- Fantasy
- Graphic Novels
- Ages 9–13
The shape of it
The shape of this universe.
Nordlys is the Norwegian portal-fantasy graphic novel series by Malin Falch, originally published as a webcomic (Fjordsøn) in 2015 and as a hardback series in Norway from 2018; the English edition (Penguin Random House) began in 2025. A girl named Sonja is taken via the northern lights into a parallel mythic Norway full of trolls, pirates and old magic. Visually it's striking, cinematic widescreen panels, painterly colour, strong landscape work, and has a substantial following in Scandinavia. Pitched at upper-MG; trolls and battle sequences put it above the cosy-fantasy bracket.
A widescreen Norse portal-fantasy graphic novel, trolls, fjords, painterly art, for graphic-novel readers ready for something with real bite.
Primary themes
Tone palette
- Adventurous
- Suspenseful
- Whimsical
- Bittersweet
The series
One way in.
Cultural footprint
A shelf of evidence.
What Nordlys has done
- Major award winner
Cultural ubiquity
2/ 5A working classic for readers in the know.
Sensitivity
Moderate, and collection-wide.
Content notes
- Scary imagery
Across the collection
All 2 books.
About the creator