For five hundred years the immortal Children of the Light, einherjar and valkyrie, have lived together in the North of Valdyrgard. They we... read full description
reviews
Jan 08, 2012
Alytha
rated it: 
By The Mountain Bound is the second volume of Elizabeth Bear's Edda of Burdens series.
This is the prequel to All the Windwracked Stars, and explains how the terrible battle in which the children of the light and the tainted destroyed each other. In the beginning, the waelcyrge and their chosen einherjar live in barbarian happiness in their halls with lots of mead, and keep justice in the mortal towns around.
One day, they find an almost-drowned young woman on the beach. She turns More...
This is the prequel to All the Windwracked Stars, and explains how the terrible battle in which the children of the light and the tainted destroyed each other. In the beginning, the waelcyrge and their chosen einherjar live in barbarian happiness in their halls with lots of mead, and keep justice in the mortal towns around.
One day, they find an almost-drowned young woman on the beach. She turns More...
Apr 26, 2011
Ron
rated it: 
I tend to read little in the way of pure fantasy. However, I thought enough of Elizabeth Bear as a writer to have a go at her recent “By The Mountain Bound”. The intent here is I believe for it to be an epic tale, and the writing is in parts like epic poetry. There is some beautiful prose in there, but I found myself getting distracted at times by an overabundance early on of hyphenated words … On the first page in a single sentence we have wood-red, smoke-gray and tarnished-silver. Often the hy
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Jan 02, 2012
Kate
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Aug 16, 2011
Liz
rated it:
By the Mountain Bound - Elizabeth Bear
As a gamer I was intrigued by the cover art. The beautiful armor and magnificent sword grabbed my attention and I HAD to
start reading it.
A few pages in, I grew very unsure about the book however. The character's were not described and I barely knew who was
narrating the chapters. I feel like the characters did not have personality as I'm used to by many authors and it struck me
so strangely it became a chore to read. When it's so to More...
As a gamer I was intrigued by the cover art. The beautiful armor and magnificent sword grabbed my attention and I HAD to
start reading it.
A few pages in, I grew very unsure about the book however. The character's were not described and I barely knew who was
narrating the chapters. I feel like the characters did not have personality as I'm used to by many authors and it struck me
so strangely it became a chore to read. When it's so to More...
Jan 27, 2011
Lianne
rated it: 
This is apparently the middle book of a trilogy, but it stands on its own.
After the Norse Ragnarok, the world is recovering. Mortals live in towns on the coast, while immortals fight mock battles. one of them is Mingan, the Wolf, who was once Fenris, the sun-eater.
Then a goddess, Heythe, arrives, and ends up dividing up the immortals and creating a war intended to wipe them all out. Maybe I would understand better if I'd read the first book.
It took a while to More...
After the Norse Ragnarok, the world is recovering. Mortals live in towns on the coast, while immortals fight mock battles. one of them is Mingan, the Wolf, who was once Fenris, the sun-eater.
Then a goddess, Heythe, arrives, and ends up dividing up the immortals and creating a war intended to wipe them all out. Maybe I would understand better if I'd read the first book.
It took a while to More...
May 27, 2011
kvon
rated it:
Not the book I expected from when I leafed through it in the bookstore. I have a habit of avoiding the book back synopses in favor of opening to a random page 50-60 pages in, and from that deciding if I want to see how the author gets there and if I like her style. But I happened into one of Muire's chapters, and she seems like a kickass arbiter of justice, and she turns out to be one of the minor characters (although she's probably the main character in the sequel). The first half of the boo
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Mar 29, 2010
Rob
rated it:
...I must admit that without the steampunk and post-apocalyptic atmosphere of the previous book, By the Mountain Bound did not appeal to me quite as much as All the Windwracked Stars. That being said, it is, certainly in a stylistic sense, a very good book. One I plan on giving my undivided attention sometime before the third book, The Sea thy Mistress, is released next year. If you enjoyed All the Windwracked Stars you'll want to read this.
Full Random Comments review More...
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Feb 22, 2011
Vanessa
rated it:
Ok, to be honest I didn't compeltely finish it, so take that as affecting the rating for what it's worth. It's a strange story, the love affair between the two male leads, while compelling, did not appeal to me in the least (it was necessarily graphic--if she had been more subtle about it I probably wouldn't have been bothered as much). I already know how it ends, since I've read the 'sequel', and wasn't looking forward to it. The setting/mythology is interesting, as is the magic. The characteri
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Dec 09, 2011
Michelle
rated it:
Guh.
Well, I wasn't really expecting a whole lot from this one and really only picked it up because it had "Hugo winner" on the cover.
It took me a bit to actually get not confused about who was talking and what was going on.
Did not like the bits where she did stuff like "Oh Hel" and other such nonsense.
It sounds like the only thing she read about the vikings were the sagas.
This gets two stars because the base writing was fine and didn't make me want
Well, I wasn't really expecting a whole lot from this one and really only picked it up because it had "Hugo winner" on the cover.
It took me a bit to actually get not confused about who was talking and what was going on.
