A Nordic Gothic psychological horror novella

An archaeologist losing her mind. A daughter grasping for truth. A buried evil that feeds on the forgotten.

Dr. Ellie Bennett was once at the peak of her field—until early-onset Alzheimer’s began unraveling her memory. But when she uncovers a forgotten Viking burial site in Newfoundland, she doesn’t just awaken history… she awakens Skuggr Valdr—the Shadow Ruler, an ancient entity based on Norse Mythology that according to sagas, preys on minds caught between life and death.

As hallucinations, memory lapses, and violence grip her archaeological team, Ellie’s daughter Sarah is pulled into a chilling race against time. Together, they must navigate Norse myth, ancient ritual, and the dark world of Skuggarheimr, where the fading live in limbo and Skuggr Valdr reigns.

But in a memory care home filled with others slipping away, Ellie may hold the final key. To stop the darkness, she’ll have to surrender the last pieces of herself… before the past becomes the future, and no mind is safe.

Perfect for fans of:

• Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist

• The Taking of Deborah Logan (film)

• The Ruins by Scott Smith

• Nordic Noir meets folk horror

• Slow-burn terror with emotional stakes

Themes: Memory, identity, mortality, maternal bonds, and the terrifying spaces between life and death with lose relation to mythological creatures and folk tales.