Customer Reviews

The Raven's Ring Pin

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is a wonderfuly written, captivating story for young people. It holds the readers interest without violence by challenging the reader. I'm sending copies to all my young friends.

As a sixteen year old and self proclaimed intellectual, I enjoyed Mr. Anacker's book immensely. It does not, as some other pieces of modern fantasy literature (*Cough* Eragon) merely beat aspects of Tolkin's work to death (orcs, elves and the like) but instead, ushers one into a world seldom touched by modern writers. I would agree with the editorial reviewer that it seems Anacker swallowed a text book, however I see this as not some horrible thing as the editorial would have you believe, but as lending credibility to his exciting work. In fact the reviewer seems to believe that, "No! The children can not learn AND be happy!" Besides lets face it, the books that he recommends are so dry they should be sent to flood zones. All in all a well written book form a well versed author.

I remember my mythology obsessed youth when I discovered the Norse gods. Unlike the Greek myths, I had to go looking for stories of Odin, Loki, Thor and the rest. So, I was happy to find a young adult story rooted in the Norse myths. Although occasionally a little slow, the story included rich settings and an interesting hero's journey. I found the humans slightly less consistent in characterization than the ravens and mythical figures but still compelling. This isn't a novel to keep you up all night, but it's one that will keep you coming back to learn what happens to Samuel, the ravens, and their new giant friends. All in all, a strong first novel from a writer whom I believe is well worth watching.

This book struck me as a very amateur piece of work. The characters were wooden, for one thing, and the main character doesn't act at all his age. Sometimes, Samuel seems around ten, whereas at other points, he's thinking like a philosopher. For example, Samuel actually * thinks* the sentence: "How can you really care about that which you cannot see?" I ask you, what 16 year old *speaks* like that, let alone thinks like that? Such a sentence could be forgiven in prose, but even adult characters (from a modern setting) wouldn't be so formal within their own thoughts. The other characters weren't much better. I think the author is trying to hint at an abusive situation between Samuel's parents, but if so, it's poorly thought out. His father is portrayed as a stereotypical baddie, no deeper than a mustache-twirling cartoon villain. Other characters also tend to be given only one personality trait. Such as: Loki is always a jerk, Balder is always a nice guy, Thokk is always bratty, and Rag is always thoughtful. This gets old fast.

The other main problem is the prose. Filled with forced similes and self-conscious sentences, the book doesn't flow well. All this could've been overlooked, however, if it weren't for the horrific info-dumping. If I'd wanted to read a textbook about Norse mythology, I'd read a textbook about Norse mythology. There's nothing wrong with an educational book, but whatever message the author wants to convey should not get in the way of the story. (Indeed, sometimes this book felt like it was nothing *but* one long, boring lecture about basic Norse mythology.) No one likes to be beat over the head with facts, especially when one's being subjected to them under the guise of an interesting story. At least a textbook is honest about its subject matter. The facts were poorly integrated; a textbook could have said them ten times more eloquently. They pulled me out of the story, and I actually love mythology.

A little bit of subtlety would've gone a long way.

This book combines the stories of Samuel, a human, and Rag and Thokk, two ravens. The main plot begins when Samuel finds a ring pin that allows him to communicate with Rag and Thokk. A translation of a poem written on the ring pin starts a cycle that eventually transports all of them to the time of the Vikings and the time presently known as the time of Norse Mythology. The ring pin doesn't seem able to send them back, though. The first god they meet is Loki, the trickster. When Thor throws his Mjollnir at a creature created by Loki as a joke he loses it. They then find out that Aegir, the sea god has it and he doesn't want to give it back. This then starts a journey for Samuel, Rag, Thokk, Thor, and Balder, another god, to find and regain Mjollnir. This quest is not easy, filled with danger and lots of room for error. Overall, this was a very good book and I would reccomend it to anybody.