Status
Available
Call number
Collections
Publication
Spectra (2009), Epub, 292 pages
Description
"The NorseCODE genome project was designed to identify descendants of Odin. What it found was Kathy Castillo, a murdered MBA student brought back from the dead to serve as a Valkyrie in the Norse god's army. Given a sword and a new name, Mist's job is to recruit soldiers for the war between the gods at the end of the world-- and to kill those who refuse to fight. ... Journeying across a chaotic American landscape already degenerating into violence and madness, Mist hopes to find her way to Helheim, the land of the dead, to rescue her murdered sister from death's clutches. To do so, she'll need the help of Hermod, a Norse god bumming around Los Angeles with troubles of his own. Together they find themselves drafted into a higher cause, trying to do what fate long ago deemed could not be done: save the world of man. For even if myths aren't made to be broken, it can't hurt to go down fighting-- can it?"--P. [4] of cover.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member AnnieMod
How would you search for descendants of someone these days? Obviously the answer is to test their DNA. How would a Valkyrie search for people that have the blood of Odin in their veins? Well - according to van Eekhout there is no reason the answer to be different. This is how the book starts - with
Even though the project name is the name of the book, it's not a story about it. It's a story for two families. No, it's not a cheesy saga of the lives and deaths of a few generations. The patriarch of one of the families is Odin; all members of the other one (the sisters Kathy and Lilly) had died before the story told in the novel. This does not stop the sisters from being the main characters in the book though.
Everyone knows how Ragnarök is supposed to start - Höðr (spelled Höd here) needs to kill Baldr and this would start a long chain of events leading to the end of the worlds. And van Eekhout does not play with this - he just uses the Norse mythology as a nice playground for his story. And then the worlds go through the motions, as predicted, as expected. What all the predictions had not accounted for is a Valkyrie that wants to save her sister from the world of Hel and a son of Odin that does not exactly agree with Ragnarök – nothing to do with the fact that he is not supposed to live after this (or is it?).
The novel is following three different groups of characters which paths lead them to each other and apart from each other. The first party consists of Hugin and Munin (the already mentioned ravens); the second includes Kathy (which dies and becomes a very upset Valkyrie before the start of the novel and Hermod (one of Odin’s sons), a dog and at least for a while the Valkyrie’s helper; the third one consist of people that do not exactly agree with being shoved into Hel’s world and is led by Lilly – the second dead sister and the main reason for Kathy to be so upset. And of course – there is one of Odin’s sons in it also.
The ravens are used mostly as a way to show the reader things that the rest of the people in the novel could not know or see. Although the parts told from their viewpoint are some of the most original ones – their perspective and understanding of things is strange and interesting. But the real human characters – gods, dead people, Valkyries and so on – are the ones that carry on the story. Because the main question in the story is clear from the very beginning: “Can Ragnarök be stopped after it had started once? “ The answer is surprising and no, it’s not one of those “and everyone lived happy after this” story. But it is not a pessimistic story either – the author had managed to find the middle ground. And the answer that emerges at the end is not to this question but to another one: “Why does Ragnarök have to happen”.
The only problem that I had with the novel was that it was uneven in places – started good, went downhill, then returned up… and then did it a few more times. There were no parts that are unreadable and there were no parts that were really boring – it was just loosing the speed here and there – not the speed of the action itself but the speed of the story telling; it sounded as if the author got tired but needed to finish this sequence and then after getting his coffee, the speed had been picked up very easily.
It is a must read if you are interested in the Norse mythology (although if you do not like authors bending the mythology and its heroes, you better do not touch it – the author does change some features to fit better to the story). But even if you had never heard of any of the Gods, the back stories are in the novel - light enough not to bother someone that knows it; strong enough for someone to understand what is happening.
