Jeremy read and liked Joshua's review of Norse Code:

" 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 advent...more 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 is a very ambitious first novel from Van Eekhout. It tries to harness an entire cultures myths and make them more accessible to the modern masses while also putting his own touch on the stories. However, that's where Van Eekhout really falters. There are so many characters, so many grand moments that are just swept aside (Thor's death, Odin's battle with Fenrir, etc) that the reader never gets a feel of the real gravity of the situation. The world is facing Ragnarok and while reading I couldn't help careless because the story never focuses to much on the event, leaving things just to feel, well, flat. The book is around 300 pages, but feels like only 200, because somehow and shockingly (maybe this a skill on the writers part, I don't know) but for a tale of the end of the world, nothing happens.

Also, while the main characters are fun, none are fleshed out particularly well, and when we come back to some secondary characters after some of the "big" moments, they've changed so much without any explanation and are barely noticeable.

So yeah, Norse Code tries to be big but ultimately and epically fails. However since it tries to be so ambitious, I give it 3 stars because isn't it better to try and fail then retread- a word we fans of the urban-fantasy sub-genre know all to well.(less) "