What do you think?
Rate this book
Along the Greenland ice cap, an expedition team makes an astounding discovery. Buried five hundred feet below the ice cap is the wreckage of an ancient ship—and nine perfectly preserved Vikings. Rune markings indicate it went missing in 1016 BC.
Energized by the find, retired Air Force general Steven Macaulay assembles the foremost scholars of Norse archaeology, including Harvard academic and master decoder Lexy Vaughan. But the mission is violently sabotaged—because this discovery holds the key to a mystery that will change the human race.
To put together the pieces of the puzzle, Macaulay and Lexy plunge headlong into a web of chaos and betrayal—all the while hunted by a covert primeval society that will stop at nothing to protect their secrets.
Energized by the find, retired Air Force general Steven Macaulay assembles the foremost scholars of Norse archaeology, including Harvard academic and master decoder Lexy Vaughan. But the mission is violently sabotaged—because this discovery holds the key to a mystery that will change the human race.
To put together the pieces of the puzzle, Macaulay and Lexy plunge headlong into a web of chaos and betrayal—all the while hunted by a covert primeval society that will stop at nothing to protect their secrets.
416 pages, Paperback
First published July 10, 2014
20 people are currently reading
708 people want to read
About the author
Robert J. Mrazek
30 books70 followersRobert Jan Mrazek was a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives, representing the 3rd Congressonal District on Long Island for most of the 1980s.
He was born in Newport, Rhode Island, but grew up in Huntington, New York. He graduated from Cornell University in 1967. In 1967, he entered the United States Navy.
Mrazek was elected as a Democrat to the 98th United States Congress, defeating one term Republican incumbent John LeBoutillier. Mrazek served in the House from 1983 until 1993.
While in Congress, he coauthored the law that saved the Manassas battlefield from being bulldozed for a shopping center. He also authored the Tongass Timber Reform Act, the Amerasian Homecoming Act, which brought nineteen thousand children fathered by Americans during the Vietnam War to the US, and the National Film Preservation Act of 1988, which set up the federal registry in the Library of Congress to protect films of cultural importance.
Since retiring from Congress, Mrazek has written ten books. He also wrote and co-directed a feature film called The Congressman, that was released in 2016.
Mrazek is the author of seven novels, including Stonewall's Gold, Unholy Fire, The Deadly Embrace, Valhalla, The Bone Hunters, Dead Man's Bridge, and And the Sparrow Fell.
In 2000, Stonewall's Gold won the Michael Shaara Prize as the best Civil War novel of the year. In 2007, Deadly Embrace won the W.Y. Boyd Prize for Excellence in Military Fiction from the American Library Association.
Mrazek has also written two critically acclaimed non-fiction works, including A Dawn Like Thunder, which was named Best Book (American History) by the Washington Post, and To Kingdom Come, the story of a disastrous mission by the US 8th Air Force over Germany in 1943.
He was born in Newport, Rhode Island, but grew up in Huntington, New York. He graduated from Cornell University in 1967. In 1967, he entered the United States Navy.
Mrazek was elected as a Democrat to the 98th United States Congress, defeating one term Republican incumbent John LeBoutillier. Mrazek served in the House from 1983 until 1993.
While in Congress, he coauthored the law that saved the Manassas battlefield from being bulldozed for a shopping center. He also authored the Tongass Timber Reform Act, the Amerasian Homecoming Act, which brought nineteen thousand children fathered by Americans during the Vietnam War to the US, and the National Film Preservation Act of 1988, which set up the federal registry in the Library of Congress to protect films of cultural importance.
Since retiring from Congress, Mrazek has written ten books. He also wrote and co-directed a feature film called The Congressman, that was released in 2016.
Mrazek is the author of seven novels, including Stonewall's Gold, Unholy Fire, The Deadly Embrace, Valhalla, The Bone Hunters, Dead Man's Bridge, and And the Sparrow Fell.
In 2000, Stonewall's Gold won the Michael Shaara Prize as the best Civil War novel of the year. In 2007, Deadly Embrace won the W.Y. Boyd Prize for Excellence in Military Fiction from the American Library Association.
