I loved this book and was enthralled with the writing. I loved the character study. Would read more from the author!

Although Knausgaard is reliably engaging, I hoped that the third book in a series would have more forward progression, especially after the second book was a total detour. THE THIRD REALM is basically THE MORNING STAR from secondary characters’ perspectives, so it provides very few answers to the questions posed at the end of the first book. With a dozen POVs already established, did we really need several more? This frustration aside, the novel is gripping.

As an editor, I’d be remiss if I didn’t add that this book has numerous typographical errors, in addition to being of much worse physical quality than the previous two. (I received an electronic galley from NetGalley, but I also purchased and read the hardcover.) I also noticed that Aitken’s name isn’t mentioned anywhere in THE THIRD REALM or THE WOLVES OF ETERNITY except for the copyright and title pages. What gives? THE MORNING STAR lists him on the dust jacket and the About the Translator section. Why is Penguin regressing on this?

There are very few books I read where you choose to read slowly because you know when it's over it's over. This series by Karl Ove Knausgaard is one of those series. I heard this was going to be the final one in this series with The first being The Morning Star, second The Wolves of Eternity and now we have The Third Realm. I suggest reading the first two before you start this. I mean you don't have to but to truly experience what the author is doing with these books it will just give you a fuller depth of th intensity of the stiry. It's about the experience of being a human and the philosophies of life. Each page is filled with everyday life and how powerful each moment can be. There truly is no other writer today that he will remind you of. Truly a writer with his own unique style. This installment brings back some of the characters from the other two books. It's a dark book that shows the dark side of humanity but it's totallt readable and you will just keep turning the pages. If you are new to this author you will need to give it 50 pages to understand how he brings you into the story and then you will be hooked turning the pages and just diving into the story. The cover of the US editions shows a window which is perfect in that you will look outside the window and see the world out there and your way of dealing with it. It's sounds simple but once you get into the book you'll understand what I'm talking about. You will become an instan fan and wish it will never end. The good news is I heard there will be a book four. I hope it's true!!! Thank you ot Penguin Press and Netgalley for the read. LOVE THIS BOOK!!!!!

Karl Ove Knausgaard’s The Third Realm is a haunting and introspective journey that delves into the human psyche, exploring themes of existence, memory, and the blurred boundaries between reality and imagination. Known for his deeply personal style, Knausgaard once again crafts a narrative that is both philosophical and autobiographical, inviting readers into a world that feels at once familiar and profoundly strange.

The novel unfolds in Knausgaard’s signature style—lyrical yet unflinching, allowing readers to witness his internal struggles and reflections. The titular "Third Realm" serves as a metaphorical space where the past and present collide, prompting a meditation on identity and the nature of reality. Knausgaard’s prose is rich with detail, drawing readers into his thoughts and observations with an intensity that makes every moment feel significant.

One of the most compelling aspects of the book is Knausgaard’s ability to balance the mundane with the extraordinary. He explores everyday experiences—family dynamics, relationships, and personal aspirations—while simultaneously probing deeper existential questions. This duality creates a resonant tension, compelling readers to reflect on their own lives and the moments that define them.

Knausgaard’s characters are vividly rendered, each imbued with a sense of authenticity that brings them to life. Their complexities and contradictions mirror the intricacies of human experience, making it easy for readers to empathize with their struggles and triumphs. The interplay between the characters adds richness to the narrative, as their interactions often lead to profound revelations.

The pacing of The Third Realm allows for moments of introspection, inviting readers to linger on Knausgaard’s thoughts. While some may find the contemplative style demanding, those who appreciate a deeper dive into the human experience will find it rewarding. The novel’s themes linger long after the final page, encouraging reflection on the nature of existence and the stories we tell ourselves.

In The Third Realm, Knausgaard has crafted a deeply personal and thought-provoking work that resonates on multiple levels. It’s a testament to his unique voice and ability to explore the complexities of life with both honesty and beauty. This book is a must-read for fans of literary fiction who appreciate introspective narratives that challenge and inspire.

The third installment in Knausgaard's Morning Star series deepens the mystery and horror of the series while retaining Knausgaard's signature interest in the everyday. THE THIRD REALM begins to bridge the first two novels, which were largely unrelated, and feels more like a direct sequel to the first. This presents readers with some challenges, as they may have forgotten certain characters and plots from the first novel in the meantime, and Knausgaard isn't exactly generous in reminding them, which would have been useful given the large cast. This novel also switches between a number of narrators, and though their voices at times sound similar, their stories are each compelling. Readers can expect more elements of supernatural horror in this installment.

