Karin Erlandsson: The Scaler of the Peaks

On the eastern mountains the greatest dangers aren’t the steep falls but the greed of people’s hearts.

Author: Karin Erlandsson
Swedish original: Bergsklättraren
Publisher: Schildts & Söderströms, 2019
Genre: Children’s fiction, fantasy, middle grade
Number of pages: 255 pp.
Reading material: English series synopsis

Rights sold: Bulgaria, Perseus; World English, Dedalus; Estonia, Sinisukk; Poland, Dwukropek; Sweden, Bonnier Carlsen

The northern harbour town has been burnt to the ground. The birds of Iberis have chosen death in preference to life in slavery and the golden guards have dispersed. The eye gemstone remains in the possession of the power-crazy Iberis; it is hidden in the eastern mountains.

Miranda, Syrsa and Lydia, the healer, set off from the smouldering ruins. It soon becomes clear to them that the customs in the east are different from those in the north. Everything has its price and all is for sale.

The hazardous journey takes them inside a mountain, to a silver city and finally to the eye gemstone, shackled to a rock. However, the price for taking it is higher than the threesome had anticipated.

The Scaler of the Peaks is the third book in Karin Erlandsson’s captivating four part series Song of the Eye Gemstone.

Whereas in the first book The Pearl Fisher the adventure took place on southern seas and in the second, The Bird Master, the reader was taken into northern woods, The Scaler of the Peaks is located in the eastern mountainous region of the kingdom.

The gripping, multi-layered Song of the Eye Gemstone is an epic saga: a grand tale of friendship, longing and of what truly matters in life. The first book of the series, The Pearl Fisher, was awarded with Runeberg Junior Prize in 2018.

Also available:
Children’s fiction
Song of the Eye Gemstone #1, The Pearl Fisher (2017)
Song of the Eye Gemstone #2, The Bird Master (2018)
Song of the Eye Gemstone #4, The Victor (2019)
Night Express (2020)

Adult fiction
The Blue Yarn. What I Know About Knitting (2022)
Home (2021)
The Misdeed (2016)
Enclosed (2018)

About the author:
Karin Erlandsson