Did not like the bits where she did stuff like "Oh Hel" and other such nonsense.
It sounds like the only thing she read about the vikings were the sagas.
This gets two stars because the base writing was fine and didn't make me want
Jul 09, 2010
Robin
rated it:
Not a book for the faint of heart. It's full of problems with no good solutions and characters who are traumatized, damaged, lost, trapped, heartbroken... some of them all of the above. I ached all the way through it.
Thing is, that ache was exquisite. I don't think I've enjoyed crying over a book this much since Chelsea Quinn Yarbro's Blood Games. Mingan, especially, got under my skin. He's a deliciously broken character, and I felt like I understood him on a visceral level, even whe More...
Thing is, that ache was exquisite. I don't think I've enjoyed crying over a book this much since Chelsea Quinn Yarbro's Blood Games. Mingan, especially, got under my skin. He's a deliciously broken character, and I felt like I understood him on a visceral level, even whe More...
Oct 12, 2011
Lauryn
rated it:
While this book is listed as second in the Edda of Burdens series, it's actually a prequel to the first novel in the series. I found this book to be much more concrete than the first book in the series. I'm not sure if that's because I had a concept of the characters/world or if the story is easier to follow. I would be curious to reread the first book with the knowledge gained from this second book. That being said, I would definitely read this book second in the series. I think the first book
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Jan 03, 2012
Karen
rated it:
The 3 1/2 stars isn't is more reflective of the fact that I read it singly, instead of as part of its trilogy. I'm trying not to read trilogies piecemeal - I already follow too many universes to keep effective track of all of them.[return]And Norse mythology has never been a favorite of mine, though Bear manages to make the gods seem - almost human. [return]Okay, I'm going to have to review this after re-reading it with the rest of the trilogy.
May 14, 2011
Vishal
rated it:
By the mountain Bound is Elizabeth Bear's prequel to "The windwracked Stars". It explains the origins of the children of the light, their life and their internal strife. I really liked how Elizabeth gets under the skin of her characters and fleshes them out. I think it is much more readable than windwracked stars and if you are looking for a fantasy fiction with a bit of dark psychology thrown in do pick this one up.
Sep 17, 2011
Niall519
rated it:
I don't think I can actually say I enjoyed reading this one: it was just too much of a tragedy. It does provide a fascinating warping of the idea Ragnarok however, and fill in much of the backstory for All the Windracked Stars. It's clever, bleak, and sad. I do wonder what was going on in Elizabeth Bear's head and heart to make her write this, or perhaps what was going on while she was writing it. Nothing easy, I suspect.
Jun 22, 2010
sage
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Dec 05, 2009
Barbara
rated it:
I had very mixed feelings about this book. It is a prequel to "All the Windracked Stars", which I had already read and loved. So the prose was glorious, but the story line was tragic. Having read Windracked Stars, I already knew how this one was going to end. And I wasn't sure I wanted to put myself through that.
This was be a great intro for those who have yet to read Windracked Stars, but a bit of a downer for those who have read it.
This was be a great intro for those who have yet to read Windracked Stars, but a bit of a downer for those who have read it.
Mar 10, 2011
Bryant
rated it: 
Was hoping for a nice, Norse-themed fantasy novel, what I got was an overwrought piece of (ugh) slash fiction. I feel like I need to go scrub my brain with soap.
Jan 21, 2011
Jennifer
rated it: 
Amazing story. A bit more straight-forward than "All the Windwracked Stars." Excited to go back and see if I get it now.
Feb 04, 2010
JoAnn
rated it:
This is an excellent book telling a mythic type tale. The characters are strong and well-defined. It is a tale of good and evil and worth reading.
Jan 25, 2010
Michelle
rated it:
This novel is just as gorgeously written and heartbreaking as the first, All the Windwracked Stars. Also like the first, it's not an easy, fluffy read, but it's so worth it. Highly recommended.
Nov 03, 2011
Erin
rated it:
I was impressed by Bear's ability to reconceive in a futuristic manner the mythic Valkyrie. The dark grittiness of her world reminded me of Frank Herbert who is a favorite author of mine. I appreciate how she didn't over explained things making her world all the more believable. I loved the complexity of the characters. Personally, I wish I could rate this 4.5 stars. There were parts near the end, the ending was brilliantly executed, that felt forced.
Feb 26, 2011
Kris
rated it:
This story is the prequel to "All the Windwracked Stars" and it was interesting to see how things came to be in the state they were at the start of that book. In fact, after I was done reading this, I then reread "All the Windwracked Stars" just to pick up on the various things that have a different meaning now that I had the background from "By the Mountain Bound". If you liked "All the Windwracked Stars", you'll like this book as well.
Jun 07, 2011
Briana
rated it:
The world is interesting and lush, the characters are unexpectedly fleshed out, and the lore is dear to my heart. For some reason, however, it didn't sit well with me. I had a really hard time getting through this book. Maybe I have a problem with viking demi-gods been same-sex oriented? Who knows. But the idea of the story was much better than the actual story.
Feb 06, 2012
Jan 26, 2012
