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It’s not often that you read a book in which a character has rheumatoid arthritis (RA). I don’t recall such a character ever being the hero of any story.

Errant Gods, the first book in the Blood of the Isir series by Erik Henry Vick, changes all of that.

Hank Jensen used to be a cop in Rochester, New York, but a particularly disturbing case left him with debilitating RA and nightmares about what he experienced hunting two prolific and cannibalistic serial killers. A pair of killers who claimed to be gods and there was some pretty serious evidence that they perhaps were not entirely human. On top of that, was the woman’s curse that he spend the rest of his life suffering actually the cause of his condition?

I’m not going to ruin the story by telling you that yes, this pair were indeed gods. More specifically, exiled Norse gods bent on destruction and with a desire to continue tormenting the man who discovered their killing spree some years ago. To that end, one of them (a particularly vibrant Loki) kidnap Hank’s wife and son, the centre of his universe and the reason he keeps going. And the quest is on.

Hank follows them, after packing some provisions that sensibly includes his medication, and emerges into a howling storm on another realm. There he finds companions to join the quest and through the trek he learns that these are the Isir, a sort of prototype for our Norse gods.

Vick has used his own life experience as a foundation for this story. He is of Scandinavian descent and lives with severe RA. This first-hand experience with debilitating illness makes Hank’s story even more powerful. RA doesn’t magically disappear when he enters the other realm, it follows him on the journey, but Hank’s determination to find his family keeps him pushing through intense pain. Anyone who lives with RA will know exactly the symptoms and emotions accompanying pushing through for something important.

Errant Gods evokes the heroic quest of The Lord of the Rings, but goes deeper, back to the Norse sagas that inspired Tolkien. And then Vick adds a modern twist all his own, creating a compelling story of love, mystery, heroes, and illness.

All right, let me get real. This was the kind of book that gave me very weird dreams. Now, as long as I can remember, my dreams have been quite strange, but after I started reading Errant Gods, they cranked up a few levels. The beginning of the book veers into the horror genre, rather than straight fantasy, but somehow, I wasn’t having nightmares. Just incredibly detailed stories that I really should have written down.

I enjoyed the ride of this book tremendously, but around the middle of the book I became so consumed by the story that I didn’t want to stop reading. This doesn’t happen often — it has to be a very good book for me to lose the normal rhythm of my days. And then something even more uncommon happened. A couple of hours before the end, I felt overwhelmed by the urge to stop reading. Because if I kept reading, the book — the story — would end and I wasn’t ready for that.

For me, this is the ultimate mark of not just a good story, but one that has touched me in ways very few books do. It’s a good story for anyone, but because Hank had RA like me, I became even more attached to the journey and the characters. Vick’s ability to write great conversation, moments of quiet despair or heroism, as well as fantastic battle scenes, pulled me in even deeper. And every time I looked at the cover, it built further excitement. It’s very identifiable as a fantasy cover — our hero stands on a mountaintop, his cape flying in the wind, confronted by evil. And then you see the crutch. Right there, you know you’re in for something unique.

I read this on audiobook and have to admit that initially, Alexander Cendese, the narrator, didn’t grab me. In fact, early on I thought he was the wrong choice for this book. And then he started speaking Old Norse (or possibly Icelandic) and I reconsidered. His facility with accents and creating unique (and consistent) voices for different characters very quickly won me over as his narration merged seamlessly with Vick’s words, leaving only the story.

As mentioned at the beginning of this review, it is rare for books to feature a protagonist who has a chronic illness. I didn’t really think it mattered. Somehow, we find ways to connect with a character through names, the way they look, a personality quirk, or other characteristics. But the experience of connecting on such a deep level, on the level of he is like me, was profound. Reading a book in which the person with a chronic illness or disability is not evil, pathetic, the conduit for another’s journey of enlightenment, or a victim, but rather the hero — the HERO! — was powerful, empowering, inspiring, and incredibly compelling.

If you enjoy the fantasy and horror genres, this is for you. If you ever enjoyed Tolkien’s books, this is for you. If you like a good quest with a complex cast and stories, get this book. If you have RA, get this book.

Basically,go get this book. The audiobook was fantastic, but you might be able to read faster on your own. Trust me, you will want to read faster.

And then join me in hoping that the Vick’s RA gets better controlled so he can write faster.