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The Head of Mimir: A Marvel Legends of Asgard Novel

(Marvel Novels)

Richard Lee Byers (Goodreads Author)

3.67 · Rating details · 12 ratings · 8 reviews

The young Heimdall must undertake a mighty quest to save Odin – and all of Asgard – in the first heroic fantasy novel set in Marvel’s incredible Legends of Asgard

It is a dark time for Asgard. The Allfather is trapped in a bewitched Odinsleep, inspiring an all-out assault from the Frost Giants. They evade the gods’ defenses with uncommon ease, as if guided by augury. Heimda ...more

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Paperback, 352 pages

Published September 1st 2020 by Aconyte

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Nov 19, 2020 Chad rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2020, edelweiss, netedel-2020

Odin still hasn't woken from his Odinsleep with war escalating between Asgard and Jotunheim. A
young Heimdall begins to think something is amiss with Odin. Even though it's forbidden, He and his sister Sif, sneak into Odin's chamber to discover the problem where they see the Head of Mimir is missing. They are discovered exiting the chambers and labeled as traders where they go on a quest to find the missing head with mystical powers.

Byers was a good choice for a book about the Norse Gods. He's w ...more

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Aug 22, 2020 Paul Sparks rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Well written, well told and highly entertaining, if you like Norse mythology and action then this is definitely the book for you

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Oct 31, 2020 Neil rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: action, adventure, end-of-the-world, fantasy, fiction, finished-in-2020, mystery, super-hero, dinosaurs-mythical-monsters-and-o

This was a fun book to read. I did not really know what to expect, but I had fun reading the Tales of Asgard trilogy and hoped this would be along the same lines as that series of stories. I was not disappointed. It focused on the siblings Heimdall and Sif, which turned out to be a nice surprise. The character development was pretty good (view spoiler); both characters are developed rather nice This was a fun book to read. I did not really know what to expect, but I had fun reading the Tales of Asgard trilogy and hoped this would be along the same lines as that series of stories. I was not disappointed. It focused on the siblings Heimdall and Sif, which turned out to be a nice surprise. The character development was pretty good (view spoiler); both characters are developed rather nicely as the story progresses. There is plenty of action and mystery as the two try to solve the riddle behind Asgard's dilemma. It moved at a good pace, and it held my interest throughout the entire story.

I found myself enjoying the story far more than I thought I would, especially as it focuses on Heimdall before he becomes guardian of the Bifrost. (view spoiler)

Sif was fun in the story, too. (view spoiler)

(view spoiler)

The book is set up as a story within a story. Volstagg is having a "teaching moment" with his oldest son (if not an older son), so the first and last chapters of the book involve the two of them interacting with each other. The remaining chapters are about Heimdall and Sif's adventure to save Asgard (view spoiler)

(view spoiler)

It was a fun book to read. I am glad I saw it on the shelf and took a chance on picking it up to read. It was a lot of fun and I look forward to reading any future books in the series (as the next Legends of Asgard is said to be about the Tyr, the Asgardian god of war). ...more

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Sep 21, 2020 Amy Walker - Trans-Scribe Reviews rated it really liked it

The world of Marvel's Thor is an interesting one, one that manages to mix together super heroics, Norse mythology, and in later years, science fiction. The recent big screen adaptations have very much pushed the sci-fi angle, which I've enjoyed, but the downside of this is that viewers got very little fantasy with their Thor. The Head of Mimir, in contrast, has very much embraced the mythology behind the original comics, and has provided readers with a high fantasy adventure that's sure to thril The world of Marvel's Thor is an interesting one, one that manages to mix together super heroics, Norse mythology, and in later years, science fiction. The recent big screen adaptations have very much pushed the sci-fi angle, which I've enjoyed, but the downside of this is that viewers got very little fantasy with their Thor. The Head of Mimir, in contrast, has very much embraced the mythology behind the original comics, and has provided readers with a high fantasy adventure that's sure to thrill.

The story is bookended with Volstagg, one of the Warriors Three, telling his son a story about Heimdall in order to teach him that a warrior is more than a strong sword arm, and that being smart enough to take a step back and think things through is perhaps even more important than martial skill. His story takes readers back through time, to a place long before the events of the Thor comics, where Heimdall and his sister Sif were just regular soldiers in the Asgard army during a war with the Frost Giants of Jotunheim.

The war is not going well for the people of Asgard. Odin has been in the Odin-Sleep for weeks, longer than ever before; and without his wisdom and power the forces of Jotunheim have been encroaching further and further into the kingdom of the gods. The Frost Giants have been using more and more cunning tactics than ever before, and are simply overwhelming Asgards forces. Looking at what's happening, Heimdall is convinced that something more must be at work here, that Odin being away for so long must be a sign of something awful going on behind the scenes.

