fantastic and the realistic. In this sense she resembles another famous Swede, Astrid Lindgren.”
Die Zeit (Germany)

”Swedish author Frida Nilsson is a stellar author in modern children’s literature. Her work is characterized by aspects such as her respect for children and their worldview, her sensibility for their vulnerability, and her unfaltering sense of justice.”
The James Krüss Award

“Frida Nilsson once again demonstrates her unique sense of storytelling and humour, with which she ridicules the evil and comically portrays Indra’s power and greatness. The story is told in a language that is old-fashioned, but never stale.” Sylvia Schwab, Deutschlandfunk Kultur

“It’s worth re-reading from the end, as so often with Nilsson – and as children always love to do with beloved stories.” Eva-Maria Magel, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung

 

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