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Oct 05, 2009

Felicia rated it:

This book has an awesome cover that is completely deceptive to what the book is about. This is not a vaginal-urban-fantasy book where a girl you connect with kicks mythological ass, it's from the POV of several ppl, more along the vein of American Gods by Neil Gaiman (although I didn't enjoy it as much as that book).

I know from personal experience that it's fun to write "inside" stuff, but sometimes that can leave ppl left out on the joke, and this book did that a bit for More...

9 comments like (9 people liked it)

Apr 04, 2011

Ben rated it:

The cover of Norse Code is misleading. It has a classic "urban fantasy" pose, the woman holding a phallic weapon and looking over her shoulder at the reader. Really, Norse Code is nothing like the cover or the description on the back of the book. Although it begins like other urban fantasy books, it quickly becomes something different. It is an epic tale focused through the lens of postmodern apocalypse, where metaphor becomes literal, and gods are as mortal as men.

When I More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Apr 14, 2011

Amanda rated it:

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 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 Hamilto More...

2 comments like (7 people liked it)

Nov 11, 2011

Woodge rated it:

I bought this one a couple years ago when it first came out and figured it would be a good one to read since I'm currently in Sweden and Norse mythology takes a big role in this story. I have a passing familiarity with Norse mythology (which I enjoy more than Greek) since I've read D'Aulaire's Book of Norse Gods and Giants several times to my kids and I've also started a grown-up book about Norse mythology. So I actually recognized some of the lesser known Norse gods' names. (Beyond Thor, Odin, More...

2 comments like (1 person liked it)

Nov 27, 2010

Stephen rated it:

2.5 to 3.0 stars. This is a tough book to review because there is some GOOD and some BAD.

On the good side, I am a big fan of Norse mythology and I loved the idea of the book which is basically a modern re-telling of Ragnarok (i.e., the Norse equivalent of Armageddon). There were plenty of references to Norse mythology and all of the major elements of the Ragnarok story are present. Add to that some occasionally witty dialogue that made me laugh a few times and it was enough to keep my More...

1 comment like (2 people liked it)

May 27, 2009

Sarah rated it:

The cover of this book is a little misleading because it suggests that Norse Code is another run-of-the-mill urban fantasy featuring a kickass babe with attitude.

It does have a kickass babe, the Valkyrie Mist, but the book is a lot more epic in scope than most urban fantasies. Plus the male protagonist, Hermod, is at least as important to the story as Mist. It's also a lot more apocalyptic than a typical urban fantasy. It is about Ragnarok, after all. The last few lines (beautifully More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Nov 29, 2011

Mick rated it:

With perpetual Winter slowly destroying civilization and end-of-the-world portents everywhere, modern-day tech-savvy Valkyries use DNA testing to select warriors for Ragnarok.

The main characters of this very entertaining ramble through Norse mythology are an increasingly reluctant Valkyrie, her long-suffering trainer, a ghost and a woebegon Aesir (Hermod) who's been avoiding his family and is currently wandering through California. Their fates collide just in time for them to become ma More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Nov 05, 2011

Kyle rated it:

This is one of the better urban fantasies I've read, and that's a genre I generally enjoy. Greg Van Eekhout writes Norse mythology with the same facility that C.S. Lewis wrote Christian mythology, and as a Norse mythology geek I really appreciated the organic way Van Eekhout wove that mythology into a thoroughly satisfying story about Ragnarök occurring in our own time.

The novel follows the story of a young woman who died young and was selected to become a Valkyrie as the events of More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

May 30, 2011

Text rated it:

This novel gave me what I can only call a “seventies vibe.” That is, something about the execution reminded me of speculative fiction novels from the 1970s, or possibly even the 1960s. Which is odd, because I haven’t felt similarly about other urban fantasy novels (of which I have read some, not many).

At any rate, van Eekhout’s premise is that the Norse gods were and are real, and that Ragnarok thing? About to happen. Fimbulwinter (three years of just winter) is already in progres More...

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Feb 11, 2011

Eric rated it:

I've had a strange journey with this book. It started with a startled discovery and fear that the novel I had been working on had already been done. The blurb on the back of the book said "Is it Ragnarok or is it just California." But thankfully the similarities end there or I would be starting again from scratch.

