Catan: The Novel

Author: Klaus Teuber

Publisher: Blackstone Publishing

Pages: 499

Plot: 5/5

Writing Quality: 4/5

Strength of Characters: 4/5

Review:

Like many people around the world, I have spent countless hours with friends and family playing the beautiful game that is Catan. The anticipation and hope that comes with settling one’s first village, the lively bartering for resources to try and gain an edge over one’s opponent, and the elation that follows the play when one wins the game are engrained in happy memories of evenings I spent with friends in high school and college. Even as a graduate student with a much more contracted social circle than I enjoyed while in high school, Catan has allowed budding friendships to grow stronger. With all of my waxing poetic in mind, you can imagine my surprise and excitement when I saw Catan: The Novel sitting on display at a local Barnes & Noble and understand why I picked up the book with hardly a second thought.

I was entirely unaware that a Catan novel was in the works, and I didn’t know until I finished the book that it is part of a series. Originally published in German in 2022 and written by Klaus Teuber, the game’s creator, the book was published in English in October 2024, translated by Lisa Reinhardt. Simply titled Catan: The Novel, I expected a standalone story. Fortunately, the book does hold up well on its own, especially given the fact that Klaus Teuber tragically passed away in 2023 following an illness. For those craving closure after reading the first installment of the three book series, the second book has been published, though it is currently only available in German. I have tried to determine whether a third book is going to be published, but unfortunately I couldn’t find anything.

The book itself is fantastic. A classic Viking tale, Catan: The Novel begins from the perspective of Asla, the daughter of a Jarl trying to establish himself as King of the Northland. Asla is running away from her father’s home in the middle of the night to escape a forced marriage to an old, ugly Jarl that her father has arranged to secure the title of King. Asla escapes with her lover, Thorolf, aided by his brothers Digur and Yngvi, and unknowingly followed by her sister, Stina. After arriving at the village of Thorolf’s father, the sons are soon sentenced to exile for the political trouble they have caused, thus beginning the events that lead to the settlement of Catan. The story that follows is one of adventure, romance, and personal growth as Teuber puts us in the perspective of several different characters.

I truly enjoy books that emphasize the personal growth of the characters over action and intrigue. For example, Tolstoy’s War and Peace and Tim Winton’s Cloudstreet are two of my favorite books for the way the authors follow the characters throughout their lives. While I am not saying that Catan is on the same level of writing quality as these two literary classics, Teuber does approach his storytelling in a similar style. Each chapter features several scenes the different character’s perspectives, and the book follows the personal growth of the characters throughout their long journey. The reader can see how each character uniquely reacts to their circumstances, and develops an intimate connection to each character as we are introduced to their hopes, desires, and conflicts. For this reason on its own, Catan: The Novel has earned itself a special place on my bookshelf.

However, while I did enjoy the character development of the book, the overall quality of the story suffers from being the first in a series. Catan is a story that could easily have wrapped up as a standalone novel, but I respect Klaus Teuber’s decision to make it a broader, three book series and establish a world with more depth. Since Teuber has unfortunately passed away I will not judge the book too harshly on its unsatisfactory ending, but I do want to explain my thoughts (No spoilers included). History portrays Vikings as a brutal, patriarchal, honor-based culture. Teuber certainly showcases countless examples of this throughout the story, but he also introduces modern concepts that one may not traditionally associate with Viking culture such as gender equality, abolitionist movements, and democracy. I had no issue with Teuber introducing these concepts into his world, but I did take issue with how these concepts ultimately materialize (WARNING: SOME SPOILERS AHEAD). The book ends with a conflict between two of the main characters about which ideology will prevail: the brutal Viking tradition, or the more modern concepts of democracy. After almost 500 pages of the characters growing, espousing ideologies of equality, and seemingly approaching a more just society, and then this ideology ultimately winning the hearts and minds of the majority of the growing society of Catan, the ideological victory is cruelly stripped away by the losing side who will not admit defeat. The traditional ideology of the Vikings remains supreme, and the hero of the new ideology leaves the budding settlement. I really struggled to determine what, if any, message Klaus Teuber was trying to convey to the reader with this conclusion. Was I tricked into reading a treatise on the ultimate weakness of liberal ideology, with Teuber asserting that a society lead by a strongman with traditionalist values will always reign supreme? Or, am I reading too much into the first book in a series that may never reach its initially intended conclusion? (SPOILERS OVER).

Ultimately, I enjoyed reading the story of Catan almost as much as I enjoyed playing the game. Fans of the game will appreciate the easter eggs that Teuber has sprinkled throughout the story, and general fans of Viking stories will appreciate a unique take on the traditional plot. Catan is undoubtedly worth the read, and I hope that the second book will soon be translated into English so I can continue to enjoy the world that Klaus Teuber built.