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A review by tsunni
Northern Wrath by Thilde Kold Holdt
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Northern Wrath is a great book, one that I enjoyed overall but had some mixed feelings on.
This is the first of three books and reads like a mix of lightly-realistic historical fiction and Norse fantasy, and parts reminded me a lot of the stories in Neil Gaiman's Norse Mythology; you get the 9 realms, big famous Norse gods, runes and magic and fyljga companion spirits and so forth, but you also get a hefty dose of what feels like -- and I've done zero work on checking if any of it is even historically accurate -- well researched historical Viking culture beyond the usual stereotypes, glimpses into village organization, everyday mindsets and values, rituals, etc. You do get more of the tropey stuff like berserkers and a heavy emphasis on battle and shield walls too, but they're coached within the context of what they mean culturally and to the main characters, and given that framing it's all done really well and feels fresh. All of this is really great, especially if you love Norse myths, as a lot of the more fantastical elements in the story capture the same feeling of reading stories about Thor or Odin or Tyr.
The downside is that in some ways the book captures the more negative aspects of those old Norse stories, especially in regards to lack of real characterization; we get a decent sense of who these main characters are from their actions and glimpses of what they're thinking or feeling, but the characters feel a little hard to connect to, like I'm reading a play by play and list of associated emotions at times rather than a story where I'm along for the ride and fully emotionally invested and reacting to new events without thinking. I did get invested in Einer and Hilda to some extent, but there was some levels of disconnect happening, maybe because these characters don't seem to react emotionally the way I would expect them to to major events; just like if I was reading about Odin losing an eye, or some other Norse god going through a major event. Some of this could be the length; this is a hefty, long tome, and while there's enough stuff happening that the pacing doesn't feel slow, the sheer amount of content and switching between multiple characters made things feel like a slog. Pacing wise things do pick up and I ended up finishing the entire latter half in about half the time it took to read the first. There's enough of a climax and denouement to not feel too abrupt, but it does end on a cliffhanger; be warned.
Good and I would recommend if vikings, battles, and Norse myths interest you, but be ready for a big time investment.
This is the first of three books and reads like a mix of lightly-realistic historical fiction and Norse fantasy, and parts reminded me a lot of the stories in Neil Gaiman's Norse Mythology; you get the 9 realms, big famous Norse gods, runes and magic and fyljga companion spirits and so forth, but you also get a hefty dose of what feels like -- and I've done zero work on checking if any of it is even historically accurate -- well researched historical Viking culture beyond the usual stereotypes, glimpses into village organization, everyday mindsets and values, rituals, etc. You do get more of the tropey stuff like berserkers and a heavy emphasis on battle and shield walls too, but they're coached within the context of what they mean culturally and to the main characters, and given that framing it's all done really well and feels fresh. All of this is really great, especially if you love Norse myths, as a lot of the more fantastical elements in the story capture the same feeling of reading stories about Thor or Odin or Tyr.
The downside is that in some ways the book captures the more negative aspects of those old Norse stories, especially in regards to lack of real characterization; we get a decent sense of who these main characters are from their actions and glimpses of what they're thinking or feeling, but the characters feel a little hard to connect to, like I'm reading a play by play and list of associated emotions at times rather than a story where I'm along for the ride and fully emotionally invested and reacting to new events without thinking. I did get invested in Einer and Hilda to some extent, but there was some levels of disconnect happening, maybe because these characters don't seem to react emotionally the way I would expect them to to major events; just like if I was reading about Odin losing an eye, or some other Norse god going through a major event. Some of this could be the length; this is a hefty, long tome, and while there's enough stuff happening that the pacing doesn't feel slow, the sheer amount of content and switching between multiple characters made things feel like a slog. Pacing wise things do pick up and I ended up finishing the entire latter half in about half the time it took to read the first. There's enough of a climax and denouement to not feel too abrupt, but it does end on a cliffhanger; be warned.
Good and I would recommend if vikings, battles, and Norse myths interest you, but be ready for a big time investment.