Mrazek has also written two critically acclaimed non-fiction works, including A Dawn Like Thunder, which was named Best Book (American History) by the Washington Post, and To Kingdom Come, the story of a disastrous mission by the US 8th Air Force over Germany in 1943.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 112 reviews
August 31, 2016
So, alles klar. Ich schmeiß den Lehrerberuf hin und werde Ärchäologin. Oder Runenforscherin. Oder Nordistikerin. Ist entschiedene Sache.
May 5, 2019
This is the first book is a proposed series which at the time of my writing includes only one more. I am a big fan of action-adventure archeological mystery trillers. Or, let’s just be honest here, Indiana Jones books without Indiana Jones. Since the DaVinci Code, these books have flooded the market and a large number of the them are atrocious. On top of that, the genre has, in my opinion, only been getting worse. (And in my humble assessment, worse than Da Vinci Code is pretty darned awful. I know I’m a minority on that one and I’m ok with it.)
What was refreshing about this book is that it did not suck at all. While it wasn’t a great book, it was downright enjoyable for what it was. The opening act was probably the best written. It looks like it is going to be an ensemble cast decoding Viking mysteries together, but the narrowing down to focus on the two main protagonists is the best moves in the book.
Most of what you find here is standard for the genre, but well written and executed. There are some plot holes, but they never distracted while I was reading. Only later did I see some things that didn’t quite match up, but the book is still so far above the rest of what’s published in this area that they are totally forgivable.
I would also be remiss if I didn’t mention two last things. Firstly, Mrazek misrepresents Viking religious beliefs to make his plot work. It bothered me the whole way through. They did not deify heroes in the way he states, nor did they mean remotely the same thing by “god” as most folks saturated in the Judeo-Christian would. He either did not do remotely enough research for this story, or fudged the historical information to make his story work. Either way, it is annoying.
Secondly, at least one reviewer seemed to think this novel was basically a treatise supporting Nazi-style eugenics and white domination. I cannot understand how they came to that opinion. The “baddies” in this book are definitely Nazi-style eugenicists, but every encounter they have with the protagonists highlights that they are monsters and evil and backwards and so forth. We read completely different books. For some reason, you cannot comment on their posted review, so I am writing this here.
August 7, 2014
I really enjoyed this book. I'm not going to state the story line; it is listed with the book in a straight forward way. I'd say that this is guy-lit: lots of action, fast paced and not much on the touchy-feely side. Just enough character development to become attached to the characters or repulsed by them. Nice sequencing too. Very entertaining.
Great airport read; it will make time fly by.
Follow up to this review. My husband just finished this book. He really had trouble putting it down and stayed up late a few night 'cause it was just that good.
If you live in Multnomah or Washington county within Oregon, please let me know if you want to read this book and I will try to make it available to you.
Great airport read; it will make time fly by.
Follow up to this review. My husband just finished this book. He really had trouble putting it down and stayed up late a few night 'cause it was just that good.
If you live in Multnomah or Washington county within Oregon, please let me know if you want to read this book and I will try to make it available to you.
June 22, 2015
Quick review:
Cover: Fitting
Rating: PG-13
Thumbs Up: 4
Overall: Better than expected
Characters: Well Written
Plot: Digging up the past puts everyone in danger
Page Turner: Yes
Series Cont.? Yes
Recommend: Yes
Book Boyfriend: Steven
SUMMARY (50 words or less)
This is an audible daily deal. The premise sounded good, so I thought I would give it a try. And I liked it more than I thought.
For a full review and yummy pic, see my blog post at:
http://www.mybookboyfriend.net/2015/0...
Audio Review
Christopher Lane does a good job with narration. I didn’t have trouble following him.
Cover: Fitting
Rating: PG-13
Thumbs Up: 4
Overall: Better than expected
Characters: Well Written
Plot: Digging up the past puts everyone in danger
Page Turner: Yes
Series Cont.? Yes
Recommend: Yes
Book Boyfriend: Steven
SUMMARY (50 words or less)
This is an audible daily deal. The premise sounded good, so I thought I would give it a try. And I liked it more than I thought.
For a full review and yummy pic, see my blog post at:
http://www.mybookboyfriend.net/2015/0...
Audio Review
Christopher Lane does a good job with narration. I didn’t have trouble following him.