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the Norse Code project which uses the modern science to perform one of the oldest selections -- the search of the soldiers that will participate in the last battle. (Technically it starts with the Odin's ravens but more about them later).Even though the project name is the name of the book, it's not a story about it. It's a story for two families. No, it's not a cheesy saga of the lives and deaths of a few generations. The patriarch of one of the families is Odin; all members of the other one (the sisters Kathy and Lilly) had died before the story told in the novel. This does not stop the sisters from being the main characters in the book though.
Everyone knows how Ragnarök is supposed to start - Höðr (spelled Höd here) needs to kill Baldr and this would start a long chain of events leading to the end of the worlds. And van Eekhout does not play with this - he just uses the Norse mythology as a nice playground for his story. And then the worlds go through the motions, as predicted, as expected. What all the predictions had not accounted for is a Valkyrie that wants to save her sister from the world of Hel and a son of Odin that does not exactly agree with Ragnarök – nothing to do with the fact that he is not supposed to live after this (or is it?).
The novel is following three different groups of characters which paths lead them to each other and apart from each other. The first party consists of Hugin and Munin (the already mentioned ravens); the second includes Kathy (which dies and becomes a very upset Valkyrie before the start of the novel and Hermod (one of Odin’s sons), a dog and at least for a while the Valkyrie’s helper; the third one consist of people that do not exactly agree with being shoved into Hel’s world and is led by Lilly – the second dead sister and the main reason for Kathy to be so upset. And of course – there is one of Odin’s sons in it also.
The ravens are used mostly as a way to show the reader things that the rest of the people in the novel could not know or see. Although the parts told from their viewpoint are some of the most original ones – their perspective and understanding of things is strange and interesting. But the real human characters – gods, dead people, Valkyries and so on – are the ones that carry on the story. Because the main question in the story is clear from the very beginning: “Can Ragnarök be stopped after it had started once? “ The answer is surprising and no, it’s not one of those “and everyone lived happy after this” story. But it is not a pessimistic story either – the author had managed to find the middle ground. And the answer that emerges at the end is not to this question but to another one: “Why does Ragnarök have to happen”.
The only problem that I had with the novel was that it was uneven in places – started good, went downhill, then returned up… and then did it a few more times. There were no parts that are unreadable and there were no parts that were really boring – it was just loosing the speed here and there – not the speed of the action itself but the speed of the story telling; it sounded as if the author got tired but needed to finish this sequence and then after getting his coffee, the speed had been picked up very easily.
It is a must read if you are interested in the Norse mythology (although if you do not like authors bending the mythology and its heroes, you better do not touch it – the author does change some features to fit better to the story). But even if you had never heard of any of the Gods, the back stories are in the novel - light enough not to bother someone that knows it; strong enough for someone to understand what is happening.
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LibraryThing member snat
More of a 3 1/2 stars. I have to give Greg van Eekhout props for a very clever and interesting take on how Ragnarok might come about during modern times (I mean, the fire giant Surtr is wielding his sword from on high over a final battlefield that includes a Home Depot and a Costco, which made me
Also, I'm always worried about books like this (the ones that look like they'll be urban fantasy with a strong female heroine) because they tend to devolve into nothing more than a sexfest of a plot that goes something like this: "It's almost the end of the world--there's only one thing to do! Have dirty, sweaty, S&M sex since all is futile! And then lets do it again every 25 pages or so until we've exhausted the Kama Sutra." I was pleased that Norse Code never becomes a dressed up excuse for supernatural porn.
A few minor issues that shouldn't stop anyone from reading the book:
1. The back cover makes it seem as though the entire story will be told from the point of view of Mist, a valkyrie whose purpose is to gather warriors who will serve in the Einherjar at the final battle. However, the book doesn't seem to have one main character (which is just as well as Hermod and the Aesir are far more interesting characters than Mist; in fact, her whole "I must save my sister from Hel" mission seems unnecessary). It also seems as though the book will focus on the NORSEcode project being used to track down descendants of Odin (a kick ass idea in every way that isn't really utilized or expanded upon). These aren't really problems, but it ticks me off when a book presents itself as one thing and then goes in a different direction--even if I end up liking it.
