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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
This tale follows Einar whose mother fled her past many years ago. Life seems settled but after a disagreement Einar must leave his home behind or risk death! Unn, his mother, feels there is little choice but send him to the home of his uncle, known as Skull Cleaver.
Einar sets out to prove his worth but ends up in over his head, captured and held hostage..what price will his uncle pay to see him free?
The relationship between Jarl Thorfinn ‘Skull Cleaver’ and Einar is wonderful to see unfold with quite a few twists along the way..the past won’t stay buried for long.
Along the way we meet the Wolf Coats..Fierce warriors who utterly engrossed me..the dark humour they have made it such fun to read.
The plot was well planned out and paced perfectly to keep on the edge of my seat..there’s no time to be bored.. you just get sucked into this one so easily.
A word to describe this tale is deception.. nothing is what it seems…backstabbing and plotting are high on everyone’s agenda..who can you trust.
What I really enjoyed was that on the whole this is a dark and gritty tale of deceit with war brewing but you can see some moments where the author really had some fun.
Odin’s Game ticks the boxes for me, plot is fantastic and when you add in the very likeable characters you’ve got a hit!
Tim Hodkinson has written an epic tale and I can’t wait to see where this goes..that ending has me itching for more! The scene has been set.. an earth shattering saga in the making!
My thanks go to NetGalley for the ARC! Certainly a book I’ll happily buy myself on release tomorrow!
Merged review:
This tale follows Einar whose mother fled her past many years ago. Life seems settled but after a disagreement Einar must leave his home behind or risk death! Unn, his mother, feels there is little choice but send him to the home of his uncle, known as Skull Cleaver.
Einar sets out to prove his worth but ends up in over his head, captured and held hostage..what price will his uncle pay to see him free?
The relationship between Jarl Thorfinn ‘Skull Cleaver’ and Einar is wonderful to see unfold with quite a few twists along the way..the past won’t stay buried for long.
Along the way we meet the Wolf Coats..Fierce warriors who utterly engrossed me..the dark humour they have made it such fun to read.
The plot was well planned out and paced perfectly to keep on the edge of my seat..there’s no time to be bored.. you just get sucked into this one so easily.
A word to describe this tale is deception.. nothing is what it seems…backstabbing and plotting are high on everyone’s agenda..who can you trust.
What I really enjoyed was that on the whole this is a dark and gritty tale of deceit with war brewing but you can see some moments where the author really had some fun.
Odin’s Game ticks the boxes for me, plot is fantastic and when you add in the very likeable characters you’ve got a hit!
Tim Hodkinson has written an epic tale and I can’t wait to see where this goes..that ending has me itching for more! The scene has been set.. an earth shattering saga in the making!
My thanks go to NetGalley for the ARC! Certainly a book I’ll happily buy myself on release tomorrow!
Einar sets out to prove his worth but ends up in over his head, captured and held hostage..what price will his uncle pay to see him free?
The relationship between Jarl Thorfinn ‘Skull Cleaver’ and Einar is wonderful to see unfold with quite a few twists along the way..the past won’t stay buried for long.
Along the way we meet the Wolf Coats..Fierce warriors who utterly engrossed me..the dark humour they have made it such fun to read.
The plot was well planned out and paced perfectly to keep on the edge of my seat..there’s no time to be bored.. you just get sucked into this one so easily.
A word to describe this tale is deception.. nothing is what it seems…backstabbing and plotting are high on everyone’s agenda..who can you trust.
What I really enjoyed was that on the whole this is a dark and gritty tale of deceit with war brewing but you can see some moments where the author really had some fun.
Odin’s Game ticks the boxes for me, plot is fantastic and when you add in the very likeable characters you’ve got a hit!
Tim Hodkinson has written an epic tale and I can’t wait to see where this goes..that ending has me itching for more! The scene has been set.. an earth shattering saga in the making!
My thanks go to NetGalley for the ARC! Certainly a book I’ll happily buy myself on release tomorrow!
Merged review:
This tale follows Einar whose mother fled her past many years ago. Life seems settled but after a disagreement Einar must leave his home behind or risk death! Unn, his mother, feels there is little choice but send him to the home of his uncle, known as Skull Cleaver.
Einar sets out to prove his worth but ends up in over his head, captured and held hostage..what price will his uncle pay to see him free?