July 28, 2014
Just finished Valhalla by Robert Mrazek. Valhalla appears to be the first book in a planned series of novels following either the main characters or theme. The book follows Archeologist Lexy Vaughan and former Air Force General Steven Macaulay as they are flung together to save themselves and uncover an ancient legend. A part of a research team investigating the discover of a Viking ship in the Greenland ice cap, Lexy and Macaulay are on the run from a ancient order out to protect the secrets they have uncovered. The book is a fast paced, "skidding along the rails" action novel with just enough history, lore and nefarious groups to keep you turning the pages.
Without giving away the premise of the book, the author has provided a nice story line. The action is intense, the plot thick and enough character development to instantly bond with the characters. If you like nail biting action, tied nicely with history, Valhalla will not disappoint. A very fast read for me, this book was devoured in a couple of days. If I could give it an incremental rating, it would be a 4.25. Go get it.
Without giving away the premise of the book, the author has provided a nice story line. The action is intense, the plot thick and enough character development to instantly bond with the characters. If you like nail biting action, tied nicely with history, Valhalla will not disappoint. A very fast read for me, this book was devoured in a couple of days. If I could give it an incremental rating, it would be a 4.25. Go get it.
April 18, 2017
Ein spannender Verschwörungsthriller mit wirklich sympathischen Charakteren. Die Wikinger waren auch mal ein etwas anderes Thema. Allerdings hat mir noch etwas gefällt damit mich das Buch wirklich fesselt. Insgesamt hat es mir aber gut gefallen und ich werde auch sicher den nächsten Teil lesen :-)
Eine ausführliche Review findet ihr auf meinem Blog:
Rezension: „Eisiges Runengrab“ von Robert J. Mrazek | Ani´s CrAzY Bookworld
https://aniscrazybookworld.wordpress....
Eine ausführliche Review findet ihr auf meinem Blog:
Rezension: „Eisiges Runengrab“ von Robert J. Mrazek | Ani´s CrAzY Bookworld
https://aniscrazybookworld.wordpress....
July 26, 2021
Starts off with a bang and then goes a little downhill but stabilizes enough to be an easy entertaining engaging read.
I like the fact there's not a lot of touchy feely romance in here, nice change of pace and even if there are a few plot holes here and there, both our main characters feel real, believable and likeable.
It's not perfect, I think it needed some polishing to make it a big success but in the right hands this would make a very good movie .... just saying :)
I like the fact there's not a lot of touchy feely romance in here, nice change of pace and even if there are a few plot holes here and there, both our main characters feel real, believable and likeable.
It's not perfect, I think it needed some polishing to make it a big success but in the right hands this would make a very good movie .... just saying :)
October 10, 2017
A fun thriller that reminded me of James Rollins. Some situations were a little too out there, and some characters were absolutely unlikable, but the story flows so fast that it's hard to stop turning the pages.
August 11, 2014
I received a ARC. for review. It not affect my opinion of the book, which was good.
A well written suspense thriller, part Jason Bourne , part Indiana Jones.
The good story, interesting characters, good and bad, and driven climax should be enjoyed by almost any reader. VALHALLA May require the reader to stretch a. Point of credulity now and then, as do many spy/adventure thrillers, then again a great entertainment is the result.
Briefly the plot concerns buried treasure, artifacts. To begin with a crew of salvage hunters have located a nearly intact WWII B-17 bomber buried under the ice in Greenland. As they begin to excavate it, the salvage crew finds another artifact buried nearby- a complete hull of a Viking longship and the frozen corpse of its crew.
No, the frozen Norsemen do not resurrect as man- hungry zombies. No, the treasure is not some cursed dagger that turns academic archeologists into berserkers, either.
What does happen is that the find attacks others who are interested in the artifacts for their own dangerous purposes. What they intend to do and how they go about it is the book's thrilling tale.
I liked the book. It was something different, but not weird, or occult. Some violent combat, unspecific romantic interludes and government sneaks( but what else is new?). Ok for most ages over 18.
I enjoyed the author's work and intend to find other books by him.
February 7, 2021
I've had this on my to read list for about 5 years, so I guess it's about time I got to it! It was mostly a 3 star read for me - decent premise and adventure, kind of a fun story. BUT - one thing bothered me enough to lower the star - I read through two pages of reviews and didn't see it mentioned, so I thought I wanted to. It's in spoiler tags - although it isn't about the plot at all, but better safe than sorry with spoilers. It is about Barnard, the 68 year old college professor. Ok - hidden rant over :) You can go back to reading books!
