The Shadow of the Gods

I was not all that knowledgeable about Vikings prior to reading this book. In my mind, they were violent, seafaring savages who wanted nothing more than to pillage and conquer. But as I read more about their fascinating history, I found that they were expert explorers, developed technological innovations used for trade, and were one of the first Europeans to arrive in North America. Most of what I knew about their history and their looks was just stereotypical and not all that accurate. Enter The Shadow of The Gods. Right off the bat, I was inundated with terms such as brynja, holmganga, and niðing without any sort of introduction or detailed explanation. It was really a joy to sit down and take a look at some of these items and their closely related counterparts to get a better picture of how certain pieces of armor fit, the intricacies of how shields were attached to the body, and the shape of some of the blades they wield. This Viking-esque story is so incredibly accessible, so grab the popcorn or the kale chips if you are so inclined, because if you are like me, your eyes will be glued to the page for long stretches of time.

// A norse inspired epic-fantasy tale brimming with magic, comradery, and bloody vengeance. //

Okay, so the main theme in this book is revenge. Sure, there are a great many places to visit, such as villages, sacred grounds, frost-tipped mountains, market places, and seaport towns, but the meat and potatoes of the story revolve around following a few MCs as they look to satiate their bloodlust at some point or another.

// “Courage is being scared of a task and doing it anyway” //

Orka, the huntress, steals the show! I mean, she is just such an amazingly written character. Something tragic happens early on, and she must exact revenge for her family. As we follow her throughout the book, we find that she is fearsome, headstrong, vicious with a blade, but compassionate as well. I'm not going to lie; I would flip ahead and look at the chapter titles to see how long I had to wait until my next Orka fix. We also follow Varg, who is on a hero's journey, and Elvar, who is my second favorite character. But whether they are Battle-Grim, Tainted, or Bloodsworn, heads roll quite often, and it's pretty graphic.

// “You must learn to fight and survive under the worst conditions, not the best” //

The author does a fantastic job describing the visceral and fierce battles. Lots of red lines drawn, bones breaking, and teeth being eaten. (Yeah, those images really rattled my thought cage as well.) I appreciated the fact that the fighting sequences were fast-paced, detailed, and filled with purpose. My three favorites would be the Orka infiltration towards the beginning, the fight in the alley, and the troll battle. Oh, wait, one more: the fight on the bridge. That was pretty gnarly. It's not all shields and pointy spears though; there is magic, a plethora of creatures, and something towards the end that magnifies the scale of the world and made me say, “Yes, more of that, please.”