The relationship between Jarl Thorfinn ‘Skull Cleaver’ and Einar is wonderful to see unfold with quite a few twists along the way..the past won’t stay buried for long.
Along the way we meet the Wolf Coats..Fierce warriors who utterly engrossed me..the dark humour they have made it such fun to read.
The plot was well planned out and paced perfectly to keep on the edge of my seat..there’s no time to be bored.. you just get sucked into this one so easily.
A word to describe this tale is deception.. nothing is what it seems…backstabbing and plotting are high on everyone’s agenda..who can you trust.
What I really enjoyed was that on the whole this is a dark and gritty tale of deceit with war brewing but you can see some moments where the author really had some fun.
Odin’s Game ticks the boxes for me, plot is fantastic and when you add in the very likeable characters you’ve got a hit!
Tim Hodkinson has written an epic tale and I can’t wait to see where this goes..that ending has me itching for more! The scene has been set.. an earth shattering saga in the making!
My thanks go to NetGalley for the ARC! Certainly a book I’ll happily buy myself on release tomorrow!
BLURB
AD 915.
In the Orkney Isles, a young woman flees her home to save the life of her unborn child. Eighteen years later, a witch foretells that evil from her past is reaching out again to threaten her son.
Outlawed from his home in Iceland, Einar Unnsson is thrown on the mercy of his Uncle, the infamous Jarl Thorfinn 'Skull Cleaver' of Orkney. He joins forces with a Norse-Irish princess and a company of wolfskin-clad warriors to become a player in a deadly game for control of the Irish sea, where warriors are the pawns of kings and Jarls and the powerful are themselves mere game pieces on the tafl board of the Gods.
Together they embark on a quest where Einar must fight unimaginable foes, forge new friendships, and discover what it truly means to be a warrior.
As the clouds of war gather, betrayal follows betrayal and Einar realises the only person he can really trust is himself.
Not everyone will survive, but who will conquer all in Odin's game?
REVIEW
Whenever I read or hear the name Odin, I almost inevitably am drawn back to a scene in the Tony Curtis/Kirk Douglas movie, The Vikings. Tony Curtis is tied to a pole anchored in a tide pool awaiting death by drowning, while an old woman (a volva) is praying in anguished cries, "ODIN", seeking the god's intervention. (Spoiler alert - Tony survives). In Odin's Game, the god does not directly intercede, but he plays an integral part in the lives of those who are gifted by him. Einar is one of those upon whom Odin has bestowed his gifts. Odin's Game is a wonderfully crafted tale of discovery, not only of Einar's shrouded in mystery lineage, but also finding out who he was in the eyes of men and gods, and who he was meant to be.
Any tale that wants to set the hook and reel me in has to have characters who are not only well developed, and interesting, but they also have to get me emotionally involved. The author has created a bevy of well developed, interesting characters to help, or hinder, Einar on his travels, some of who produced, in me, positive vibes, some of who I loathed from the start. The story, while in the main is Einar's search for identity, has some surprises along the way; twists and turns in the plot line giving the reader moments to pause and exclaim, "I didn't see that coming", or "I knew he was up to no good.' Odin's Game is an entertaining voyage along the Whale Road, and I for one am looking forward to more of Einar. 5 Stars
Merged review:
BLURB
AD 915.
In the Orkney Isles, a young woman flees her home to save the life of her unborn child. Eighteen years later, a witch foretells that evil from her past is reaching out again to threaten her son.
Outlawed from his home in Iceland, Einar Unnsson is thrown on the mercy of his Uncle, the infamous Jarl Thorfinn 'Skull Cleaver' of Orkney. He joins forces with a Norse-Irish princess and a company of wolfskin-clad warriors to become a player in a deadly game for control of the Irish sea, where warriors are the pawns of kings and Jarls and the powerful are themselves mere game pieces on the tafl board of the Gods.
Together they embark on a quest where Einar must fight unimaginable foes, forge new friendships, and discover what it truly means to be a warrior.
As the clouds of war gather, betrayal follows betrayal and Einar realises the only person he can really trust is himself.
Not everyone will survive, but who will conquer all in Odin's game?