June 12, 2018
This books was plagued by many flaws, including but not limited to:
-Historical inaccuracies, and not the ‘but it’s fictional’ kind, rather the straight up wrong kind. Though not the most glaringly wrong, my personal pet peeve being that this guy thinks that the Finns were Vikings... you can do all this research on what motor a certain helicopter uses, but not verify historical fact? Come on man.
-Not one but TWO miraculous (pushing full on impossible) near-death experiences for the SAME person
-Trope-y wish fulfillment men dominate a cast sparsely populated by (one-dimensional) women who are there for the visual/sexual pleasure of the male cast, and/or cold villainous ice queens
- Even the main female character (who has a doctorate in a program that doesn’t actually exist at Harvard???) who is posited as smart and independent - there’s no fooling me when hours after she’s brought back from the brink of death due to hypothermia, she’s waltzing about a shack in the northern greenland winter “wearing only her long flannel shirt, its tails barely covering her panties.”
-“You’ve learned another one of my secrets... I’m addicted to milk.” “I’m addicted to you.”
Need I say more???
-Historical inaccuracies, and not the ‘but it’s fictional’ kind, rather the straight up wrong kind. Though not the most glaringly wrong, my personal pet peeve being that this guy thinks that the Finns were Vikings... you can do all this research on what motor a certain helicopter uses, but not verify historical fact? Come on man.
-Not one but TWO miraculous (pushing full on impossible) near-death experiences for the SAME person
-Trope-y wish fulfillment men dominate a cast sparsely populated by (one-dimensional) women who are there for the visual/sexual pleasure of the male cast, and/or cold villainous ice queens
- Even the main female character (who has a doctorate in a program that doesn’t actually exist at Harvard???) who is posited as smart and independent - there’s no fooling me when hours after she’s brought back from the brink of death due to hypothermia, she’s waltzing about a shack in the northern greenland winter “wearing only her long flannel shirt, its tails barely covering her panties.”
-“You’ve learned another one of my secrets... I’m addicted to milk.” “I’m addicted to you.”
Need I say more???
August 3, 2014
I won this free book from Goodreads Giveaways. Thank you very much.
This was an action-packed suspense novel, full of Norse mythology. There is lots of weapons lore, as well as information about helicopters and winter survival gear, which at first seemed extreme, but was used by many of the characters so it worked. There are many characters, and the POV switches between them at will. The only trouble I had with this was not being able to read the book all at once, only in bits and pieces, so I had trouble keeping track of all the characters at times. I do feel that if I had read this all at once, or for longer at a time, I wouldn't have had that problem. I was glad that even though the relationship between the two main characters happened quickly, that it didn't dominate the book; they were not gazing soulfully into each other's eyes, or engaging in sexytimes exclusively, instead of working to survive and to solve the mystery. There is plenty of action, and interesting characters. I look forward to reading more books by this author.
This was an action-packed suspense novel, full of Norse mythology. There is lots of weapons lore, as well as information about helicopters and winter survival gear, which at first seemed extreme, but was used by many of the characters so it worked. There are many characters, and the POV switches between them at will. The only trouble I had with this was not being able to read the book all at once, only in bits and pieces, so I had trouble keeping track of all the characters at times. I do feel that if I had read this all at once, or for longer at a time, I wouldn't have had that problem. I was glad that even though the relationship between the two main characters happened quickly, that it didn't dominate the book; they were not gazing soulfully into each other's eyes, or engaging in sexytimes exclusively, instead of working to survive and to solve the mystery. There is plenty of action, and interesting characters. I look forward to reading more books by this author.
August 30, 2014
First I would like to say that I was a lucky recipient of an advanced copy of this novel from a GoodReads giveaway. This did not affect my review in any way.
Overall, I enjoyed the first novel in Robert Mrazek's upcoming series. It reminded me somewhat of Steve Berry's Cotton Malone novels in the sense that it is a historical thriller mixed with political espionage. I thought the concept of Vikings was an interesting take and not something that I come across very often but while I enjoyed many of the story lines that were developing, I felt that some of the characters and their stories were underdeveloped. I'm not sure if these characters will be expanded upon in future novels but it caused the story to feel a little choppy at times and left more than a little something to be desired with the ending.
