Reiner Prochaska
Historical Storycraft

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Reiner Prochaska
Historical Storycraft

Reiner Prochaska Historical StorycraftReiner Prochaska Historical StorycraftReiner Prochaska Historical Storycraft
Home
Novels/Literary Projects
Blog
Stage Reviews
Film/TV
Projects in Development
Historical Documentaries
More
  • Home
  • Novels/Literary Projects
  • Blog
  • Stage Reviews
  • Film/TV
  • Projects in Development
  • Historical Documentaries
  • Home
  • Novels/Literary Projects
  • Blog
  • Stage Reviews
  • Film/TV
  • Projects in Development
  • Historical Documentaries

Antony and Cleopatra at Cumberland Theatre

Antony and Cleopatra at Cumberland TheatreAntony and Cleopatra at Cumberland TheatreAntony and Cleopatra at Cumberland TheatreAntony and Cleopatra at Cumberland Theatre
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A recent interview with my publisher in Italy

The Best of Arts and Entertainment

"Reiner Prochaska plays Lepidus, ...a mediator of the conflict between Caesar and Antony. I'm quite sure there is no other actor that could play the sweet old man like Prochaska, and I entice you to go see the show and disagree with me. He just brings so much joy to the role in every possible way."

-Andrew Watkins, Allegany Magazine

About Reiner Prochaska/Historical Storycraft

Mission/Values

Historical Storycraft seeks to develop literary and film-and stage-based entertainment that preserves and celebrates history, culture, and human achievement. Truth, empathy, and hope are the guideposts on this artistic journey.

BookViral Reviews awards Golden Quill (5-Star)

"Vivid storytelling and meticulous historical detail"

Prochaska has crafted a novel that blends action, mysticism, and  historical realism in a way that feels both epic and deeply personal.  The use of multiple narrators, particularly through the framing device of Helgi’s written saga, adds layers of perspective and reinforces the  novel’s exploration of history as both fact and interpretation.

This  is not simply a Viking adventure—it is a meditation on the power of  belief, the weight of tradition, and the relentless passage of time. It  will appeal to readers who enjoy historical fiction with strong female  protagonists, richly detailed world-building, and a narrative that  challenges conventional views of history.

Final Verdict

Bergthora’s Saga: A Heathen Revenge in a Christian Iceland is a richly layered historical novel that combines gripping  storytelling with deep thematic resonance. Prochaska’s ability to blend  historical accuracy, mythological depth, and compelling character  development results in a book that is both intellectually engaging and  emotionally powerful.

This is a Golden Quill must-read for those  who love historical fiction, Viking sagas, and stories of magic,  revenge, and resilience. It is a brilliantly told saga that lingers in  the mind long after the final page is turned.

Read the full review

Kirkus Review for Reiner's new novel from Europa Edizioni

Bergthora's Saga: A Heathen Revenge in a Christian Iceland

Prochaska's fantasy novel follows a widow who, having trained in magic, seeks revenge in early 11th-century Iceland...
The  author's relaxed, concise prose masterfully compacts the epic  narrative, covering decades without truncating or rushing the story...  The characters' individual narrations ... memorably chronicle harrowing  days of deception, religious struggles, and assorted magic. Thorough character development  further refines this novel, especially in the cases of Bergthora, Kjartan, and, surprisingly, Helgi. The worthy final act culminates in a bizarre yet unforgettable ending.
A historically rich, vengeance-fueled tale.--
Kirkus Review 

Midwest Book Review (February 2025 issue)

Bergthora's Saga: A Heathen Revenge in a Christian Iceland

Bergthora's Saga: A Heathen Revenge in a Christian Iceland is a powerful work of Icelandic fiction that traverses the history and culture of 1019. It presents a fiery, memorable protagonist in Bergthora Bjornsdóttir, who returns to her Iceland home to exact revenge for a childhood trauma. 

This is not a novel for light reading. It spans some four centuries of Icelandic personalities and history, introduces a broad cast of other characters whose lives are affected by Bergthora’s choices, and encourages readers to think deeply about a wide range of topics, from Iceland’s link to other countries to how heathens become Christians.

Perspectives shift between characters, introducing a host of cultural and social observations to bring readers directly into the shifting worlds of Iceland, Greenland, and the rest of Europe as the decades unfold...

In shifting these perspectives regularly and over time, Reiner Prochaska creates a sweeping epic story that shines with not just one woman’s journey, but the concurrent experiences of characters both related and unrelated to her life.

The complexity of these experiences and changing times makes Bergthora's Saga of special interest to readers of historical fiction in general and those attracted to Icelandic experience in particular...

Vivid passages depicting social, political, and religious change are especially well done, promising to attract readers who may have little prior Icelandic history knowledge, but who enjoy epic sagas filled with memorable characters and understandable, hard-hitting passages of insight...

Libraries should consider Bergthora's Saga: A Heathen Revenge in a Christian Iceland a top literary work packed with thoroughly absorbing passages documenting how the characters in particular and Iceland as a whole evolved.

Book clubs seeking weighty, serious fictional stories about Iceland will find Bergthora's Saga: A Heathen Revenge in a Christian Iceland raises many discussion points, making it an exceptional acquisition holding universe-building prowess.

D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review/Editor, Donovan's Literary Services

Readers' Favorite Book Review's 5-Star Review

Bergthora's Saga: A Heathen Revenge in a Christian Iceland

Bergthora's Saga is an enthralling literary novel you'll want to read.  Reiner Prochaska's artistic writing style expertly weaves an engaging  and profound storyline. Even though the plot unfolds over four  centuries, the story is neither hurried nor curtailed. Readers will get a  clear picture of the lives of its main characters. Their unique  perspectives will instantly draw you in. Prochaska masterfully blends  themes of love, lust, revenge, religious conflict, magic, and betrayal  into the storyline. Readers unfamiliar with Iceland's history will enjoy  this well-written novel, with its captivating depictions of the  country's social, political, and religious landscape during the 11th  century and beyond. If you're searching for an intriguing historical  fantasy teeming with enduring characters, this book is the perfect  selection that meets this criteria.

Richard Prause, Readers' Favorite

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Reiner as Lepidus in Cumberland Theatre's "Antony and Cleopatra"

    The Triumvirate megotiates.

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