Magnus (novel)

At the pivotal moment of Magnus's execution by Hakon, the narrative switches to Flossenbürg concentration camp during World War II .

Throughout the novel, Mackay Brown contrasts the inevitable nature of Magnus's fate with the symbolic significance of pre-Christian ritual, including human sacrifice.

Despite this, critics have noted the deeply meditative nature of the work despite the bloody events it depicts and the harshness of existence in 12th-century Orkney.

[1][2] In 1977 the English composer Peter Maxwell Davies adapted Mackay Brown's story into a one-act opera.

Davies begins the story at the Battle of Menai Strait, and retains the flash forward to the 20th century for Magnus's execution.