mommasaystoread's review
5.0
I've always been interested in mythology and the Norse with all their quirks are always good for an entertaining read, so I was excited for Mjolnir. It certainly delivered! We do get a bit of a lesson on the Norse in the beginning, which I didn't need, but it is quite entertaining in its own right and great for anyone not familiar with the pantheon.
The book is wonderfully written and the story is dark, witty, and entertaining. Banished to Earth, these larger than life characters are forced to acclimate and their chosen professions suit their personalities quite well. Professional athlete, businessman, stripper and prostitute, and stuck in a nursing home, reading fortunes from cereal bowls, the Viking gods are making the best they can of the situation until it's time to get down to business.
From the very first line (and it's a brilliant starter), I was hooked and stayed that way, page after page. If you enjoy Norse mythology, this is a must read.
The book is wonderfully written and the story is dark, witty, and entertaining. Banished to Earth, these larger than life characters are forced to acclimate and their chosen professions suit their personalities quite well. Professional athlete, businessman, stripper and prostitute, and stuck in a nursing home, reading fortunes from cereal bowls, the Viking gods are making the best they can of the situation until it's time to get down to business.
From the very first line (and it's a brilliant starter), I was hooked and stayed that way, page after page. If you enjoy Norse mythology, this is a must read.
bookwormbunny's review
4.0
Mjolnir by Brian James is a fantasy novel mixed with the present day. The Norse gods have given up their god-hood to be "regular" people on earth. Each one is living their lives how they so choose. However, Ragnorak is coming. Odin is trying to prepare for it because he knows that it will mean his end, but of course, things aren't going according to plan. Signs of the end are everywhere. The variety of characters that we are introduced to throughout the story is great. I enjoy that the story doesn't focus on just one or two characters but gives us a fine sprinkling of each type.
This book has quite a few laughs and giggles throughout it. I personally would have liked more action to keep the storyline engaging. I really like that we gets glimpses into other "realms" or parts of the worlds. It's interesting especially when the author gives us unexpected elements and moments. The author piques your interest and pulls you in. There are some moments of where I feel that the characters go a bit overboard with their actions, but seeing as they still view themselves as gods (depsite what they say) it makes sense.
This book could do with another round of editing because there are some spots of where words are missing. Plus, I would have liked it if the chapters had been broken up according to whoever was the current focus. I feel it would have helped the flow of the story since it jumped from one character to the next.
Overall, I'm rating this book 4 out of 5 stars. It's a good story, but needs a bit of work to make it great.
This book has quite a few laughs and giggles throughout it. I personally would have liked more action to keep the storyline engaging. I really like that we gets glimpses into other "realms" or parts of the worlds. It's interesting especially when the author gives us unexpected elements and moments. The author piques your interest and pulls you in. There are some moments of where I feel that the characters go a bit overboard with their actions, but seeing as they still view themselves as gods (depsite what they say) it makes sense.
This book could do with another round of editing because there are some spots of where words are missing. Plus, I would have liked it if the chapters had been broken up according to whoever was the current focus. I feel it would have helped the flow of the story since it jumped from one character to the next.
Overall, I'm rating this book 4 out of 5 stars. It's a good story, but needs a bit of work to make it great.
barb4ry1's review
2.0
As fantasy books inspired by Norse mythology are still in short supply, I was happy to grab Mjolnir copy. I didn't know a lot about the book but I'm always open for a fun ride.
And it was fun.
Way too much, actually.
Mjolnir plays with Norse mythology, twists and rewrites it in, mostly, entertaining way. Because of a series of unfortunate events Norse Gods have to live on Earth and have real jobs. Their jobs reflect their personalities.
Thor is an NFL football player that wreaks havoc amongst other teams. He's feared by all and hated by most professional players. Let's look at him through the eyes of one of his football opponents:
Odin owns a company that could build him his own personal Death Star - Aesir Engineering is a primary USA defense contractor. The company has revolutionized the art of weapon making to a degree that companies like Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics simply could not attain.
Freya is a premium escort. Prostituting herself is something that disgusts her tremendously but she had never learned to live within her means. In fact, the very concept of a budget is alien to her. Budgetary issues and her desires are often at odds because she wants the best of everything and "the best" usually has a fairly hefty price tag.
Loki owns a company that sells something but no one knows exactly what. It seems, though, he's managed to trick everyone and he has plenty of fun along the way.
Other gods from Norse Pantheon appear but the main personages of this drama are Freya, Loki, Odin, and Thor. In order not to spoil things I'll summarize the plot shortly. Odin, Loki, and Thor hate each other. Odin and Loki have nefarious plans involving Thor and Freya. Other forces are at play but, basically, the plot is quite simple. Odin gets Thor. Loki tries to kill Freya. He doesn't succeed. Freya tries to find Thor and then to free him up. They run. They get caught. Twists and other gods and goddesses appear. The plot is resolved. And then we can enjoy Epilogue.