REVIEW
Whenever I read or hear the name Odin, I almost inevitably am drawn back to a scene in the Tony Curtis/Kirk Douglas movie, The Vikings. Tony Curtis is tied to a pole anchored in a tide pool awaiting death by drowning, while an old woman (a volva) is praying in anguished cries, "ODIN", seeking the god's intervention. (Spoiler alert - Tony survives). In Odin's Game, the god does not directly intercede, but he plays an integral part in the lives of those who are gifted by him. Einar is one of those upon whom Odin has bestowed his gifts. Odin's Game is a wonderfully crafted tale of discovery, not only of Einar's shrouded in mystery lineage, but also finding out who he was in the eyes of men and gods, and who he was meant to be.
Any tale that wants to set the hook and reel me in has to have characters who are not only well developed, and interesting, but they also have to get me emotionally involved. The author has created a bevy of well developed, interesting characters to help, or hinder, Einar on his travels, some of who produced, in me, positive vibes, some of who I loathed from the start. The story, while in the main is Einar's search for identity, has some surprises along the way; twists and turns in the plot line giving the reader moments to pause and exclaim, "I didn't see that coming", or "I knew he was up to no good.' Odin's Game is an entertaining voyage along the Whale Road, and I for one am looking forward to more of Einar. 5 Stars
AD 915.
In the Orkney Isles, a young woman flees her home to save the life of her unborn child. Eighteen years later, a witch foretells that evil from her past is reaching out again to threaten her son.
Outlawed from his home in Iceland, Einar Unnsson is thrown on the mercy of his Uncle, the infamous Jarl Thorfinn 'Skull Cleaver' of Orkney. He joins forces with a Norse-Irish princess and a company of wolfskin-clad warriors to become a player in a deadly game for control of the Irish sea, where warriors are the pawns of kings and Jarls and the powerful are themselves mere game pieces on the tafl board of the Gods.
Together they embark on a quest where Einar must fight unimaginable foes, forge new friendships, and discover what it truly means to be a warrior.
As the clouds of war gather, betrayal follows betrayal and Einar realises the only person he can really trust is himself.
Not everyone will survive, but who will conquer all in Odin's game?
REVIEW
Whenever I read or hear the name Odin, I almost inevitably am drawn back to a scene in the Tony Curtis/Kirk Douglas movie, The Vikings. Tony Curtis is tied to a pole anchored in a tide pool awaiting death by drowning, while an old woman (a volva) is praying in anguished cries, "ODIN", seeking the god's intervention. (Spoiler alert - Tony survives). In Odin's Game, the god does not directly intercede, but he plays an integral part in the lives of those who are gifted by him. Einar is one of those upon whom Odin has bestowed his gifts. Odin's Game is a wonderfully crafted tale of discovery, not only of Einar's shrouded in mystery lineage, but also finding out who he was in the eyes of men and gods, and who he was meant to be.
Any tale that wants to set the hook and reel me in has to have characters who are not only well developed, and interesting, but they also have to get me emotionally involved. The author has created a bevy of well developed, interesting characters to help, or hinder, Einar on his travels, some of who produced, in me, positive vibes, some of who I loathed from the start. The story, while in the main is Einar's search for identity, has some surprises along the way; twists and turns in the plot line giving the reader moments to pause and exclaim, "I didn't see that coming", or "I knew he was up to no good.' Odin's Game is an entertaining voyage along the Whale Road, and I for one am looking forward to more of Einar. 5 Stars
Merged review:
BLURB
AD 915.
In the Orkney Isles, a young woman flees her home to save the life of her unborn child. Eighteen years later, a witch foretells that evil from her past is reaching out again to threaten her son.
Outlawed from his home in Iceland, Einar Unnsson is thrown on the mercy of his Uncle, the infamous Jarl Thorfinn 'Skull Cleaver' of Orkney. He joins forces with a Norse-Irish princess and a company of wolfskin-clad warriors to become a player in a deadly game for control of the Irish sea, where warriors are the pawns of kings and Jarls and the powerful are themselves mere game pieces on the tafl board of the Gods.
Together they embark on a quest where Einar must fight unimaginable foes, forge new friendships, and discover what it truly means to be a warrior.
As the clouds of war gather, betrayal follows betrayal and Einar realises the only person he can really trust is himself.
Not everyone will survive, but who will conquer all in Odin's game?
