Depths of Vanalf

Grimnir Chronicles, Book 1

De: Brady Hunsaker

Narrado por: Marisa Calin, Raphael Corkhill, Matthew Lloyd Davies, James Meunier, Shakira Shute

The first book of an epic progression fantasy series inspired by Scandinavian folklore, The Witcher, and Dungeons & Dragons, where a young man named Hallik has been training his whole life to become a magic-wielder, or Grimnir, to keep his island safe. But when monsters breach the shield protecting his realm, Hallik must venture into the mystical cave of Vanalf to hone his skills to protect everything he holds dear.

Hallik has been training his whole life to become a Grimnir, a magic-wielder who can aid in keeping their island safe from the monster hordes outside the shield protecting them. Hundreds of years ago, Grimnirs created a shield around their island. Hallik has waited his whole life to become one of the elite Grimnir who can keep their enemies at bay.

But when monsters start showing up on the island, it appears they aren’t as safe as they thought. They’ll need more Grimnirs to ensure their safety, but to become a magic-wielder, they’ll need to traverse the depths of Vanalf, a cave system that connects the realms, making it the most dangerous place imaginable. Fortunately, there’s one ragtag crew that’s up to the task.

An epic progression fantasy inspired by Scandinavian folklore, The Witcher, and Dungeons & Dragons, The Depths of Vanalf is the first in an epic series that will leave you spellbound.

©2025 Brady Hunsaker (P)2025 Simon & Schuster Audio

Awesome world

I liked the deep lore and the pacing with gradual introductions to the characters. I thought the multiple narrators was really cool (just wanted some volume balancing a little bit more with a couple of the chapters, but it wasn’t too bad).

The story is awesome. I feel like I just wanted more information. I need a background story on Jaysen Bjorn. Can’t wait for the next book!

Great epic fantasy story!

I saw on social media that the author was channeling D&D for this story and I definitely feel like he nailed the vibes! The narrators were incredible, I could tell every character separately. I also thought the world building and storyline were well done. It took some time to get momentum in the story due to the world building but once it was built, hold onto your seat because you're in for a ride!
I tried to guess what characters would come out of Vanalf with what magic and I was nearly spot on. It was fun to try to make the guess and helped me better immerse myself in the story as many characters were doing the same thing.

The story is as cool as the book cover

what I loved… Very inventive reimagining of Scandinavian folklore with a obvious nod and homage to DND

what I didn’t like…
This might seem nitpicky, because it is, but some of the spells that a couple of the protagonist used were a little on the nose “detect magic.” it kind of forced me out of the immersion for a minute, but that’s super minor compared to the collective hole of the narrative, which was scintillating and gripping from start to finish.

Fantastic Fantasy Novel

I must say that I’m disappointed to read the other reviews of this book. I find this book to be very engaging and find myself picturing the scenes in my head while listening. I’m a fan of this genre and am looking forward to the next books in the grimnir chronicles. The narration is also top notch!

The UK has Hogwarts, America has Ilvermorny, &...

The UK has Hogwarts, America has Ilvermorny, & Vikings have the Depths of Vanalf. Imagine if the Golden Trio had a fourth member, but they were from a Viking-like people and they wanted to learn magic. Well, send them into a horrific dungeon with terrifying monsters where the outcome is either you become a entry level magic user or you die. That's the essence. It's an incredible story for anyone who enjoys Will Wight, Brandon Sanderson, DnD, The Witcher, etc. The performance is amazing too. Each POV has their own narrator. I can't wait for the next book in the series! I only wish they had gone into the Depths of Vanalf in an earlier chapter but I understand laying a foundation.

Epic world

Epic concept and great actors to voice it. Overall the story arch is frustrating for an Island filled with a magical warrior history they sure make mistake after mistake. More time could have been spent on building the lore and world but it feels rushed to reach the demise of the realm. I might come back for book two but we will see..

Great readers and a fun story to follow

Great readers and a fun story to follow..story doesn’t drag on to long getting to anything interesting

It was a different style of writing with a wonderful world building experience.

The story was well written and the voice acting was on point for each character!

Epic Fantasy Story

The cast was spectacular. The audio was superb. And the story was epic. I loved the story and had a great time listening. 10/10!

Multiple readers

It was an incredible story, having multiple readers really helped bring the story alive and helped keep it interesting.