2. And the name Mist is a minor irritation because sentences like "Mist hung around Hermod's waist" caused my mind to put forth disconcerting images of a Norse god riding into battle surrounded by a Charles Schulz Pigpen-esque fog.
3. The characters seem to exist only to serve the purpose of executing the plot. We never learn about them in any depth. Normally, this would be quite vexing, but the book makes it clear that they are pawns of prophecy and fate so, in a way, they do exist only to set the chain of events in motion. However, it would have been better if they could have been a little more interesting along the way.
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smile). I can't say that I've read a lot of Norse mythology because it always seemed so fragmented and difficult to follow when I went through my mythology phase in junior high (the year Edith Hamilton never left my side), so I have no idea how accurate Eekhout's depictions are. Furthermore, I can't say that I care. It was entertaining and original, especially when compared with the current glut of vampire fiction on the market today.Also, I'm always worried about books like this (the ones that look like they'll be urban fantasy with a strong female heroine) because they tend to devolve into nothing more than a sexfest of a plot that goes something like this: "It's almost the end of the world--there's only one thing to do! Have dirty, sweaty, S&M sex since all is futile! And then lets do it again every 25 pages or so until we've exhausted the Kama Sutra." I was pleased that Norse Code never becomes a dressed up excuse for supernatural porn.
A few minor issues that shouldn't stop anyone from reading the book:
1. The back cover makes it seem as though the entire story will be told from the point of view of Mist, a valkyrie whose purpose is to gather warriors who will serve in the Einherjar at the final battle. However, the book doesn't seem to have one main character (which is just as well as Hermod and the Aesir are far more interesting characters than Mist; in fact, her whole "I must save my sister from Hel" mission seems unnecessary). It also seems as though the book will focus on the NORSEcode project being used to track down descendants of Odin (a kick ass idea in every way that isn't really utilized or expanded upon). These aren't really problems, but it ticks me off when a book presents itself as one thing and then goes in a different direction--even if I end up liking it.
2. And the name Mist is a minor irritation because sentences like "Mist hung around Hermod's waist" caused my mind to put forth disconcerting images of a Norse god riding into battle surrounded by a Charles Schulz Pigpen-esque fog.
3. The characters seem to exist only to serve the purpose of executing the plot. We never learn about them in any depth. Normally, this would be quite vexing, but the book makes it clear that they are pawns of prophecy and fate so, in a way, they do exist only to set the chain of events in motion. However, it would have been better if they could have been a little more interesting along the way.
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LibraryThing member blue_istari
A fast-paced and enjoyable read, Norse Code combines urban fantasy with - not surprisingly - Norse mythology. There are some great set-pieces, interesting characters and plenty of action involved, but the story sometimes seems a little rushed and there's a bit of mythology overload. Whilst fewer
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mythological concepts and a few slower scenes to get to know the characters better might have made Norse Code even better, it's still a great read for fans of contemporary and urban fantasy. Show Less
LibraryThing member ladycato
I love the concept of this, but despite solid writing and well-paced action I just couldn't get into it. Mist and Hermod never came across as fully realized to me. I think I have also been spoiled by other urban fantasies that are more inclusive of other religions; here, it's only the Norse gods
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who are real, and something about that didn't settle right with me as the matter of other faiths was never really addressed or explained (or how other, formerly-Christian characters handle that revelation). Show Less
LibraryThing member cadele
I found this to be a really enjoyable read. It isn't your average urban fantasy, in that the main characters spend a great deal of time in connected worlds, such as Valhalla (the land of the gods) and Helheim (the land of the dead). If you're looking for an urban fantasy whose premise is that our
The book tackles the interesting question of how to stop a prophecy. It's a fascinating read because it tells you right from the start that the world is going to end, and just how it's going to end. The fact that a new world is going to emerge from the ashes doesn't comfort those who love their world, and who will die in the final battle, and the main characters set out to try and somehow change events enough to alter the outcome.
