By Ian Owens
Riding the Big One
In the Wake of My Ancestors
Two heroes—one ancient, one modern—cast off their mundane existences for respective adventures on the high seas and high ways. Whether by Viking longship or tandem bicycle, Riding the Big One is a humorous and poignant tale of discovery, ancestry and transformation.
Eyvind Haakonson is a twenty-year-old fisherman in ninth century Norway. On a bleak winter’s day he decides that Valhalla is better than dying of boredom and goes Viking, boarding the next ship headed for Britain. He brings his sword, his fearless wife Hild, and an unwanted ghost.
Ian Owens is a thirty-five year old software sales engineer born eleven centuries after Eyvind. Faced with the tedium and minutiae that claim so many in his profession, he makes a choice similar to his distant ancestor’s. Wielding a handheld computer rather than a sword, cycling across the USA instead of plundering Europe’s coastlines, he and Jane, his plucky wife-to-be, meet with modern versions of Eyvind and Hild’s Dark Age perils, and both men wonder if Riding The Big One can alter their inherited destinies.
My Story
Ian Owens, son of John, son of Frederick, son of John is descended from a long line of unsettled settlers hailing from Great Britain, Ireland, Germany, Poland, Ukraine and even Russia, which might explain why New England winters seem delightfully mild. A born writer, Ian nevertheless took a forty-five year career detour to become learned in the ways of science, employing himself as a consultant to manufacturing enterprises. When this work inevitably numbs him mind, body and soul he takes to the road: solo treks across the Scottish highlands, tandem cycling across North America, an impulsive relocation to New Zealand, or exploring ancient mysteries in the secret places of old-world Europe. All of it is fuel for stories. His first book, Riding the Big One: In the Wake of My Ancestors, marks a first (and probably last) in modern publishing: the genre of Biking-Viking. His next book is well underway: the true historical fictional account of the Norse explorations of North America. The working title is: Merki: The World’s Edge.
Ian Owens
Author
Other Books You Should Read
“I murdered no one. I saved two men from a coward’s death and eternity in Niflheim. And I saved their families from dishonor. They should…thank me.”
- Thorvald Asvaldsson, father of Eirik the Red
Upcoming Events
May 30, 31 and June 1, 2025
The Actor’s Studio
Amesbury, MA @ 7:30pm
Live Theater
Presenting a collection of short dramas and comedies by the Playwrights’ Collaborative. I appear in “What Do Women Want” by John Van Drie.
June 7, 2025
Exeter Public Library
Exeter, MA @ 10:00am
Live Theater
Staged readings of a collection of short plays by the Playwrights’ Collaborative. I appear in “The Ice Queen” by Jack Rushton.
June 8, 2025
Custom House Maritime Museum
Newburyport, MA @ 1pm
Live Theater
Staged readings of a collection of short plays by the Playwrights’ Collaborative. I appear in an encore performance of “The Ice Queen” by Jack Rushton.
Ian Owens
You have power over your mind – not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength. — Marcus Aurelius