The Gates of Hel

“All you build will turn to ash, your children shall die, and your dreams shall burn.”

The situation grows direr pretty much page by page in this penultimate book in the saga, and everyone is gearing up for the final boss battle.
Odin seeks allies and even takes on the Norns in a last-ditch effort to win Ragnarok, and - since this is mostly Norse mythology we're talking about - there is lots of sacrifice, betrayal, and tragedy.

While this is not quite my favorite book in the series, some of my favorite characters get a lot of “screen-time”. Among those favorites are Hermod (with Sleipnir as his trusty sidekick on his way to Hel) and of course egomaniac oaf par excellence, Thor, who provides some much needed comic relief:
“Get over here so I can smite you!”