The characters were very well written; it's great to find someone who doesn't mind giving their characters flaws, and who can keep a consistent voice for those characters, especially when the point of view changes between them. I personally really enjoyed Loki and his wife, who didn't get a lot of screen time, but were still amusing with their interactions.
If the book has a fault, it's that, as can be a problem with fantasy worlds sometimes, that the solutions sometimes come a little too easily, and from unpredictable sources. However, the ending was well done and believable within the structure and rules of the world.
All and all, it was a well written and interesting journey.
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modern world just happens to have supernatural beings, and who solve problems in "ordinary" ways, then you may not enjoy this book. If, however, you enjoy an apocalyptic, complex multi-world adventure, take a closer look.The book tackles the interesting question of how to stop a prophecy. It's a fascinating read because it tells you right from the start that the world is going to end, and just how it's going to end. The fact that a new world is going to emerge from the ashes doesn't comfort those who love their world, and who will die in the final battle, and the main characters set out to try and somehow change events enough to alter the outcome.
The characters were very well written; it's great to find someone who doesn't mind giving their characters flaws, and who can keep a consistent voice for those characters, especially when the point of view changes between them. I personally really enjoyed Loki and his wife, who didn't get a lot of screen time, but were still amusing with their interactions.
If the book has a fault, it's that, as can be a problem with fantasy worlds sometimes, that the solutions sometimes come a little too easily, and from unpredictable sources. However, the ending was well done and believable within the structure and rules of the world.
All and all, it was a well written and interesting journey.
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LibraryThing member Shrike58
This is all very high concept, as Ragnarok, the Norse version of the end of the world is coming and there's not a damn thing that anyone can do about it; certainly not a newly-minted Valkyrie gone renegade (Kathy "Mist' Castillo) and the slacker member of the Aesir (Hermod). But while this dynamic
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duo and assorted companions find themselves involved in desperate quests, there are members of the Aesir who seem more interested in accelerating the arrival of the end of everything then in defending the House of Odin. The question of who is slapping the double cross on who is what keeps this novel interesting, over and above a pretty good attempt to make something coherent out of the Norse mythos. Show Less
LibraryThing member Radella
I am a HUGE fan of Norse mythology, so I thought I would enjoy this book... I found it hard to read. The dialogue was annoying at best, the characters were rather two-dimensional, and I really didn't connect with any of them.
LibraryThing member wyvernfriend
An interesting story of a woman recruited as a Valkyrie and who is asking about her job and what she's supposed to do. She bands with a few of the norse pantheon to see what's going on and to try to make things better or even to find out what is going on. She wants to find her sister as well. The
It's interesting but sometimes it just didn't quite work for me.
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world is a sideways step from today but with some added issues, chaos and gods.It's interesting but sometimes it just didn't quite work for me.
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LibraryThing member TheDivineOomba
This book is everything I was expecting and much more - I initially thought it would be a typical book of this sort, instead of vampires, you get Norse Gods. It is all that, but a lot more. The author knows his Norse Gods, and which ones are involved with Ragnarok, the ending of the world. He
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successfully weaves them into the story, gives them a reason for being. The Valkyrie, Mist, is a bit one dimensional. The story is mainly about Herod, a Norse God and his attempt to stop Ragnarok. I especially liked the Herod's Dog, Winston, who is just a dog. Show Less
LibraryThing member Fledgist
Amusing fantasy story about a modern-day Mexican-American valkyrie (descended from Odin,natch) who finds herself, together with a rebellious god,Hermod, somewhat against her will, trying to save the world (or only Los Angeles) from Ragnarok.
LibraryThing member librisissimo
Substance: Asgard meets Wi-fi. Interesting blend of Norse myth and modern American culture, in attempting to derail the prophecies about Ragnarok. Includes an ingenious conspiracy theory.