So I read the first few pages and instantly fell in love with the idea of Odin's raven Hugin (Thought), along with his brother Munin (Memory), narrating the story More...

1 comment like

Aug 12, 2010

Daniel rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jun 01, 2010

Kater rated it:

I'm not sure if this qualifies as urban fantasy or apocalyptic fantasy. Maybe a little of both. Kathy "Mist" is an Angeleno who died by gunfire and now serves as a Valkyrie, gathering warriors who will fight at the climactic battle at the end of time. Then she learns of Hermod, one of Odin's sons who went to Helheim and back again--the only creature to return successfully from the realm of the dead. Mist decides she'd rather rescue her sister from Hel's realm than do her job as Valkyr More...

0 comments like

Feb 28, 2010

Steven rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

0 comments like

Aug 07, 2009

Joshua rated it:

Norse Code is the first book written by Greg Van Eekhout- a tale of the epic collapse of the world known as Ragnarok and humanity along with gods trying to stop it's embrace.

I've always been a big fan of Norse mythology- tales of adventure, giants and gods, that while being muli-layered and confusing at times never stops from bringing a smile to my face. So yeah, I was really excited to read this book, a mix of old-school tales with a fresh and new take. If anything, Norse Code i More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Oct 10, 2011

Traci rated it:

I am a seventh grade student and I read this book for a my language arts class. This book is about the Norse code. The Norse code is a mythology that has a main idea of whether or not one person has a blood relation to Odin. This book has deep and thoughtful while bloody and adult language. The book involves many characters that accept the power and rein of Odin, The Norse code involves the future thinking of the beliefs and habits of the code/religion. This book has a lot of war More...

1 comment like

Jan 31, 2011

Jacki rated it:

I ran into this book about 18 months ago, but had some reservations about how good it could possibly be. I recevied it through PaperbackSwap about 6 months ago, and there it sat until I picked it up last week. Boy were my reservations WRONG.

As the earth falls into endless winter, Mist is resurrected through NorseCODE to perform the duties of a Valkyrie. That is, she is expected to track down the genetic descendents of Odhinn and kill them in the hopes that they will take up the wa More...

1 comment like (2 people liked it)

Dec 24, 2009

Sandi rated it:

This book really deserves 4.5 stars. From the cover and the blurb, I expected Norse Code to be a lot fluffier than it was, especially with the tagline "Is this Ragnarok, or just California?". What I found was an ambitious re-telling of Norse mythology that encompassed our 21st century world. Greg van Eekhout manages to not only convey the complexity of Norse mythology, but he does it in a way that is completely comprehensible and entertaining. He accomplishes this feat in less than More...

11 comments like (16 people liked it)

Oct 17, 2009

oliviasbooks rated it:

A bloody, brutal, mythical and definitely different apocalypse.
Think California. Think the not so far future. But also think nine worlds at the brink of destruction caused by Ragnarok, an apocalypse prophesied by a sybil thousands of years ago. Think giants giving birth to wolves, dwarfs, gods of all sort of character. Think Valkyries recruiting students for an army to defeat the ruler of the land of the dead by testing their DNA for a relation to the Norse god Odin's and then killing them More...

0 comments like

Nov 23, 2011

Julie rated it:

I liked this book pretty well. It was interesting, funny, dramatic, and full of conspiracies.

I also wouldn't - quite - classify it as urban fantasy. It's sort of in that same middle space as Terry Brooks' {i}Magic Kingdom for Sale; Sold!{/i} books: there's plenty of going back and forth between modern Earth and not modern Earth (although, mostly NOT modern Earth), there is an awful lot of magic and sword-fighting and trying to convince people that Earthlings don't use giant hammers i More...

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Oct 05, 2011

Emmilie rated it:

The book Norse Code is about the Nordian culture. Ever Since Baldr (son of Odin) died, Ragnorak has begun. Everone has chosen sides and are recruting troops. When Mist and her sister Lilly die, Mist is saved by Radgrid and recruited as a Valkyrie. Mist's job is to recruit other possible long-lost relatives of Odin to be sent to Valhalla to fight against Ragnorak. When one man dies Mist will change sides and do what she thinks is right in order to save all of the worlds.

