Valknut: The Binding

by Marie M. Loughin

Gangbangers and serial killers are the least of Lennie Cook’s worries when she hops a freight train in search of her father. On the iron road, amid the lost, the restless, and the strange, a war among ancient Norse gods is brewing. Fenrir, son of Loki, is rising and soon his army of disenfranchised will march across the face of the world. Unknown to Lennie, her family has been cursed by Odin Allfather to stand guard against Fenrir for all time. Can she accept her family’s legacy and master her new-found power on time to save her father…and the world?

352 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 1, 2011

Reviews

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Something about Valknut: The Binding felt very familiar. Not in the sense that I had read the story before; on the contrary, the premise and its plot are highly unique. You don't often find Norse mythology, hobo culture, and a murder mystery tied together in one neat package. I felt more that the overall story had a familiar feel, as if it were informed by the same influences that have defined my own career. I also thought it could make a great episode of Supernatural or the X-files, so that could contribute to the feeling. In any case, it's a good familiarity, like meeting an old friend after many years apart.

The characters of Valknut live their own lives. It's a simple statement, but it's one of praise. At no point did I feel the characters were anything other than themselves (with their own emotions), even as the plot dragged them to the conclusion. The protagonist, Lennie, is a young woman drawn into circumstances that she doesn't understand by her quest to find her missing father. She meets "Junkyard" Doug, a hobo on a similar quest to find his brother's murderer, the serial killer known as the Hobo Spider. They're soon accompanied by "Jungle" Jim Tuttle. Jungle Jim was something of a difficult character for me. I liked him - a lot. He had a purity of spirit that rang true - when we see him lighting up everyone's faces, it feels genuine. My only problem is that it kind of plays into the trope of "the Rainman", wherein someone with a disability has another compensating benefit, typically one that is magical. I've seen it done so much that it needed a little something more. Unfortunately, I don't think he quite overcame that, as much as I might have wished he would. While I think Jungle Jim is a great character, I had a bit of a pause at seeing this again that has stuck with me.

The story's pace is great, with a few slow patches here and there. I found myself tearing through sections at a rapid pace, then slowing a bit when I'd hit a wall of exposition. Objectively, I'm not sure if this is my own problem or a problem with the work itself. I admit a preference for a balance leaning a bit more toward external action than internal processes, and the book walks a pretty fine line between the two. Ultimately, I think she handles it just fine, especially for Ms. Loughin's intended audience.

Great plot. No other way to put it. Sure, it's the story of the chosen one, but I'd be a hypocrite at this point to criticize that plot, and she manages to make it fresh by making Lennie something less than a messiah and savior and giving her latitude of freedom and surprising moves that escapes some of the constraints of the trope. I really wish the murder mystery subplot had been a bit more fleshed-out. I never really felt the menace of the Hobo Spider, and its conclusion felt a little rushed. Lennie's quest for her father is satisfying, and stirred genuine emotion at its conclusion. Mixing these elements together made for a great, if not perfect, plot.

Overall, I recommend the book without hesitation. The characters and plot work well together, there's a lot of scenery that I've really never seen in any other book (I now know what a hobo jungle is and looks like), and it kept me reading. The exploration of Norse Mythology is well-done, never going so deep as to drag the story down, but offering enough information to tantalize a reader into perhaps learning more about the subject. As I said, I think it would make a fantastic, smart episode of Supernatural or the X-Files, so if you like those series, dig in - I think you'll like what you find.

[Aniko Carmean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lennie Cook is supposed to be working as a waitress, earning money for the college courses she postponed for years, and which are finally starting tomorrow. Instead, she's dangling from the side of a moving freight train, holding on with one sweaty hand and rugged determination. She's pulled inside only to find the one-eyed hobo she was following was nowhere to be seen. Not only is the hobo gone, but the other 'bos in the freight car never saw him to begin with, although there is a myth about old Ramblin' Red, who "some say [is] outside humankind." Her disappointment at losing Ramblin' Red is the focal point for years of pain, sacrifice, and longing. Ramblin' Red was Lennie's only clue to the whereabouts of her father, who took to the iron road, abandoning Lennie and her mother years before. Lennie's mother succumbed to the dulling opiate of alcohol and, after her death, Lennie started visiting hobo jungles to try and find any trace of her father. Ramblin' Red was her first lead, and his disappearance is only the first in a string of increasingly strange occurrences.

Lennie's life is about to get very strange - and very dark.

The Binding draws the life of drifters in sharp relief, highlighting not only the estrangement, but also the humanity of those who choose to wander. Loughin deftly presents the physical discomforts of riding in a boxcar; you feel the cold, the bumps, and the sucking danger of the door, which must remain open during travel because they can't be opened from the inside. To the visceral physicality of life on the iron road, Loughin adds a layer of supernatural mythology. These disparate elements are blended together with such skill that there are no jarring seams, no 'rough track' to the story. You feel the presence of Fenrir's evil as surely as you feel the cold concrete under the cardboard box where Lennie sleeps. Loughin is masterful in her ability to weave a setting and depict memorable characters. As 'bound' as Lennie is by her lineage, so too are we bound to stay up late, reading and wanting to know what happens.

The Binding could be labeled Urban Fantasy. It could also be labeled Crime. Or Horror. It is a tough book to categorize and that's a good thing: tough means that there are new combinations, thrilling syntheses between genres, themes, and plot devices.

Valknut: The Binding is a riveting mix of urban anthropology, Norse mythology, and beautiful writing.

[Miranda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is hard to describe. It kept me hooked from start to finish, and I found it very hard to put down. I’m a fan of mythology in general, so that was my main incentive for picking this up. But I am so glad I did. I will say that it is not what I would normally read, and it does have mentions of graphic violence, murder, and other things that can turn someone off. It’s overall a very unique story that is gripping. It is somewhat of a thriller/mystery, which is not something I normally enjoy, but this is the exception to the rule. My only complaint is that Lennie sometimes lets softness (or, in the end, vanity) get on the way, and she grated on my nerves somewhat. But I would still recommend this book if you don’t mind the aforementioned topics.

[Charlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once you open the pages of Loughin’s Valknut: The Binding, you won’t want to put it down. Author Marie Loughin’s characters come to life in this action-packed tale that weaves Norse mythology into the 21st century. Her villains are downright nasty. Heroine Lennie Cook just wants to find her father and gets thrust into hobo culture and a world she never imagined. I was intrigued by Junkyard Doug and wanted to take Jungle Jim under my wing (and so will you). A great read! 5 stars Marie.

[Amy_Read to My Heart's Content · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review coming soon