Style: Pretty standard blood-and-gore, obligatory foul language, but (rather surprisingly) no porn. Occasionally
Style: Pretty standard blood-and-gore, obligatory foul language, but (rather surprisingly) no porn. Occasionally
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the story-line lacks clarity or coherence, but not enough to totally derail the narrative. Show Less
LibraryThing member theWallflower
Boy, you'd think the tale of Vikings and Norse gods attempting to stop the end of the world where huge monsters are going to fight would be exciting. And you'd think someone like Greg van Eekhout, author of some of the greatest EscapePod stories, would be able to execute that. But somehow,
Maybe it would have been better if I'd known some more Norse history. I know the legend of Baldr and the mistletoe, but my expertise runs to the major gods like Odin, Loki, and Thor. This novel focused on everyone else, like Jorgumandr and Radgrid and Grimnr and other names with D's and G's and not always the letter I.
Maybe it would have been better if the characters had more of a spotlight. I do not do well with "action books". I didn't get a firm grip on the characters -- their history, their motivations, and their personalities never show through. It was like they had no backstory.
I kinda felt lied to because the inciting incident (an organization that kidnaps people and forces them to fight or die so they can become Valkyries) has nothing to do with the real story. And all throughout (sorry, Greg) I kept thinking "Neil Gaiman did this better, Neil Gaiman did this better." Again, I found myself paging through just to say I completed it. Suffice to say, I was disappointed.
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everything fell flat.Maybe it would have been better if I'd known some more Norse history. I know the legend of Baldr and the mistletoe, but my expertise runs to the major gods like Odin, Loki, and Thor. This novel focused on everyone else, like Jorgumandr and Radgrid and Grimnr and other names with D's and G's and not always the letter I.
Maybe it would have been better if the characters had more of a spotlight. I do not do well with "action books". I didn't get a firm grip on the characters -- their history, their motivations, and their personalities never show through. It was like they had no backstory.
I kinda felt lied to because the inciting incident (an organization that kidnaps people and forces them to fight or die so they can become Valkyries) has nothing to do with the real story. And all throughout (sorry, Greg) I kept thinking "Neil Gaiman did this better, Neil Gaiman did this better." Again, I found myself paging through just to say I completed it. Suffice to say, I was disappointed.
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LibraryThing member jshillingford
I've always enjoyed mythology, especially historical fiction that is based upon it. In recent years (thanks to Marvel for reawakening a love for the Trickster) I've been reading more Norse-based fiction. I found this book on a recommended reading list and decided to try it. The basis for the story
Ragnarok is approaching and the NorseCode project/group is trying to identify descendants of Odin via genetics to "draft" for the final battle. This concept is what initially drew me to the book - I loved the idea of blending scifi and myth. Sadly, beyond our heroine targeting one of these descendants right at the beginning, the concept is never visited again. There is no expansion on how they are accomplishing the goal, why his descendants are particularly useful, how Radgrid came to be in charge or anything else. The book immediately switches gears to Mist trying to mount an unauthorised rescue mission into Helheim.
Now, her mission and the characters introduced were entertaining. Unlike most fiction that centers around Asgard, the story doesn't focus on Loki, Thor, et al. Instead, we get the gods who are mentioned but don't have a big role in the original myths: Hermod and Hod. Mist joins forces with them to try and stop Ragnarok. But, can it be avoided? That's not to say that the biggies don't appear in the story, but they are not main characters.
Overall, I enjoyed this book but it needed serious fleshing out. The genetics angle should have been explored in full, which would have given Mist much needed character development. She's not two dimensional, but she's not fully realized either. Hermod, with the weight of Assgardian myth behind him, felt more three dimensional. The book has a solid conclusion, but at less than 300 pages it's more like an extended novella than a full novel. I recommend it to Norse myth fans mainly because it was a quick, fun read. But, it's sad that so much potential went untapped.