Even so, the Morning Star series doesn't fit among the books written by literary novelists who have turned to genre fiction (e.g., Rachel Kushner to the spy novel, Colson Whitehead to post-apocalypse, Bret Easton Ellis to thrillers). Knausgaard maintains a strong literary footing and uses elements of horror, the supernatural, and thriller to examine the boundaries of human explanation at the center of everyday experience. At times, he achieves a philosophical depth that recalls Great Russian novelists. But where those novels often sagged, Knausgaard's lengthy novels contain enough intrigue to make them page-turners and give urgency to their philosophical musings.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Penguin Group The Penguin Press for an advance copy of this novel, third in a series about an astronomical event that occurs, changing the lives of people on Earth in ways that are both familiar, and unworldly.

I was first drawn to science fiction because of space ships, aliens, robots, explosions, and strange new world. All of this was the stuff to me as a child, and I didn't really deviate from this kind of reading for a while. I am not sure when I started to notice that science fiction was about more than these tropes. Maybe it was Star Trek. maybe Possibly it was the books I was buying at book sales, anthologies of the best of the year. At a certain point I began to read authors who used science fiction to tell stories about the human condition, and how humans even in the future, on far distant worlds, still contend with many of the problems we deal with today. Science fiction to me is a mirror, one that reflects what we want, and one that reflects what we are. And a genre of hope. The Third Realm is the third book in the Morgenstjernen or Morning Star series, written by Karl Ove Knausgård and translated from the Norwegian by Martin Aiken. This book tells about the aftereffects of an astronomical event, following characters from the first book, as they deal with life, love, and other questions in a new light.

Astronomers are at a loss to explain how a new star is shining in the heavens. This event happened in the first novel and many of the characters make an appearance here. The book is told in various points of view, dealing with the new light in the sky, and the problems that they are having in their lives. A few are dealing with mental difficulties, a fear that they are unloved, that they are failing members of their family, knowing something is wrong, but not able to deal with it. Some are dealing with new love, love that is probably going to end bad, and love that is dying, even in the light of star. At the same time odd things are happening. Understanding and communication seem to be breaking down between friends, and family. And weird things seem to haunt the Norse landscape.

I came to Knausgård after reading numerous reviews of his autofiction series, Min Kamp, or My Struggle, which I enjoyed quite a bit in the beginning, but not as much near the end. I have enjoyed his collection of essays on lessons for his children and for some reason his book on soccer, which considering it was about sport, surprised me at how much I liked it. Knausgård's fiction though can be a little dense. Maybe it is the Norse influence, but his early books to me were slogs that I had a hard time with. The Morning Star series though is nothing like those books, though the themes, love, life, loss, our reason for being, and how to live, are still prevalent themes. Knausgård's seems to enjoy these books, writing things that interest him, while using the frame of the Morning Star, to give his characters more questions to ask themselves. The characters are very well written. One gets a sense that this people exist in real life, that they really have these questions, or do what they do, and Knausgård is just their Boswell. Though he writes them in first person. For people who look at science fiction with an upraised nose, one doesn't have to be afraid the evil Empire of robots will show up. Though be prepared for a little magical realism, and some Norse folklore.

This is a very different series, capable of going to lot of different places, as Knausgård's has shown. I am very interested in find out where the author plans to take us. One can start with this book, the characters are pretty good about filling in the past, and a lot of this takes place alongside the first book. However one would be denying themselves a very different kind of reading adventure. I look forward to the next book in this series.

My sensibilities haven’t really jibed with Karl Ove Knausgård’s writing (I didn’t get past the first volume of his much-lauded “Min kamp” series), and while I need to admit that I didn’t realise that The Third Realm was the third book in a new series when I decided to give it a try, I also have to state that I liked this a lot (and that there doesn’t seem to have been anything lost in starting the series here; this seems to be an alternate view of the same fantastical events from the first book, The Morning Star, with many of the same characters, and enough backstory that I never felt lost.) This reads as Sci Fi: a new star has appeared large and bright in the sky (but is it actually a star?) and it seems to be having some strange effects on Earth below (or are they all coincidences?) And like all the best of Sci Fi, Knausgård uses his concept to explore the human condition — consciousness, madness, the basis of reality — while exposing moments of relatable truth in mundane interactions, writing engagingly of the fells, fjords, and mountain pools of the Norwegian setting, and propulsively describing strange and uncanny events. My mind was piqued and entertained throughout, and I can definitely see myself going back to catch up on the other books in this series.