The Provocation
By Øystein Bogen
When geologists discover valuable mineral deposits in the mountains north of Svalbard, superpowers Russia and China enter into a secret pact to share the riches. But first they…
Description
When geologists discover valuable mineral deposits in the mountains north of Svalbard, superpowers Russia and China enter into a secret pact to share the riches. But first they need to ensure that Norway loses sovereignty over the archipelago. Up there, the community is shockingly vulnerable: A simple act of sabotage against the single cable that connects Svalbard to the outside world is all it takes for the population to be effectively cut off from all communication. This way, an undeclared Russian invasion can be launched without the world looking on as a witness.
Intelligence officers Per Henriksen and Tora Fjell are sent to Svalbard in secret. They join a deadly race – and the victors will take control over Svalbard’s resources for all time.
Product information
Publication year2023
Pages352
Praise
The book’s greatest strength is the impression it leaves of ‘what if it happened here?’, which gives us a more powerful sense both of what is happening in Ukraine and of the vulnerability of our own country. Nor is it difficult to draw parallels to the German occupation in 1940. It reframes political, economic and military situations that are to some extent complex so that associations more clearly emerge.
Ole Jacob Hoel, Adresseavisen... another brilliant thriller that is linguistically elegant, superbly driven, and thrilling to the very last page. […] Bogen builds and develops the story in an exciting and dramatic way. Naturally, it’s perfectly possible to read The Provocation purely as an entertaining thriller, but with the way things are looking right now it’s impossible not to imagine this as a genuinely potential scenario in the real world. Frightening, very frightening.
Tor Hammerø, NettavisenØystein Bogen could soon become Norway’s king of thrillers if he keeps writing like this! [...] This is a thriller to beat all-comers – and if you’re asking me, with The Provocation Bogen has written one of the best thrillers of all time.
Simen Ingemundsen, Randaberg24In an efficient narrative style, Bogen gives an astonishingly convincing account of how the paramilitary Wagner Group, disguised as security guards for a Russian mining company, quickly and effectively succeed in gaining control of Svalbard.
Erlend Liisberg, Bergens Tidende