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is very imaginative, but sadly underdeveloped.Ragnarok is approaching and the NorseCode project/group is trying to identify descendants of Odin via genetics to "draft" for the final battle. This concept is what initially drew me to the book - I loved the idea of blending scifi and myth. Sadly, beyond our heroine targeting one of these descendants right at the beginning, the concept is never visited again. There is no expansion on how they are accomplishing the goal, why his descendants are particularly useful, how Radgrid came to be in charge or anything else. The book immediately switches gears to Mist trying to mount an unauthorised rescue mission into Helheim.
Now, her mission and the characters introduced were entertaining. Unlike most fiction that centers around Asgard, the story doesn't focus on Loki, Thor, et al. Instead, we get the gods who are mentioned but don't have a big role in the original myths: Hermod and Hod. Mist joins forces with them to try and stop Ragnarok. But, can it be avoided? That's not to say that the biggies don't appear in the story, but they are not main characters.
Overall, I enjoyed this book but it needed serious fleshing out. The genetics angle should have been explored in full, which would have given Mist much needed character development. She's not two dimensional, but she's not fully realized either. Hermod, with the weight of Assgardian myth behind him, felt more three dimensional. The book has a solid conclusion, but at less than 300 pages it's more like an extended novella than a full novel. I recommend it to Norse myth fans mainly because it was a quick, fun read. But, it's sad that so much potential went untapped.
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LibraryThing member devilwrites
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
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!
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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!
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LibraryThing member threadnsong
A very good urban fantasy based on the legends of the Norse. It begins with a conversation between Hugin and Munin, Odin's ravens, as they fly over Midgard falling into decay and dystopia. Then we pick up the threads of Hermod, brother of Hod, the god who slew Baldr, who is wandering Midgard as
It's a great premise and most of it is interesting. The journey to Helheim, though, is not one of the best settings for an afterlife and the action and adventure building up to that point kind of falls flat. The salute to Norse mythology and the amount of detail that van Eekhout brings are quite extensive and I like the concept that he proposes: Ragnarok started eons ago. It didn't just start in the last century, or with the advent of Norse invasions, or with the Industrial Revolution. No, it's been going on since humanity has walked on Midgard. So that's a concept to ponder. And the end is a little scattered as he brings all of the sources to bear in different parts of a hopeless battle, including Odin's eye and the ship of the dead, Naglfar, into action, where one or the other could have been sufficient.
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well and seeing the truth behind the decay: Ragnarok started eons ago and is finally coming to fruition. Mist is the Valkyrie who, with Grimnir's help, is slaying young men to become Odin's army; when they don't prove worthy, they descend to Helheim instead of Valhalla.It's a great premise and most of it is interesting. The journey to Helheim, though, is not one of the best settings for an afterlife and the action and adventure building up to that point kind of falls flat. The salute to Norse mythology and the amount of detail that van Eekhout brings are quite extensive and I like the concept that he proposes: Ragnarok started eons ago. It didn't just start in the last century, or with the advent of Norse invasions, or with the Industrial Revolution. No, it's been going on since humanity has walked on Midgard. So that's a concept to ponder. And the end is a little scattered as he brings all of the sources to bear in different parts of a hopeless battle, including Odin's eye and the ship of the dead, Naglfar, into action, where one or the other could have been sufficient.
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LibraryThing member kslade
Pretty good urban fantasy with a lot of Norse mythology included, which I've always been drawn to.
Awards
Locus Award (Finalist — First Novel — 2010)
Locus Recommended Reading (First Novel — 2009)
Language
Original publication date
2009-05-19
Physical description
292 p.; 4.13 x 0.83 inches
Local notes
The NorseCODE genome project was designed to identify descendants of Odin. What it found was Kathy Castillo, a murdered MBA student brought back from the dead to serve as a valkyrie in the Norse god’s army. Given a sword and a new name, Mist’s job is to recruit soldiers for the war between the gods at the end of the world—and to kill those who refuse to fight. But as the twilight of the gods descends, Mist makes other plans.