This was the second book in a series, released this year. It seems like most fantasy/sci-fi novels are written as part of a trilogy at least, and this one is no different.
Just like the first novel, this one is well-written, and adds a few new character’s points of view to tell the story of a world where dead gods are being brought back to life, and changing the world as we know it. The Viking setting is unique enough to make the story interesting, and we’ve gone into full magic mode in this book.
Again the author spends a lot of time describing the equipment, the weapons and armor, and how each piece works together. This is to be expected in the first book, but it got a little tiring for me in this second book. I guess if you heavy into medieval and Norse weaponry this is the series for you.
The author writes really well about the small details of a battle – the confusion, fear, panic and adrenaline and the tiny in-between moments between life and impending death. As this series develops there are more scenes on a bigger scale – armies moving and going to war – and this isn’t as well-written. Anthony Ryan writes some great large scale battle scenes in his books. Hopefully these big scenes will improve in future books as I think they’ll become more and more important based on how the story is developing.
The pace of development continues quickly (too quickly?) and as the characters travel around the world we look forward to key interactions – similar to Brandon Sanderson’s epic novels. I found myself guessing what will happen next, who will die, and what twists might get thrown in. The good news for me was that I was almost never correct in guessing what will happen.
Based on the length of the first two books in the series it will be a long while before I can read more – at least the author provided a summary of the previous story in the beginning of this one.
So overall, more of the same but in this case it is a good thing. Next I am reading Briefly, A Delicious Life by Nell Stevens.