This bokois re More...

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Jul 24, 2010

Gerri rated it:

I was browsing Amazon and found this book. I love urban fantasy but get weary fast of the wise-cracking heroines often found in these books. I think the general thrust of the authors is to be the next Joss Whedon, but even Joss knows when to tone it the hell down. So, anyway, my issues with that, but I do tend to like my urban fantasy a little less wiseass but still kickass with funny (like the Nightside books), and violent is okay with me, if it's not just gore for gore's sake. In fact, funny a More...

0 comments like

Nov 29, 2011

Chad rated it:

This book was actually better than I thought it would be (when I first bought it, I debated for twenty minutes whether to buy it or not). Van Eekhout weaves an interesting tale by integrating Norse mythology into the modern world, and presents a unique take on some of the Norse gods, especially Hermod who has living among humans for a thousand plus years. However, of all the characters, I found the main character Mist to be rather one-dimensional and lacking in the potential her character could More...

0 comments like

Jan 17, 2011

Shomeret rated it:

There were things I liked about this book. Most importantly, I liked Hermod's struggle to preserve Midgard (the human realm)during Ragnarok (the end of current existence). But I figured out how the book would end before it happened which always annoys me. I also didn't particularly like the resolution.

The main character Mist and the Valkyrie premise was very problematic for me. The way I understand Valkyries, they are supposed to have a strong connection and commitment to Odin. More...

0 comments like

Nov 24, 2009

Jeremy rated it:

All in all, a fun read. While I don't really know more than the basics of Norse mythology, the story provides an explanation for what you need to know, though it does mean I can't comment on any extra goodies that may have been included for people that know it well. The fading of the world as Ragnarok approached was very well handled, and it was an interesting take on gods -- quite powerful in some respects, yet at the same time, in many ways surpassed by the technology of modern man (as Hermo More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 30, 2011

Rebecca Wilson rated it:

This books is a brilliant portrayal of the world of the old Norse Gods clashing and interacting with our modern secular one and it cleverly brings you into this mix of realms with the character who only became deceased and turned Valkyrie 3 months ago. It also focuses not on the greater known gods like Odin, Thor and Loki although they are involved in the overall adventure but on the more minor and genuinely more interesting characters of this pantheon of Hermod, a small wandering God and of co More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jun 12, 2009

Alexia561 rated it:

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.

This book was amazing! I gave it 5 stars for sheer origina More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Feb 07, 2012

Tia rated it:

This book drove me pretty insane right from the start. The cover and description are downright deceiving. Which made me shout profanities pretty much, from the start.

I have no clue what the author was thinking. There was WAY too many different prospective outlooks for such a short book. There also wasn't a very good time line switching between characters. To me the work felt so sloppy that I had a serious amount of trouble even finding one aspect of the book that I enjoyed. In fact by More...

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Sep 08, 2009

Melissa rated it:

This book was enjoyable, but had enough major flaws that I hesitate to recommend it. I'm interested in Norse mythology and I liked seeing Ragnarok mapped on to the modern world. I also thought it was clever to use Hermod as a main character; he doesn't get much love when it comes to retellings, and he ends up being the only one of the gods who's both sympathetic and personally involved in the survival of the mortal realm. All of that is well done. Where the book fails is in making the modern More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Mar 31, 2010

Neal rated it:

I found Norse Code to be a very interesting and quick read. This book is just the kind of thing I like when traveling. Norse Code is the story of Norse mythology, specifically Ragnarok, that happens in modern day. The primary point of view is Kathy Castillo, an MBA student that was murdered and brought back as a Valkyrie, renamed Mist, and assigned to recruit soldiers for Odin's army via the NorseCODE genome project. She's part of the Asgardian system, but still new to most things so we learn th More...

0 comments like

Sep 07, 2009

Jennifer rated it:

I really hesitated in grading this one. It is by no means a bad book. I wonder if I came at it with too many expectations/hopes as to how great it could be. My grade should perhaps be read more as indicative of my reaction rather than the work itself.

Van Eekhout has written several short stories that have struck me with their insight and sharpness, and with his quick way with words. This book, his first novel, did not quite live up to the promise of those stories, not for me. I enjoy More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

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