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Rebecca Gable
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The Settlers of Catan Paperback – 15 Nov. 2011

by Rebecca Gable (Author), Lee Chadeayne (Translator)
4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 394 ratings
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The year is 850. In the seas of northern Europe, the small coastal village of Elasund falls prey to marauding neighbors. Their food stores pillaged, women and children stolen, livestock destroyed, the villagers are left to barely survive the harsh winter―and contemplate a drastic solution to their recurring hardships: leaving the only village they have ever known. Foster brothers Candamir and Osmund lead their people on an epic quest to a mythic island home, but without knowledge of exactly where the island is, they must trust the gods to deliver them safely. Lost at sea and set adrift, an extraordinarily violent storm washes them ashore the island famed in pagan lore: Catan. They quickly set about building a new society but old grudges, animosities, and social orders lead to fraternal strife. As the ideals of Candamir’s Christian slave spread throughout the village and conflict with pagan law, the two belief systems clash. When both Osmund and Candamir fall in love with Siglind, the mysterious queen of the Cold Islands, things come to a head.

Based on the wildly popular board game of the same name designed by Klaus Teuber, Rebecca Gable’s The Settlers of Catan is a must-read adventure rich in detail and rippling with intensity.

Previous page
  1. Print length
    620 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    15 Nov. 2011
  4. Dimensions
    15.24 x 2.54 x 22.86 cm
  5. ISBN-10
    1611090814
  6. ISBN-13
    978-1611090819
  7. See all details
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Product description

Review

“I promise: I tried to hate this book, I really did! Up front, I beg all of my fellow members of the cult of Catan to forgive me if you can. I mean, I pretty much despise the idea of a product tie-in with any board game…but] Rebecca Gable didn’t disappoint. Her characters are both heroic and realistically flawed…Her writing style is quick and action filled. Rarely did I find myself waiting for something to happen. Over all, it is a good barbarian adventure story…I hate to say it, but I enjoyed the book.” ―Wired Magazine, GeekDad Blog

About the Author

Rebecca Gable is a best-selling author of historical fiction and crime novels in Germany. She was shortlisted for the Freidrich Glauser Crime Prize and served as the director of the crime writers’ syndicate for three years. Since her first historical novel, The Smile of Fortune, was published in 1997, she has worked consistently writing medieval historical fiction. In 2006, she won the Sir Walter Scott Prize for historical fiction for her novel The Guardians of the Rose. She lives in the German countryside with her family, and she likes to read, travel, and play music.

Translator Lee Chadeayne is a former classical musician, college professor, and owner of a language translation company in Massachusetts. He was one of the charter members of the American Literary Translators Association and has been an active member of the American Translators Association since 1970. His translated works to date are mostly in the areas of music, art, language, history, and general literature. Most recently, they include Oliver Pötzsch’s best-selling The Hangman’s Daughter and Katia Fox’s The Copper Sign, a medieval adventure set in 12th-century England and France.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Amazon Crossing (15 Nov. 2011)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 620 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1611090814
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1611090819
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 15.24 x 2.54 x 22.86 cm
  • Customer reviews:
    4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 394 ratings

About the author

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Rebecca Gable

Rebecca Gable

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Rebecca Gable is a best-selling author of historical fiction and crime novels in Germany. She was shortlisted for the Freidrich Glauser Crime Prize and served as the director of the crime writers’ syndicate for three years. Since her first historical novel, "The Smile of Fortune," was published in 1997, she has worked consistently writing medieval historical fiction. In 2006, she won the Sir Walter Scott Prize for historical fiction for her novel "The Guardians of the Rose." She lives in the German countryside with her family, and she likes to read, travel, and play music.

Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
4.1 out of 5
394 global ratings

