Travel Light

Paperback Published on: 12/03/2026
Price: £10.99
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Bookseller Reviews

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Travel Light
oh to travel light like Halla Godsgift
Travel Light is a wonderfully slight yet beautifully full fantasy novel. We follow lovely Halla Godsgift through a landscape of sagas and fables of old - r... READ MORE
Keela at Glasgow Argyle St
Travel Light
This one shall take up permanent residence in my brain.
Fans of LOTR or high arching adventure fantasy stop here! Mitchison is truly a rediscovered gem that was a shame to have been hidden from the light. A cont... READ MORE
Ella-Mae at Lewes
Travel Light
Weaving Norse Myths With Childlike Whimsy
This was an incredibly fun read. Mitchison successfully interlinks childlike whimsy in with the Norse myths. The book makes incredible references to Norse ... READ MORE
Rosemary Kelly
Travel Light
In a world of heroes, be a dragon
“If you have named me Halla Heroesbane, then let me be a bane to heroes” Halla is not a typical storybook princess. Abandoned by her father and stepmoth... READ MORE
V at Windsor 692
Travel Light
A beautiful little novel
This is truly a beautiful little story. Taking on themes from myths and folk tales, with historical elements, the tale of Halla is marvellous. Consi... READ MORE
Nic at Guildford
Travel Light
A forgotten classic every fantasy fan needs to rediscover
Travel Light is truly a hidden gem of the fantasy genre. Set in Medieval Scandinavia and borrowing from fairy tales and Norse Mythology, Travel Light te... READ MORE
Rosie at Peterborough
Travel Light
A fabulous and timeless tale
Thank you so much to Virago for sending me this rediscovered classic. I absolutely adored reading this charming adventure. Hella, who is banished as a baby... READ MORE
Hannah Torres
Travel Light
Glorious and Unexpected
I have some of the old Virago Modern Classic editions of Naomi Mitchison's books - which I have completley failed to get to grips with so I was a bit nervo... READ MORE
Hayley at Leicester Highcross
Travel Light
A Little Gem
In this short, sweet rediscovered classic, Naomi Mitchison does one of the most important things in the fantasy genre: she has fun. Rooted firmly in Norse ... READ MORE
Mark at Reading
Travel Light
Short but impactful
I thoroughly enjoyed this wonderful little story. It reads like a true fairytale, with beautiful storytelling that feels timeless and magical. The story bl... READ MORE
Kerry-Anne at Scarborough
Travel Light
A delightful tale
A delightfully strange story which feels like being plunged back into childhood without quite knowing what could possibly come next. Perfect for little o... READ MORE
Anna Mahtani
Travel Light
A short, sweet and beautiful novel, one you’ll be thinking about for a long time after you finish reading.
Travel Light is a beautiful short story following Halla. She is the daughter of a king, who is outcast and raised by bears and dragons, who after following... READ MORE
Hannah at Aviemore
Travel Light
Phenomenal
I adored this. Perfect to curl up with and be whisked away into a world of nostalgic fantasy and folklore. This gorgeous little novel is an example of ... READ MORE
Sophie at Cambridge

Synopsis

A REDISCOVERED FANTASY CLASSIC - INTRODUCED BY SAMANTHA SHANNON

'Read it now' URSULA K. LE GUIN

'Quiet and thoughtful, playful and wayward, rich with exquisite worldbuilding detail. I only wish - as an author who always dreamed of dragons - that I had discovered Travel Light sooner' SAMANTHA SHANNON

'No one knows better how to spin a fairy tale than Naomi Mitchison' OBSERVER

'I felt, very powerfully, that I had been waiting for Travel Light' AMAL EL-MOHTAR, author of THIS IS HOW YOU LOSE THE TIME WAR

'Disarmingly familiar, like a memory only half-recalled. You will love this book' HOLLY BLACK, author of BOOK OF NIGHT

'Utterly contemporary' DAILY MAIL

***
Riding on that horse you would need nothing, no cloak even. She dropped it on the edge of the marshland. Nothing. You could travel light.

Halla is the daughter of a king, cast out as a baby into a world of danger and enchantment. She is raised by bears, lives amongst dragons, converses with Valkyries and avoids warmongering heroes. But times are changing, and an encounter with the Wanderer, Odin All-Father, finds her at a crossroads. Cutting a fold from his night-blue cloak and laying it over her shoulders, the Wanderer sends her on a journey into the unknown. With only her bear-like kindness, her dragonish wisdom and her own fierce spirit to guide her, Halla must forge her own path . . .

Weaving folklore, fairy tale and Norse myth into a shimmering, witty and slyly subversive tapestry, Travel Light is a rediscovered gem of classic fantasy writing - perfect for fans of Tolkien, Philip Pullman and Ursula K. Le Guin.

Publisher information

  • Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group
  • ISBN: 9780349020549
  • Number of pages: 192
  • Dimensions: 196 x 122 x 20 mm
  • Weight: 164g
  • Languages: English

Customer Reviews

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Travel Light
fantastic!
What a DELIGHTFUL book! A great blend of folklore, mythical creatures, and adventurous Nordic saga! A must read of the fantasy genre and I was shocked to f... READ MORE
kostev09
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Travel Light
Travel light my child, as the Wanderer travels light, and his love will be with you.
This short book gave me all the whimsy, folklore, myths and magic I crave once in a while. We follow Halla in her very unique life being cared for by bear... READ MORE
Appeltjesgroen
Travel Light
Fairy tale for adults
I had not encountered Naomi Mitchison's work before, but I was encouraged to try this novel by the strong endorsement of one of my all time favourite autho... READ MORE
Verity Halliday
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Travel Light
Gentle allegory about greed
A sweet and gentle allegorical tale about miserliness and letting go. I do enjoy this pre-1980's style of fantasy, with its lyricism and fairy-tale quality... READ MORE
Kelsang Kunden
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Travel Light
An unusual and imaginative fantasy novel
Travel Light was published in 1952, two years before The Lord of the Rings, which Mitchison proofread for her friend Tolkien, and is one of Mitchison’s own... READ MORE
Helen Skinner
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Travel Light
Gentle allegory about miserliness
A sweet and gentle allegorical tale about miserliness and letting go. I do enjoy this pre-1980's style of fantasy, with its lyricism and fairy-tale quality... READ MORE
Kelsang Kunden
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Travel Light
A wonderfully thoughtful novella
Travel Light was a really thoughtful and interesting little book, and I’d definitely recommend it to those looking for classic fantasy. For reference, this... READ MORE
Zoe Rogers
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.
Travel Light
Travel Light was an unexpected read!
If I'm honest, I picked this up on NetGalley because I saw that Samantha Shannon and Grace Curtis had reviewed this book on GoodReads. Then - because I'... READ MORE
Yasodhara  Soto-Alaienia
This reviewer received a free of charge product for review.