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It's kind of back, Book Review Tuesdays. But only kind of as I haven't finished reading The Age of Odin by James Lovegrove just yet. I'm getting there, though!
However, I will offer up a partial review of this novel and a slight complaint.
The Age of Odin is considered to be a godpunk novel, a modern/urban fantasy story dealing with the Norse mythos. This is something that James Lovegrove does, deals with mythology in a modern context and for a more adult audience. His books also do not connect with each other in anyway so you don't need to read the first two books in his pantheon series in order to know what's going on in this particular novel. Kudos on that.
So what drew me to this particular novel? Well, first of all, I found a lovely piece of art for it on deviantArt and added it to my favorites. It then prompted me to look up the novel on Amazon to find out more. The title itself is a huge draw as well.
I originally held off on purchasing this title. 1 - I knew I was going to be moving soon, didn't need the extra weight of the book; and 2 - I'm not overly fond of people using what little bit remains of the Norse lore to paint Loki as a bad guy. It's generic, it's a cheap shot, and it doesn't allow for them to actually get to know any in the Norse mythos as actual characters.
There came a point when buying this book actually felt right, and I was excited to have it in my hands. I'm still excited to have it. James still uses Loki as the bad guy but has done so in a way that makes sense and scares the crap out of me at the same time, and it does fall a good way into Loki's character. I won't give away such details of what Loki does that chills me. I'll only encourage people to get their paws on the book to find out for themselves, if they haven't already.
I also love what James has done with Freya and with Odin. They're not two-dimensional characters. However, and here is where my complaint comes in, he's limited them too much. He's too limited in the lore itself to understand one thing about the final catalyst of the Norse Ragnarok: the death of Baldur. Here is one detail I will give away.
At one point, Freya is talking with the main character, Gid, about the death of one of his comrades after a disastrous attempt to gain an alliance with the Jotuns. She speaks of Baldur and how he was never meant to go to Helheim, that he should have passed on to the more peaceful realm for those pure in nature. One thing James has completely disregarded in this is the manner of Baldur's death and the history of the Vikings themselves. Baldur did not die an honorable death in battle, which is what anyone who followed the Norse pantheon wanted in their lives. Rather, he stood there as his fellow Asgardians threw things like rocks, trees, swords, and the like at him. It became a sport with them because he'd basically become invincible to pretty much everything but mistletoe. The mistletoe dart, which had been held and tossed by Baldur's twin brother Hod, was what killed the son of Odin and Frigga, thus eliminating him from ever dying an honorable death. It is also what forever relegated Baldur into the realm of Helheim.
Overall, this book has been fun to read, and I do look forward to how it ends. I also give James props for using first person effectively to weave this intriguing and thrilling tale. It just not that great at actually delving into and expanding upon why Loki did what he did, why Odin did what he did, and those are two major players in this book. The bare basics of the lore is my only complaint.
However, I will offer up a partial review of this novel and a slight complaint.
The Age of Odin is considered to be a godpunk novel, a modern/urban fantasy story dealing with the Norse mythos. This is something that James Lovegrove does, deals with mythology in a modern context and for a more adult audience. His books also do not connect with each other in anyway so you don't need to read the first two books in his pantheon series in order to know what's going on in this particular novel. Kudos on that.
So what drew me to this particular novel? Well, first of all, I found a lovely piece of art for it on deviantArt and added it to my favorites. It then prompted me to look up the novel on Amazon to find out more. The title itself is a huge draw as well.
I originally held off on purchasing this title. 1 - I knew I was going to be moving soon, didn't need the extra weight of the book; and 2 - I'm not overly fond of people using what little bit remains of the Norse lore to paint Loki as a bad guy. It's generic, it's a cheap shot, and it doesn't allow for them to actually get to know any in the Norse mythos as actual characters.
There came a point when buying this book actually felt right, and I was excited to have it in my hands. I'm still excited to have it. James still uses Loki as the bad guy but has done so in a way that makes sense and scares the crap out of me at the same time, and it does fall a good way into Loki's character. I won't give away such details of what Loki does that chills me. I'll only encourage people to get their paws on the book to find out for themselves, if they haven't already.
I also love what James has done with Freya and with Odin. They're not two-dimensional characters. However, and here is where my complaint comes in, he's limited them too much. He's too limited in the lore itself to understand one thing about the final catalyst of the Norse Ragnarok: the death of Baldur. Here is one detail I will give away.
At one point, Freya is talking with the main character, Gid, about the death of one of his comrades after a disastrous attempt to gain an alliance with the Jotuns. She speaks of Baldur and how he was never meant to go to Helheim, that he should have passed on to the more peaceful realm for those pure in nature. One thing James has completely disregarded in this is the manner of Baldur's death and the history of the Vikings themselves. Baldur did not die an honorable death in battle, which is what anyone who followed the Norse pantheon wanted in their lives. Rather, he stood there as his fellow Asgardians threw things like rocks, trees, swords, and the like at him. It became a sport with them because he'd basically become invincible to pretty much everything but mistletoe. The mistletoe dart, which had been held and tossed by Baldur's twin brother Hod, was what killed the son of Odin and Frigga, thus eliminating him from ever dying an honorable death. It is also what forever relegated Baldur into the realm of Helheim.
Overall, this book has been fun to read, and I do look forward to how it ends. I also give James props for using first person effectively to weave this intriguing and thrilling tale. It just not that great at actually delving into and expanding upon why Loki did what he did, why Odin did what he did, and those are two major players in this book. The bare basics of the lore is my only complaint.