Top reviews from United Kingdom

Mrs. A. Harms
5.0 out of 5 stars highly addictive
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 7 January 2012
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I bought the audio book "The Settlers if Catan" because I've read and enjoyed other books by Rebecca Gable, and I really like the game of the same title. When I ordered it, I had no idea how many CDs to expect; I was hoping for about 10 CDs, but when it arrived, I found it contained 20 CDs!
Within the first 15 minutes of listening, I was transported into a completely different world and started to get to know some of the main characters. At first, it is not easy to decide who the real main character is, as there are several of them, all with their own faults. For me, one of the nicest points about this book is, that there are lots of different little stories woven into the main storyline, which is the journey to a better, more fertile island and the development of a new comunity.
One of the ideas that run though the whole story is the increasing influence of the Christian religion and its conflict with the "old Gods" (the Norse Pantheon).
The author Rebecca Gable has studied the history and literature of the middle ages in Germany and manages to incorporate her factual knowledge very nicely in her stories. Having read previously some of the books that take place in Pre-Tudor times in England, it was particularly interesting to get involved in a completely different culture and in a time I personally don't know very much about. This book has inspired me to read up on the Nordic mythology, just to learn more about some of the legends mentioned in the book.
If you have an interest in history and are ready to get engrossed in a world very different to our own, this is an excellent listening experience (or read if you prefer to do that) and I will definitely get more books by Rebecca Gable.
5 people found this helpful
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Mark Ramsay
4.0 out of 5 stars Voyage of Vikings
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 2 March 2021
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This was an interesting novel being based or inspired by one of my favourite board games. However, after a good few chapters I found myself warming to the characters and their fledgling community.

I'm not sure it could sustain further adventures, but I enjoyed what I read.
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Dutch
5.0 out of 5 stars As epic as Odin
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 17 June 2012
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I was looking for a long read. All to often I find that the percentage indicator clicks up far too rapidly. So I decided to give this a go.

Initially I found the characters hard to get to grips with. There are many lead characters, this is an entire communities story that is being told so in that respect you have to expect there to be several strong characters. Couple this with the fact that each lead character has up to 3 or 4 slaves/mistresses and wives living under their roof then the dots become difficult to join. Also the characters have ancient viking/fictional names, it was hard to get a handle on.

Your perseverance is rewarded as this book quickly becomes something special. I found the description of the homeland of Elasund was a bit narrow but this is to the authors credit as, I think, the impression of Elesund was intended to seem small and unhealthy.

Once the foundations are laid and the story, literally, gets under way you are in for some really late nights. Each character is beautifully written and the development over the course of this epic novel is brilliantly done. Each one is taken to their natural conclusion and you will not be disappointed.

At first glance this book may seem dull or uneventful but that couldn't be farther from the truth it is a real adventure story which has the ability to entertain you with tales of a harvest and shell-shook your system with truly brutal imagery.

You'll soon forget about the percentage indicator as each time you pick this book up you can rip through it for hours and still have a novel length book left to consume.

A must read.
5 people found this helpful
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Susan Mason
4.0 out of 5 stars Viking Saga
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 2 January 2013
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I would have given 5 stars to this book but some howling errors in the editing spoiled it a little for me, e.g. sheep do not come in herds!! I always enjoy sagas and this one was easy to read.
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Timothy Lowe
3.0 out of 5 stars Three Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 6 April 2015
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good fun
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Laura of Lurking
5.0 out of 5 stars I Love It
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 28 September 2013
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This was a long novel, but beautifully written, it never felt like it dragged. It was essentially split into 4 section:

Part 1:
Winter in a struggling village where there is not enough food after an attack. The decision to go and look for an island found by accident y one of the sailors is made.

Part 2:
The journey. The village set off on the ships facing hardships, deaths and loss, as well as growth of their spirits

Part 3:
They arrive on the island they name Catan (surprise! It is the name of the book after all) and their first year is documented over how they start to build a settlement from scratch with little more than their hands.

Part 4:
Set several years on it covers more details of how life on the new island has progressed as more changes are forced in.

I think the third part was my favourite as it went into fascinating details over how they build houses, oats, as well as day to day lives. I think there is an opening for a sequel here, but despite having love this book I don't know if I would read it. The ending feel natural and right, with enough left unsaid to keep you thinking.
One person found this helpful
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Denwalt
4.0 out of 5 stars Settlers of Catan
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 28 April 2012
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Excellent read, reached a point where I couldn't put it down. There are times when you wonder if the hero will survive but as in all good yarns the good guys win with a somewhat out of the ordinary ending
3 people found this helpful
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Jeremy Smith
2.0 out of 5 stars Not what I expected
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 27 October 2013
Having read the foreword by the original creator of the board game upon which this book is based, I was expecting something special. However, I found it to be somewhat bland and cliché ridden. Perhaps I would have appreciated more if I had been a child.
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Top reviews from other countries

