Norse Code, by Greg van Eekhout, takes us through an interesting journey into the world of Norse mythology. The nice thing about this book is that the author gives enough background and information about Norse mythology to help the layman figure out what's going on, but not too much as to make it into a overwrought mythology/literature lesson. The premise of the book is interesting and time-relevant with the Thor, Avengers, and other Marvel movies of the last few years: NorseCODE is a genetics company run by Valkyries to hunt down those on earth (Midgard) who are of Odin's bloodline. The end of the world, Ragnarok, is nigh and the forces of Odin and Asgard need to fill their ranks. Events set into motion eons before humans were even thought of foretell of gods' deaths and when Ragnarok will take place, meaning plans must be made. Which is where Mist comes in. Once human but now reincarnated as Valkyrie, she must now hunt down those with Odin's blood and hope they pass the test to fight on Asgard's front. After a potential soldier retrieval goes wrong, Mist now is on a mission to set things right, causing her to go AWOL from the Valkyries and join forces with Hermod, one of Odin's sons who has taken a self-imposed exile in all the other eight worlds save Asgard. She convinces this nomadic god to join her cause to break into Helheim (the underworld) to hep make amends for the botched retrieval job. As he is the only being to have entered and returned from Helheim without, you know, dying, Hermod was the god for her. But the two end up working together to thwart the dominoes falling to kick off Ragnarok.
The plot was a well-written blend of urban fantasy and Norse myth, adventure and suspense. Is there more to the beginning of the end of the world? Is there someone on the "inside" working to make sure Ragnarok comes to fruition? Can a rogue Valkyrie and a god with commitment issues possibly stop the worlds from ending in a fiery war? You think that they're going to be able to pull it off until roughly the half of the book... then things take a turn for the worse. I was beginning to wonder if a) this was the first book in a series and things were going to continue in the following volumes or b) this was going to be on F'ing depressing book. And I did a little digging, no this book is not part of a series. Things aren't looking good for the beings of Midgard.
Of course, I will not say anything since I'm against spoilers, but I will say that this read ended in a way I did not see coming. However, I do have one pet peeve with this book. The genetics company, NorseCODE, in the grand scheme of the book, is barely mentioned and gets seems to be a small stepping stone to the rest of the "stop the end of the world" crusade that takes up the rest of the plot. I'm not sure if the author was looking for a cute play on words to get your attention (sadly, I'll admit that's how I was drawn to this book and ultimately purchasing it) and a secondary/tertiary plot point. The NorseCODE program does explain how the Asgardians are beefing up their army for the impending doom, and a little bit of the why, but the hunt for these Odin-born is not the focus of the story---as you think it should be if the book is named after it.
Unless the author was going for a play on words, given that normally people use Morse code to signal for help/get a message through (i.e., the Titanic?), then the title works.
In spite of the a slightly misused title, I highly recommend this book for a good read on a lazy autumn or winter afternoon. If you're a fan of urban fantasy, of mythology and lore, and like your horses with eight legs, then this book is for you. On my scale of 1 (literary hari kari) to 10 (literary orgasmic bliss), I give this book a nice 6. It was a good read with a fresh take on mythology and fantasy, and an overall satisfying experience.
And no, this book is not going to be counted in my 100 Books in 1 Year challenge... I've completely failed on that and with 2.5 months left in the year, I'll just be happy if I read a book.