The writing is clearly inspired by Douglas Adams. And this is the main problem. I appreciate a healthy dose of humor in the story, but I'm not convinced that every single paragraph needs to contain an anecdote or pop culture reference. The book is 375 pages long. I'm not sure if there would be enough material for a novella after cutting out all jokes, anecdotes, meaningless digressions and banter.
Some jokes and descriptions were funny, some cheesy, other simply bad. I'll just quote some examples:
These were rather bad but it would be a lie to say they were Legion. Some of the quotes made me laugh and some of the scenes were written well and in an imaginative way.
The writing is mostly clean, although there are some awkward sentences with missing or repeated words. Not many of them.
Characterization is rather weak. The book was supposed to be entertaining (I believe) and character development is almost nonexistent and the changes we get lack psychological depth.
Overall, the book is violent, action-packed and humorous, but also too long. It's cool to have plenty of jokes to tell but a quarter of what we got would be more than enough. In my opinion, constant anecdotes and long sentences are tiring and serve as a way to mask, unsuccessfully, a weak plot.
I received a copy of this book through NetGalley. It hasn't influenced my opinion in any way.
And it was fun.
Way too much, actually.
Mjolnir plays with Norse mythology, twists and rewrites it in, mostly, entertaining way. Because of a series of unfortunate events Norse Gods have to live on Earth and have real jobs. Their jobs reflect their personalities.
Thor is an NFL football player that wreaks havoc amongst other teams. He's feared by all and hated by most professional players. Let's look at him through the eyes of one of his football opponents:
Thor just stood outside the huddle and stared back at him. Trent could feel Thor's icy blue eyes piercing him. There was a dispassionate sort of hate and malice in the stare. It sent the clear message that Trent would soon have a greater understanding and appreciation for the whole "lamb to slaughter" cliche.
Odin owns a company that could build him his own personal Death Star - Aesir Engineering is a primary USA defense contractor. The company has revolutionized the art of weapon making to a degree that companies like Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics simply could not attain.
Freya is a premium escort. Prostituting herself is something that disgusts her tremendously but she had never learned to live within her means. In fact, the very concept of a budget is alien to her. Budgetary issues and her desires are often at odds because she wants the best of everything and "the best" usually has a fairly hefty price tag.
Loki owns a company that sells something but no one knows exactly what. It seems, though, he's managed to trick everyone and he has plenty of fun along the way.
Other gods from Norse Pantheon appear but the main personages of this drama are Freya, Loki, Odin, and Thor. In order not to spoil things I'll summarize the plot shortly. Odin, Loki, and Thor hate each other. Odin and Loki have nefarious plans involving Thor and Freya. Other forces are at play but, basically, the plot is quite simple. Odin gets Thor. Loki tries to kill Freya. He doesn't succeed. Freya tries to find Thor and then to free him up. They run. They get caught. Twists and other gods and goddesses appear. The plot is resolved. And then we can enjoy Epilogue.
The writing is clearly inspired by Douglas Adams. And this is the main problem. I appreciate a healthy dose of humor in the story, but I'm not convinced that every single paragraph needs to contain an anecdote or pop culture reference. The book is 375 pages long. I'm not sure if there would be enough material for a novella after cutting out all jokes, anecdotes, meaningless digressions and banter.
Some jokes and descriptions were funny, some cheesy, other simply bad. I'll just quote some examples:
(...) is still looking a little rough, and as our resident hooker, she has one client left to service. And believe me, he won't be happy if she looks like she's been dating Mel Gibson.
"Got your nose!" Loki said with the sort of smile that could have charmed a couple of nuns into an enthusiastic threesome.
Thor was acquainted with at least half the cheerleaders in the NFL in ways that only their gynecologists should know without at least having to buy dinner first.
These were rather bad but it would be a lie to say they were Legion. Some of the quotes made me laugh and some of the scenes were written well and in an imaginative way.
The writing is mostly clean, although there are some awkward sentences with missing or repeated words. Not many of them.
Characterization is rather weak. The book was supposed to be entertaining (I believe) and character development is almost nonexistent and the changes we get lack psychological depth.
Overall, the book is violent, action-packed and humorous, but also too long. It's cool to have plenty of jokes to tell but a quarter of what we got would be more than enough. In my opinion, constant anecdotes and long sentences are tiring and serve as a way to mask, unsuccessfully, a weak plot.
I received a copy of this book through NetGalley. It hasn't influenced my opinion in any way.
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