Review: A Gathering of Ravens by Scott Oden

Blurb:

To the Danes, he is skraelingr; to the English, he is orcnéas; to the Irish, he is fomoraig. He is Corpse-maker and Life-quencher, the Bringer of Night, the Son of the Wolf and Brother of the Serpent. He is Grimnir, and he is the last of his kind―the last in a long line of monsters who have plagued humanity since the Elder Days.

Drawn from his lair by a thirst for vengeance against the Dane who slew his brother, Grimnir emerges into a world that’s changed. A new faith has arisen. The Old Ways are dying, and their followers retreating into the shadows; even still, Grimnir’s vengeance cannot be denied.

Taking a young Christian hostage to be his guide, Grimnir embarks on a journey that takes him from the hinterlands of Denmark, where the wisdom of the ancient dwarves has given way to madness, to the war-torn heart of southern England, where the spirits of the land make violence on one another. And thence to the green shores of Ireland and the Viking stronghold of Dubhlinn, where his enemy awaits.

But, unless Grimnir can set aside his hatreds, his dream of retribution will come to nothing. For Dubhlinn is set to be the site of a reckoning―the Old Ways versus the New―and Grimnir, the last of his kind left to plague mankind, must choose: stand with the Christian King of Ireland and see his vengeance done or stand against him and see it slip away?

Scott Oden's A Gathering of Ravens is a novel of vengeance, faith, and the power of myth.

Review:

Everyone loves a good villain. And orcs are amongst some of the best ones out there. They are in many different types of stories, usually as the henchmen of others, being slain by the mightiest of heroes as they go to accomplish their quest. But what about in history? I stumbled across A Gathering of Ravens, that tells a magnificent story of history mixed with mythology. It expertly shows what happens when a creature from the legends of the Norse people is no longer believed in, being forced out by the populace beginning to believe in Christianity. It is a story that will hook a reader from the first few pages of the storm, leading into worlds and places that become a vivid image as the events unfold in violent detail. Fans of Norse mythology and historical fiction will latch onto this novel and never look back. I would even hazard that if you like dark fantasy, you will find a tale that rivals many of the novels that are out there.

The strength of this novel is the main character of Grimnir. He is layered in mystery and violence. He never professes to be the good guy nor does he even try to show that he is changing in his ways. It was interesting to read through the story as he holds to his morals that are firmly set in the Norse ways, even as the world changes drastically around him. The voice that the author, Scott Oden, is able to capture within a few short pages is magical in its own right. Interspersed throughout are the sudden moments of violence, that are visceral and real. There is no showmanship that is tried to be shown, just shocking and thorough destruction of life. It captures the time that is represented very well, a small glimpse into this time of the Dark Ages. A warning that I would give to potential readers is the abundance of names that are very accurate to the times, but can be more difficult to remember and pronounce. This led to me being drawn out of the story a couple of times as I had to figure out how to pronounce some of the different characters. There are also a couple of characters that have name changes as the story progresses that also had me second guessing myself as to who I was reading at the time, forcing me to go back and figure it all out again. This is more than likely just a personal issue as I am not as familiar with the pronunciation of the names that were common during that time period. This did not detract from my overall enjoyment of the story.

I am glad that I happened upon the story, once again being drawn in by a cover, to being very satisfied with a very enjoyable read. There is a little bit of everything for everyone to enjoy, as a monster that is despised to becoming something much more. The tale of discovery and found friendship is done with a talent that I greatly admire. Grimnir is a character that will dwell within my mind for many years to come and I look forward to reading more about him in the other two novels of the trilogy. I am eager to see what other adventures can be discovered in following an ancient myth as the orc seeks to continue his place in our histories. I encourage readers to definitely give this one a shot.

Thank you for taking the time to read my review. As always, happy reading and Stay Great!!