REVIEW
Whenever I read or hear the name Odin, I almost inevitably am drawn back to a scene in the Tony Curtis/Kirk Douglas movie, The Vikings. Tony Curtis is tied to a pole anchored in a tide pool awaiting death by drowning, while an old woman (a volva) is praying in anguished cries, "ODIN", seeking the god's intervention. (Spoiler alert - Tony survives). In Odin's Game, the god does not directly intercede, but he plays an integral part in the lives of those who are gifted by him. Einar is one of those upon whom Odin has bestowed his gifts. Odin's Game is a wonderfully crafted tale of discovery, not only of Einar's shrouded in mystery lineage, but also finding out who he was in the eyes of men and gods, and who he was meant to be.
Any tale that wants to set the hook and reel me in has to have characters who are not only well developed, and interesting, but they also have to get me emotionally involved. The author has created a bevy of well developed, interesting characters to help, or hinder, Einar on his travels, some of who produced, in me, positive vibes, some of who I loathed from the start. The story, while in the main is Einar's search for identity, has some surprises along the way; twists and turns in the plot line giving the reader moments to pause and exclaim, "I didn't see that coming", or "I knew he was up to no good.' Odin's Game is an entertaining voyage along the Whale Road, and I for one am looking forward to more of Einar. 5 Stars
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
This was mostly a fun book, I enjoyed the elements of norse mythology in it. It felt a bit too long though, I definitley felt like there were moments that could have been cut to get to the more interesting bits. It also read more like a YA than a fantasy, which could be because the protagonist is 18. I also would have loved to see more of Unn's POV and more of Einar being a bard. Overall it was enjoyable, but at the same time felt like a bit of a slog to get through.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Slavery, Violence
adventurous
emotional
informative
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Odin's Game by Tim Hodkinson begins with great promise. I hope, mirroring the writing style of the sagas, the story is simply told, occasionally a little monotonous, and yet, it's Viking Age Iceland - the promise is there, all the time, expectant that finally there is a novel about the Icelandic way of life.
Unfortunately, the novel moves away from Iceland quite quickly, and in doing so, becomes a more challenging read. The characters are two dimensional, there is some jarringly 'modern' dialogue in there, as well as some that is stilted, and yet all mixed with what must be a great deal of research and commitment to telling a story in a 'different way' to much that is written about the Viking Age - journeying to Orkney and Ireland along the way, if as so often happens, staying with the Pagan/Christian storyline.
Einar, the main character, is never fully formed enough to elicit a great deal of sympathy from the reader, and his 'talents' appearing from nowhere (apart from his ability to tell a good story which he has been trained to do) are supposed to be gifts from Odin, but are, again, not fully explored enough to make the novel feel 'well-rounded and finished.'
There is a huge amount of promise contained in this novel, but it slips away, never quite grasping the storyline firmly enough, and the ending is both rushed, and ultimately, unfulfilling. A true shame. Such an engaging idea, but a struggle to read. In the end, I willed myself to the end in the hope the ending would be as good as the beginning, only to be disappointed. The three stars are for the promise of what could be a great novel.
I received a free EARC from Netgalley. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley.
Unfortunately, the novel moves away from Iceland quite quickly, and in doing so, becomes a more challenging read. The characters are two dimensional, there is some jarringly 'modern' dialogue in there, as well as some that is stilted, and yet all mixed with what must be a great deal of research and commitment to telling a story in a 'different way' to much that is written about the Viking Age - journeying to Orkney and Ireland along the way, if as so often happens, staying with the Pagan/Christian storyline.
Einar, the main character, is never fully formed enough to elicit a great deal of sympathy from the reader, and his 'talents' appearing from nowhere (apart from his ability to tell a good story which he has been trained to do) are supposed to be gifts from Odin, but are, again, not fully explored enough to make the novel feel 'well-rounded and finished.'
There is a huge amount of promise contained in this novel, but it slips away, never quite grasping the storyline firmly enough, and the ending is both rushed, and ultimately, unfulfilling. A true shame. Such an engaging idea, but a struggle to read. In the end, I willed myself to the end in the hope the ending would be as good as the beginning, only to be disappointed. The three stars are for the promise of what could be a great novel.
I received a free EARC from Netgalley. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley.