81 of 84 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Pleasing for this bookseller!, May 15, 2008
This review is from: Runemarks (Hardcover)
My partner at the bookstore is much more well-read in Norse mythology than I am, but I like Joanne Harris, and I like young adult fantasy, so when I saw "Runemarks" listed as a BookSense pick a couple months back, I decided I'd like to try it. Wow!!!! I am so glad I did!!! Not only was it clever and enjoyable, I'd have to say it's the best book I've read in at least six months, and that's saying a lot. I don't sell as many hardcover books to the teens and families who come through the store, because price can be a factor, but I confidently stocked this book, in hardcover, 4 or 5 deep at a time, because I know I can handsell it. And I do! It's not a hard sell; I love the book, and the book speaks for itself. As many other reviewers have said, it takes an old theme, old characters, and gives them new life, a fresh twist, and a humorous, exciting story. I love when it's easy to get really absorbed in a good, long book, and this book drew me right in and made me want to keep flying through the pages. Satisfying, meaty, without being too intense, it's a great read for young adult and adult kid alike. So glad to hear rumors of a sequel!!
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35 of 39 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent twist on Norse Myths, January 15, 2008
This review is from: Runemarks (Hardcover)
I found this book on a shelf and brought it home simply from looking at the dust jacket. I read it in an evening over several hours (I am a fast reader.). It was excellent. While I am familiar with the Norse Lore, I did not expect the story to turn out as it does. It is creative, and the young protagonist, Maddy, is clever and uses rune magic quite deftly. I would recommend this book for adults as well as children. It was shelved as a young adult book, but I found it just as engaging a work of fiction as many of the other novels I read.
As a mother to three, I think my children will enjoy reading this book, and I have passed it on to my daughter to read already and she laughed when she saw that the story features a traveller named One-Eye. The novel stands on it's own as a good story.
What I found even more useful was that the Norse Gods play a part in the story and the use of Runes as they journey through the nine worlds. As the story reveals who the characters are, you get to see a different view on the Aesir and Vanir, which is something that an Asatru or Heathen would enjoy sharing with their child, even if only to discuss how their views of the Gods differ. The author's knowledge of the runes and stories shine through in this work of fiction. Bring it home and share it with your family.
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23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
What If the Prophecies Were Wrong? (TeenReads), January 28, 2008
This review is from: Runemarks (Hardcover)
Maddy is as outcast as they come. In a Norse culture that views magic as evil and labels darkskinned folks as Outlanders, being born an orphan girl with a ruin-mark on your palm is just about the worst way to start things off. Infants and animals are often killed for such offenses, and even far from the reach of the Universal City in the village of Malbry, people still hide such signs. It doesn't help that strange events follow Maddy everywhere she goes. Goblins from the mysterious Red Horse Hill on the outskirts of town are drawn to her and have been seen staring at her from windowsills before taking off with stolen food. Belongings are damaged or disappear entirely. People die. No one quite knows what to do with her.
Enter the one-eyed scallyman, with a bent toward secrecy, prophecy, and the unexplained. During a "chance" meeting up near the Hill, One-Eye agrees to mentor Maddy. For seven years, he tells her the stories of the Elder Age, teaches her cantrips and runecharms, and more than anything, helps her feel normal. She has more natural power than One-Eye has seen in a youth in a long time, and it is because of this power that her training continues. Each year when their lessons are finished, One-Eye leaves for World's End with the promise that he will return, and each year he returns. Only this year, he's late.
Trouble is brewing up on Red Horse Hill when One-Eye finally returns. Rumors are spreading of the Nameless, a powerful new god controlled by the Order, and its terrible new power called the Word. Laws for proper use of the Word are laid out in the Good Book and can only be utilized by certain people. These same people communicate with each other and the Nameless via Communion and punish heretics, magicians, and Faëries with Cleansings. One-Eye knows what's happening and tells Maddy of his plan to fight back against the Order and the Nameless. He lets her in on the secrets of the past -- of the golden age of the Norse gods the Vanir and the Æsir, of Odin, Loki, Thor, Freyja, and the rest of them -- of a great power known as the Whisperer that Odin believes to be hidden in the World Below beneath Red Horse Hill -- of the Seven Sleepers that might be summoned if Maddy succeeds on her mission.
Odin One-Eye sends Maddy on a dangerous secret mission into the World Below to retrieve the legendary Whisperer and offer some hope to fight back against the rising power of the Nameless. What Maddy and Odin don't know is that Maddy's journey might bring about the end of the world, only for real this time. Chaos might take over Order. The fabric of our reality might fail and the legend of the gods and humanity and the Nine Worlds might be lost forever.
RUNEMARKS is a wonderful addition to the rich past of the Norse gods, taking the stories of the Elder Age and answering the questions: "What if the world didn't end like it was supposed to?" "What if the prophecies were wrong?" Featuring Runic magic, goblins, Faërie legends, Underworld wars, hidden Oracles, doomsday prophecies, and shapeshifting gods, Maddy's adventures take readers into the heart of Norse mythology and the fates of the gods. Whether you're an avid fan of Norse mythology or not, you won't want to miss Maddy's action-packed adventure and her discovery of a place where she can finally belong.
--- Reviewed by Jonathan Stephens
--- First Published at TeenReads
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