However, the overall story was fast paced and a quick read. I would certainly recommend it to someone who is looking for an action thriller with a taste of history because Mrazek's novel hits the mark there. I am curious to see what the rest of the series holds.
Overall, I enjoyed the first novel in Robert Mrazek's upcoming series. It reminded me somewhat of Steve Berry's Cotton Malone novels in the sense that it is a historical thriller mixed with political espionage. I thought the concept of Vikings was an interesting take and not something that I come across very often but while I enjoyed many of the story lines that were developing, I felt that some of the characters and their stories were underdeveloped. I'm not sure if these characters will be expanded upon in future novels but it caused the story to feel a little choppy at times and left more than a little something to be desired with the ending.
However, the overall story was fast paced and a quick read. I would certainly recommend it to someone who is looking for an action thriller with a taste of history because Mrazek's novel hits the mark there. I am curious to see what the rest of the series holds.
May 31, 2015
Read by Christopher Lane and just over ten hours of listening. Make no mistake, Valhalla is a page-turning thriller. You will be compelled to listen to what scrape the main character wriggles his way through next. The story begins with a wealthy Texan discovering a WWII aircraft beneath the Greenland ice. The author teases with conveying cargo of potentially fascinating WWII memorabilia … Roosevelt gifts and letters. Exciting plot with these simple bits, right? But … shortly we get into the real meat of the tale! Another mystery is several hundred feet deeper … and at least a thousand years older.
You’ll be hard pressed to imagine how the lead characters can possibly survive some situations, which is a main thread … one dire circumstance following another. From frost bite in Greenland to claustrophobia in an island tunnel off the coast of Maine to grazing gunshots … from White House skullduggery to Al Qaeda to corporate greed. Throw in a thousand year old Viking ship, an ancient cult, and the fact that Leif Erikson was a god. Really? Imaginative stuff! Fun listen, enjoy.
You’ll be hard pressed to imagine how the lead characters can possibly survive some situations, which is a main thread … one dire circumstance following another. From frost bite in Greenland to claustrophobia in an island tunnel off the coast of Maine to grazing gunshots … from White House skullduggery to Al Qaeda to corporate greed. Throw in a thousand year old Viking ship, an ancient cult, and the fact that Leif Erikson was a god. Really? Imaginative stuff! Fun listen, enjoy.
March 13, 2015
As an avid fan of Viking mythology, literature and prose I was beyond excited for this novel that seemed by the back's description like a fresh "Dan Brown-esque" novel, tackling the history of the Vikings. Viking remains are found in modern day, frozen in time ( much like Captain America- I thought) and their findings bring on murder, conspiracy and the unraveling of history.
Instead of the epic I was expecting, this novel held a less than decent story line with terribly written characters. Mrazek does not know how to write female characters at all. His one female lead ( among a dozen men) who was the "expert" in her field, does little in the novel as the military man who found the vikings leads the story, despite a severely lacking knowledge of the vikings or importance of their findings. All other women were immediately sexualized within lines of their introductions to the novel. It was so bad it distracted from the narrative.
Instead of the epic I was expecting, this novel held a less than decent story line with terribly written characters. Mrazek does not know how to write female characters at all. His one female lead ( among a dozen men) who was the "expert" in her field, does little in the novel as the military man who found the vikings leads the story, despite a severely lacking knowledge of the vikings or importance of their findings. All other women were immediately sexualized within lines of their introductions to the novel. It was so bad it distracted from the narrative.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 30, 2014
I was lucky enough to receive Valhalla by Robert J. Mrazek for free as part of Goodreads First Reads. I've always been interested in Norse mythology and was thrilled at the chance to read this book.
This story rivals some of the great Dirk Pitt adventures. It has a little bit of everything: murder, intrigue, science, action, fanatics, people to root for, people to hate, and a dash of Washington, D.C. politics. It goes a little over the top at times, but that's to be expected in this genre. All in all, it's a great thrill ride.
My one complaint was that the ending was a little too clean; too neat. I would have preferred a few more loose ends rather than some seemingly unearned revelations.
I really enjoyed reading this book and even stayed up a bit later than I intended to just to finish it. I know I'll be back for the next book from Mr. Mrazek.
