Valhalla [Paperback]

Tom Holt (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 2004

As everyone knows, when great warriors die, their reward is eternal life in Odin’s bijou little residence known as Valhalla. But Valhalla has just changed. It has grown. It has diversified. Just like any corporation, the Valhalla Group has had to adapt to survive. Unfortunately, not even an omniscient Norse god could have prepared Valhalla for the arrival of Carol Kortright, one-time cocktail waitress, last seen dead, and not at all happy. Valhalla is a sparkling comic fantasy from a writer who can turn misery into joy, darkness into light, and water into a very pleasant lime cordial.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for Tom Holt: 'Uniquely twisted ... cracking gags' Rob Grant, THE GUARDIAN, 'Frantically wacky and wilfully confusing ... gratifyingly clever and very amusing' MAIL ON SUNDAY, 'Frothy, fast and funny' SCOTLAND ON SUNDAY, 'Dazzling' TIME OUT, 'Wildly imaginative' NEW SCIENTIST

From the Publisher

As everyone knows, when great warriors die, their reward is eternal life in Odin’s bijou little residence known as Valhalla. But Valhalla has just changed. It has grown. It has diversified. Just like any corporation, the Valhalla Group has had to adapt to survive. Unfortunately, not even an omniscient Norse god could have prepared Valhalla for the arrival of Carol Kortright, one–time cocktail waitress, last seen dead, and not at all happy. Valhalla is the sparkling new comic fantasy from a writer who can turn misery into joy, darkness into light, and water into a very pleasant lime cordial.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group (December 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1841490423
• ISBN-13: 978-1841490427
• Product Dimensions: 1 x 4.5 x 7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,374,328 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Junk food for the mind, September 14, 2003

By 

wiredweird "wiredweird" (Earth, or somewhere nearby) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Valhalla (Paperback)

I really like Holt's writing - his best is hilarious. I can't say that Valhalla is his best. It has its moments, such as the predatory agent auditioning to be himself. I found it uneven, though, and slack about following its own internal illogic.

Still, it's a fun read, and better than going without any Holt at all. If you already like Holt, go ahead. If you're new to Holt, though, another title might make a better first impression.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Subtly hysterical, September 8, 2003

By 

E. Robinson (Washington D.C., USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Valhalla (Paperback)

This book has many threads seemingly all going in different directions. You find yourself waiting for Holt to tie them together in the bizarre unforseeable way that only he can. And he delivers.

The cast is a fabulous mix of modern day Joe's with issues, Joan of Arc who hears soap commercials between messages from the angels, a sleazy Hollywood-style agent finding gigs for gods, et al.

There is a great deal of humor in this book that can easily be overlooked. A character meets a headhunter (the executive recruiting kind): "the way he'd said headhunter . . . brought to . . . mind a mental image of a violin-maker rattling a spoon against a saucer and calling out 'Here, kitty, kitty!'" If that doesn't make you laugh, and/or you don't know squat about mythology you're probably going to miss a lot.

If you're up for a book that's totally ridiculous and whose punch lines you may not catch 'till you're three sentences past, check this one out. Be careful where you read it though. I laughed out loud . . . often.

2.0 out of 5 stars unrewarding, September 7, 2011

By 

C. Wolf (Houston, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Valhalla (Paperback)

A whole book of characters wandering around asking "why is this happening and how do I make it stop". And we the reader don't have any more insight than them. Makes for an unrewarding read, especially when you're finally given some scant information at the end for why it was happening.