van Eekhout, Greg: Norse Code
Norse Code (2009)
Written by: Greg van Eekhout
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Pages: 292
The premise: Ragnarok is just around the corner, and it's Mist's job to recruit soldiers for the Odin's army. A former MBA student who was murdered, she was brought back as a Valkyrie, but she can't focus on her job. She wants to journey to the land of Helheim and rescue her sister Lily from the clutches of the dead, and to do that, she needs the help of Norse God Hermod, who's the only person in heaven and Earth who's gone to Helheim and made it back alive. Hermod, meanwhile, is doing everything he can to stop Ragnarok from happening, but everything he does seems to bring it that much closer. Together, he and Mist team up do everything they can to save the world, but when the adversaries are gods and monsters and fate itself, it seems like a hopeless cause.
My Rating
Give It Away: it's not van Eekhout's fault that I read this book after reading the absolutely lovely and wonderful Santa Olivia. Anything I read after that would pale in comparison, and unfortunately for van Eekhout, I read Norse Code. Granted, it's really not my kind of book: it's action-packed with a very visual story, but it lacked heart, and the epic scale was so huge that I wish van Eekhout could've turned this into a trilogy instead of a single book so that we could've really gotten into the world and the characters more than we did. Another problem that's solely my fault is my lack of knowledge of Norse myth. What I know is vague, and I suspect if I knew more specifics I could appreciate the book more, and understand whatever clever devices van Eekhout toys with. But I know enough to know that I'm not in love with the myth, so really, this was the type of book that, despite the overwhelmingly positive hype, I should've left on the shelf. It's not you, van Eekhout, it's me. Writing-wise, it's a pretty solid debut that'll keep you guessing, and the pages turn so fast that you'll be halfway through the book and wonder how you got there.
Review style: This is a book I can talk about on a general basis, without getting into plot specifics. So, no spoilers. It'll also be of the stream-of-conscious variety. If you're interested, you can find the full review in my LJ. As always, comments and discussion are most welcome.
REVIEW: Greg van Eekhout's NORSE CODE
Happy Reading!