This story rivals some of the great Dirk Pitt adventures. It has a little bit of everything: murder, intrigue, science, action, fanatics, people to root for, people to hate, and a dash of Washington, D.C. politics. It goes a little over the top at times, but that's to be expected in this genre. All in all, it's a great thrill ride.
My one complaint was that the ending was a little too clean; too neat. I would have preferred a few more loose ends rather than some seemingly unearned revelations.
I really enjoyed reading this book and even stayed up a bit later than I intended to just to finish it. I know I'll be back for the next book from Mr. Mrazek.
July 27, 2014
Loved it! It's quite the adventure! Imagine being an archeologist and getting a whiff of an ancient find that would rock the world. Imagine also a large group of people willing to kill anyone who gets in their way of finding this before they do. Though the Greenland Ice Cap is nowhere where I'd want to be I was still fascinated with the dig there. Luckily, our hero Steven Macauley, Air Force general (Ret.) and Lexy Vaughan, a premier decoder of rune markings, along with a host of very interesting characters are well equipped for this race against time. This was a fast read and I thoroughly enjoyed the pace and excitement!
December 2, 2015
The discovery of an ancient Viking ship and its passengers could be exactly what archaeologist Lexy Vaughan needs to find the final resting place of Leif Erikson. But when a religious sect set on eliminating all but the Norse bloodline catches wind of the discovery, everyone involved in this monumental find is in danger.
Steven Macauley's best friend headed up the effort, one that actually began as a search for a lost WWII plane. They were successful in finding and recovering said plane but discovered the resting site held even more secrets.
Now, Lexy and Macauley are running for their lives as they attempt to follow the ancient clues that could lead to Erikson's body.
Steven Macauley's best friend headed up the effort, one that actually began as a search for a lost WWII plane. They were successful in finding and recovering said plane but discovered the resting site held even more secrets.
Now, Lexy and Macauley are running for their lives as they attempt to follow the ancient clues that could lead to Erikson's body.
November 18, 2015
This book was just OK. I liked the setting in Greenland and the part about the Vikings was interesting. However it was clearly written from a male perspective and for a male audience. I was a little bit tired of hearing the male characters think about the female characters as mainly just objects. I read this one primarily because I was interested in Greenland and the Vikings. I will not be reading anymore in the series.
June 27, 2015
This one was pretty good all things considered. I was hoping for a bit more Viking involvement/lore. Instead, it ended up as another plot to take over the world. Seriously, think Hitler except with a Norse legend to support the effort. Some of the military details seem a bit off, and some of the events are simply too far fetched for me to visit this author again. But, it was a quick read and not a bad way to spend the time.
August 19, 2014
I was lucky enough to win this book in a contest on Goodreads. I enjoyed it-it has to do with Vikings, conspiracies and secret religions. I will be interested in the rest of the series. Not quite as riveting as a Dan Brown book but still fun.
December 26, 2015
Cliched writing. Predictable characters. one dimensional bad guys. lack of non-white characters except for an unnamed "Eurasian girl" flight attendant. Overuse of technical alphanumeric names of weapons, vehicles, etc. every woman described by level of beauty.
July 31, 2016
Вече не издържаше мъчителния студ.
Вечния мрак.
Неспирно виещия вятър.
Беше последният оцелял.
Или още мъничко и накратко за книгата...
тук
Вечния мрак.
Неспирно виещия вятър.
Беше последният оцелял.
Или още мъничко и накратко за книгата...
тук
August 16, 2015
Meh. Got weird and not in a good way.
June 19, 2023
What a reader should expect from any modern adventure/action/"thriller"/espionage story:
1. Something big happened a long, long time ago.
2. Today, somebody (the Good Guys) discovers what that was. The discovery is very important and will surely "change history forever".
3. In the the meantime, Sinister Forces that know about what happened also want to find the discovery.
4. The Sinister Forces are either political or religious in nature and always want to "rule the world".
5. But those Forces are usually known to and protected by the "establishment", that is, the US government, the Russians, the Chinese, the catholic church, the mafia, the Jews, or evil wealthy corporations, etc.
6. Both the Sinister Force and the establishment possess unlimited power to do do anything anywhere, at any time which makes it tough for the Good Guys.
