| Orion's Belt | |
| Author: | Jon Michelet |
| Title Orig: | Orions belte |
| Orig Lang Code: | no |
| Country: | Norway |
| Language: | Norwegian |
| Genre: | Action-thriller |
| Set In: | Svalbard |
| Publisher: | Oktober Forlag |
| Pub Date: | 1977 |
Orion's Belt (Norwegian: Orions belte) is an action-thriller novel written by Norwegian author Jon Michelet. It was published by Oktober Forlag in 1977 and became a popular seller. It was translated into English by Ellen Nations.[1] The novel was adapted into a 1985 film by the same name, which is regarded as Norway's first modern action film.[2]
The novel follows three shabby Svalbard-based seamen who discover a Soviet bearing station. They are subsequently both targets of Soviet liquidation and American interrogation in an attempt quiet them and retain the political status quo. The Cold War topics were a critique of the Norwegian policy of allowing aSoviet presence on Svalbard.
The book received mixed reviews. It was appreciated by Dagbladet, but criticized by Aftenposten.[3] The book's popularity came in part from the public interest in what 3,000 Russians were doing living on the Norwegian archipelago. The title is a reference to that Svalbard was as central located in a potential Cold War war theater as Orion's Belt. The novel also played on the fear of nuclear war and the lack of information from Norwegian media about the issue.[4]