Several years after revising and reissuing The Broken Sword, Poul Anderson revisited that fantasy world in The Demon of Scattery, a novel coauthored by Mildred Downey Broxon and illustrated by Alicia Austin. This tale begins with The Broken Sword's hero Skafloc sailing north on a quest with Irish sea god Mananaan Mac Lir. To break the monotony of the voyage, Mananaan tells a century-old story about viking invaders and Irish witchcraft.

The Demon of Scattery begins with ninth-century vikings on a raid in Ireland. They have already had some success, and they are bringing their spoils and a captive Irish woman -- a young kidnapped nun named Brigit -- to Scattery Island where they plan to take the small Christian outpost, then set up a base camp from which they can raid nearby settlements.

The three longships are led by Halldor, a mostly peaceful trader who was driven to raiding because of debts at home. Halldor has already lost one son to the voyage, and his remaining son, Ranulf, is badly injured in the Skattery raid. Brigit, who has been repeatedly raped by Ranulf and his friends since her capture, is ordered to care for him and, perhaps surprisingly, she does so to the best of her abilities. Halldor, in gratitude for her efforts, orders the other Norsemen to leave Brigit alone; her relief is short-lived, however, since Halldor himself takes her to his bed. Gradually, she develops affection for him, and she also becomes pregnant.

That's probably the most problematic aspect of the story. The relationship between Halldor and Brigit is presented as a subtle romance, but it's more akin to Stockholm Syndrome. She is, quite literally, falling in love with her captor and one of several rapists who abused her. It is not at all surprising, then, that she eventually turns from her faith and, falling back onto the Old Ways of her ancestors, summons a demonic worm to take revenge on the vikings.

The Demon of Scattery is much slower-paced than The Broken Sword, with brief scenes of action and violence among many more scenes of life among the vikings on the island. It is also far more realistic, only turning to pure fantasy near the end when the worm rises from the sea. Otherwise, the historical aspects of the novel feel quite realistic, and even the monster, known as Cata, was allegedly banished by St. Senan in the sixth century.

The bookend appearances by Skafloc and Mananaan Mac Lir seems an unnecessary device, perhaps to pad the book by a few pages. (The novel is only 193 pages long, followed by several pages of historical notes.)

The book is heavily illustrated, although not enough to be considered a graphic novel. Austin's illustrations are simple black-ink drawings, heavily detailed and ornamented with knotwork designs. They are, for the most, a pleasant addition to the text, although her Norsemen almost all look alike, and she garbs them in anachronistic horned helmets. Disappointingly, some of the drawings are used repeatedly, each time cropped differently to make them seem like a different work.

The authors each provide an afterward placing the story in its historical context. Broxon focuses on Ireland at the time, while Anderson provides an explanation of viking culture. (Anderson himself mentions the thing about the horned helmets, which makes me wonder why he approved the artwork.)

It's a good book, rich with Irish and Scandinavian folklore and, demon worm aside, historical realism. Anyone who enjoys fantasy will likely enjoy this.