Approaching Queen Frigga, he implores her to enter Odin's chambers and make sure that something awful hasn't been done to the king. Under the advice of court enchantress Amora, the queen dismisses Heimdall's concerns; which prompts the young soldier to take matters into his own hands. Sneaking into the Odin-Sleep chambers, he and his sister must overcome the magical defences and illusions within before coming face to face with their king. Unable to see anything wrong with him, they do notice that someone must have entered before them, as the magical Head of Mimir has been stolen.

Knowing that this magical artefact is able to dispense amazing advice and knowledge Heimdall concludes that a traitor must have sent the head to the Frost Giants, explaining their change of tactics. Unfortunately, entering Odin's chambers is high treason, and when he and Sif are seen leaving they must go on the run from their own people, setting off on a mission to retrieve the head whilst being hunted by Asgard too.

The Head of Mimir is a hell of a story, more in line with the epics of legend than anything I've read in the Thor comics, but it fits so well with the universe and characters that Marvel have adapted over the decades. Richard Lee Byers clearly know not just the world of the comics, but the original myths too, and manages to weave them together in great ways. And one of the things I liked the most, there was never a sense that he was trying to make it feel like science was at work here. Unlike the films, which tried to explain magic away as advanced science, this book embraces its fantasy roots and says 'no, this is magic'. People cast spells, monsters from myth wield powers, and the world tree exists.

I adored this decision. I never like it when writers try to make magic feel less special, when they try to make it feel practical and real. Give me Frost Giants with ice staffs casting spells on battlefields, giant dragons scaling the sides of a magical tree that holds different worlds in its branches, and teleporting Pegasuses over that. Let me feel awed and in wonder, rather than waiting for a scientific explanation for things. It's so nice to have a book that embraces the fantastic and presents them without feeling like it has to give reason or make it understandable. It makes the journey that the two heroes go on feel so much bigger and more amazing.

Heimdall and Sif make for some excellent protagonists too, and their relationship is explored well throughout the book. I have to admit, before reading this I never knew that the two of them were siblings, and to have that relationship not just included, but made central to their story, is great. We see two soldiers who keep fighting for each other, who refuse to give in or leave the other behind because they're not just brother in arms, but family. There are a few occasions in the book where lesser relationships would have really been put to the test, where lesser characters would have broken apart, but the two of them never give up on each other.

The focus on their relationship also gives some stakes to the book. These are characters that we know from the comics, we know that they don't die here, that they go on to bigger positions in Asgardian society. So instead of having to worry if they'll die or not the concern shifts to their relationship. Will the two of them end up falling out? Will events push them to the point of hating each other, even if only temporarily?

The Head of Mimir wasn't what I was expecting going into the book, but it was such a pleasant surprise. In a time where comic heroes revolve around science and realism it's so good to get a story that embraces the fantastical, that doesn't feel the need to be gritty and true to life, but is content to be wondrous and over the top. Comic book fans will love seeing more about the kingdom of Asgard and learning more about some of it's inhabitants, and fantasy fans will feel right at home here too, even if it's their first time trying out the Marvel universe. ...more

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Oct 10, 2020 Ilona rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 4-stars, read-and-reviewed, reviewed-arcs

Thank you to NetGalley, Aconyte Books and Marvel Entertainment for providing me with an ARC of The Head of Mimir: A Marvel Legends of Asgard Novel by Richard Lee Byers for an honest review. I've voluntarily read and reviewed this copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Being a very enthusiastic Marvel fan, I was super excited to get my hands on a copy of The Head of Mimir. This is my first time reading a Marvel novel instead of the comics and I was immediately sold when I learned that the mai ...more

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Dec 27, 2020 A_davis rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

A rip roaring adventure with a great moral for teens and adults.

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Nov 02, 2020 Paulo Jorge rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: aconyte-books

I was expecting more from this title. It's a good story but i got the feeling that it could be told in half the pages. And it's not so epic as advertised. ...more

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Oct 08, 2020 Michael Dodd rated it really liked it

With Asgard under siege by armies of Frost Giants, and Odin trapped in an unusually long Odinsleep, the thoughtful young warrior Hemidall worries that his fellow Asgardians are underestimating their enemies. Speculating that something supernatural is affecting his king’s sleep, Heimdall and his sister Sif slip into Odin’s inner sanctum and find that the Head of Mimir, a powerful relic said to possess great wisdom, has been stolen. Despite the evidence of an intruder, and the suggestion of a trai ...more

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About Richard Lee Byers

Richard Lee Byers

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A resident of the Tampa Bay area, Richard spends much of his leisure time fencing, playing poker, shooting pool and is a frequent guest at Florida science-fiction conventions. His current projects include new novels set in the Forgotten Realms universe and the eBook post-apocalyptic superhero series The Impostor.