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Shows and books about Iceland

I recently spent 3 days in Iceland and it left me wanting much more. So far, I've read Burial Rites by Hannah Kent, which was a fascinating account (fiction based on fact) of the last woman executed in Iceland in the early 1800's.

I also watched the first season of Trapped (now streaming on Amazon Prime), which is a 10-episode thriller about a body found off the coast of Seyðisfjörður, Iceland, which is where the weekly ferry from Denmark docks. I started watching it merely because it was set in Iceland (and the language is Icelandic, with English subtitles) but after about 10 minutes, I was hooked and binge-watched the series in about 3 days. The characters are complex, the plot draws you in and the scenery (especially the snow) is beautiful. The entire show, including the acting, is extremely well-crafted. I am hoping that there is a season 2 coming, but in the meantime, if you are at all interested in Iceland, I would highly recommend this series.

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Ornen (The Eagle) TV series

Part Danish, part Icelandic. Give it time--as they introduce the primary characters in rapid succession and you'll be trying to figure out who's who--but once it gets going....

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0383164/

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3513 posts

There is another Netflix series called The Lava Field, with some of the same actors.
I binge -watched it, and Trapped!

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Flying on Icelandic Air, watched a film about rare, prize winning sheep in Iceland and the 2 quirky brothers who raise them, but who also don't speak to each other. It was a really odd movie, but also really good. It is called Rams.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kDCNOie_78

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9022 posts

Arnaldur Indriðason is the author of a series of very good detective novels set in Iceland. However, they do show a rather non-picturesque view of life and death in Iceland.

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There is also a short film , I think maybe you could find it on YouTube?; about a men's choir in Iceland, and how they went to record a CD in England.
I may have seen it on an IcelandAir flight.
It's really interesting.
Sorry, I don't know what it's called!, but the choir is called Fjallabraedur.

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355 posts

Gunnar Karlsson's A History of Iceland is a great overview of the country's history.