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Carmody
5.0 out of 5 stars A real page turner
Reviewed in Germany on 13 March 2018
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I love the books written by Rebecca Gablè.
This is neither a book about medivial history nor fictional crime, but a fictional story about the vikings based on the eponymous game (which I never played) and the story is told in the same detailed and enthralling way like all of Rebecca Gablè's books.
I wish there were more books available in English.
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David
5.0 out of 5 stars Well worth the read
Reviewed in the United States on 7 October 2016
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When I saw that there was a book based off of one of my favorite games, it was a must buy. I had high expectations going into the reading and the book delivered. For those of you who play the board game, the book is loosely tied to it. On the other hand, those who play the card game will absolutely be delighted by the book. In a lot of cases even the pictures on the cards are incorporated into the book. The best example of this is Brigitta the Wise card picturing her with her white and black ravens. You learn the story behind them in the book.

The book, in general, will add depth to your gameplay of Rivals of Catan. Rebecca Gable does an excellent job of making sure the book matches in the book in historical perspective and gameplay. You will get a certain thrill when you play both Cadamir and Osmund out on the table. Knowing now that they are close friends and foster brothers. I cannot say enough about how much more fun this game has become after reading the book.

There is even an explanation of how the land of Catan came to be. The author uses mythology of the people to give a story about Odin and a beautiful fairy princess he desired. Gable makes a great effort to make the book historical in nature. I really appreciated how real it made it feel. As a side note, you can find this book also in German. Which some people might enjoy more.

A great story to a great game. Gamers should enjoy this book greatly. It is a must read. for Catan players. It can be enjoyed without the game background! It is one of those books you pass on to another player of the game. Definitely, would make an unique gift for Catan players.
4 people found this helpful
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Simon Omnes
5.0 out of 5 stars "The Settlers of Catan" experience not through a game, but a novel
Reviewed in Canada on 12 September 2014
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After discovering the "Settlers of Catan" Board game last year, thanks to the "South Park" episode "Broadway Down Bro", I became interested in this wonderful universe's concepts; ending up with this English translation of Rebecca Gable's novel. Titled with the board game's name, this story presents the departure and settlement of a Norse colony toward an island some prophecy has proclaimed as Odin's gift, which he baptised as Catan. In it, two men in that colony, Candamir and Osmund, experience many ordeals while their friendship is put to the test. First, as they both fall in love with Siglind, a new member in their clan. Two, as they experience Olaf's tyranny, a rich man who has proclaimed himself with important authority powers over their new land. Three, the increasing presence of Christianity which the Saxon, one of Candamir's slave, has instigated on the island.

At almost six hundred pages, the novel presents itself like a historical chronicle of the life and customs of this Norwegian tribe. Presenting Nordic traditions, the people's lifestyle, mythology, and their religion, Gable's novel allows us to settle in her characters' life. To acknowledge their everyday life as if their colony had occurred in our reality. As a special treat, the Kindle version offers illustrations of the story's main incidents. Allowing us to have a clear view of the characters, their environements, their situations, and the mood during the novel. Characters whose personality are clearly defined through their actions and feelings, but who also grow up as the years pass. On a side note, the novel contains some sexual scenes, making the readership age more appropriate for teenagers than children. Although I don't have any problem with stories having such content as long as it's not gratuitous, I wanted to reveal this little detail after reading comments that the book was much more explicit than the game released.

Narratively, if the novel concluded several plot points at the end of the story, or implied others, it also left open other situations. Ones I will not name, but which could be explored in other books if Gable and the game conceptor decided to write them. For although the story is a stand-alone work, the characters and their storylines offer great narrative opportunities. Storylines that could occur months, years or decades after the story's ending.

As a whole this novel was a wonderful opportunity to experience "The Settlers of Catan". Not inside a game, but through a great novel.
One person found this helpful
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Client Kindle
5.0 out of 5 stars Passionante saga Viking
Reviewed in France on 22 December 2011
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Fuyant une famine et les raids de leur pays d'origines, un clan de Viking s'exile a la recherche d'une terre promise ou tout sera a reconstruire. C'est un livre interessant sur le plan historique (abondance de détails sur l'installation des colons, sur la vie des Vikings), mais surtout parce qu'il y a de l'action, de l'amour, des luttes intestines, l'arrivée d'une nouvelle religion, etc... Bref on ne s'ennuie jamais et c'est un livre qui passe tout seul ! A découvrir absolument.
2 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Good one
Reviewed in Australia on 6 December 2014
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I really enjoyed this
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