7. But the Good Guys win out at the end (often at great personal cost).
Without spoilers, this summarizes "Valhalla". But still, I liked reading Valhalla and it was an exciting page-turner. If one likes adventure "thrillers", and remembers the seven truths stated above, this is an enjoyable book.
1. Something big happened a long, long time ago.
2. Today, somebody (the Good Guys) discovers what that was. The discovery is very important and will surely "change history forever".
3. In the the meantime, Sinister Forces that know about what happened also want to find the discovery.
4. The Sinister Forces are either political or religious in nature and always want to "rule the world".
5. But those Forces are usually known to and protected by the "establishment", that is, the US government, the Russians, the Chinese, the catholic church, the mafia, the Jews, or evil wealthy corporations, etc.
6. Both the Sinister Force and the establishment possess unlimited power to do do anything anywhere, at any time which makes it tough for the Good Guys.
7. But the Good Guys win out at the end (often at great personal cost).
Without spoilers, this summarizes "Valhalla". But still, I liked reading Valhalla and it was an exciting page-turner. If one likes adventure "thrillers", and remembers the seven truths stated above, this is an enjoyable book.
August 3, 2020
The writer clearly knows how to write a thriller novel and is good at the form. The novel has a number of shortcomings. One of which are the Nazis of another type cardboard cutout villains. The author has simply taken Nazis, changed their country of origin and reason for being Nazis slightly and used them. I did like their religion, based on Norse history but found their motivation to be hollow. Maybe it's because it's been done to death by other thriller authors previously. Another issue I had was the lack of chemistry between the main protagonists and suddenly they are in bed and lovers. That was too convenient and lacked any sizzle that a James Rollins book might have for example. I did like the premise of the book and the Norse history and lore was great, being that my family is descended from vikings via UK and Denmark both I picked the book up on this alone. Not a bad read, but definitely not in the elite of the genre.
January 23, 2018
I was very quickly sucked into this book. It started off with so much thrill and anticipation and then about half way it all faded and became mediocre. The ending was lame in my opinion though I wont ruin it for anyone who decides to give it a read.
Lastly i felt like the author would randomly go on these tangents that had absolutely nothing to do with the story. Which brings me to the sexuality in this book (i admit i like clean fiction probably more than some people) but seriously... is it necessary to add in things like the description of the video of her ex boyfriend having sex with some woman? Or any number of other sexual scenes and statements that objectify women. Let's show a little respect, huh. You can have love, romance, and even sex and still not be degrading to either genders.
All in all I was sorely disappointed. I'll be tossing this book in the donation pile.
Lastly i felt like the author would randomly go on these tangents that had absolutely nothing to do with the story. Which brings me to the sexuality in this book (i admit i like clean fiction probably more than some people) but seriously... is it necessary to add in things like the description of the video of her ex boyfriend having sex with some woman? Or any number of other sexual scenes and statements that objectify women. Let's show a little respect, huh. You can have love, romance, and even sex and still not be degrading to either genders.
All in all I was sorely disappointed. I'll be tossing this book in the donation pile.
March 17, 2017
Fast read most of the time, but lost interest at about page 360 (there are 398 pages). It got to be too ridiculous. I started thinking to myself: I have already read "this book" 38 times. Also, some passive voice is okay, I get that, but it was everywhere. Then there's the title. Type in "Valhalla" and see how many options come up.
The beginning was great. I thought it was going to be about archaeologists finding an old ship under the ice where some kind of curse brought the dead back to life, and that the archaeologists would be trapped beneath the ice with them.
Oh well. I guess I was book-teased. Wouldn't be the first time, and it won't be the last.
The beginning was great. I thought it was going to be about archaeologists finding an old ship under the ice where some kind of curse brought the dead back to life, and that the archaeologists would be trapped beneath the ice with them.
Oh well. I guess I was book-teased. Wouldn't be the first time, and it won't be the last.
June 25, 2021
Wow, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It had me hooked from the very beginning with the story about a wealthy Texan who wanted to find and bring back a WWII plane that landed in Greenland. Okay, they find the plane, but they also found another object buried beneath the plane in the ice and they decide to unearth that as well. It is an intact Viking ship and the mysteries unleashed from there. I left out a lot of detail and information to avoid revealing too much about this wonderful novel. A lot of intrigue, history and folklore involved. Definately worth reading.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 112 reviews