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Matt Drake #1
The Bones of Odin
Did ancient Gods like Odin and Zeus and Thor once really exist?The time has come for a grand adventure filled with high excitement and explosive action. Matt Drake, a retired SAS officer, must unravel a mystery older than time in his search for the Nine Pieces of Odin. Though scattered aeons ago, it is believed that once the Pieces are reunited they will show the way to the Tomb of the Gods- the greatest archaeological find of all time. From a rocket attack on the Louvre to a battle in a Swedish cavern, from a daring helicopter raid on New York's National History Museum to an assault on a gangsters mansion in Hawaii, Matt Drake must find the world's oldest treasure in one of the wildest places on earth, searching for the very bones of the Gods with the spoils of victory being the entire world.
275 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2011
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1045 people want to read
About the author
David Leadbeater
90 books1,104 followersInternational bestselling author of twenty one thrillers, thirteen in the Matt Drake Action/Adventure series, also The Disavowed and Alicia Myles series'. All available for the Amazon Kindle.
Website - www.davidleadbeater.com
Reader of multiple genres. Husband. Father of two beautiful girls, aged 5 and 7. Joss Whedon fan.
Website - www.davidleadbeater.com
Reader of multiple genres. Husband. Father of two beautiful girls, aged 5 and 7. Joss Whedon fan.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 146 reviews
December 18, 2021
Disappointing!
I tried so hard to love this book. I really tried. Truly.
So much to say...Matt Drake’s a photographer. A former member of the British SAS (isn’t everybody)? He’s celebrating fashion week with a friend named Ben, taking pictures, because that’s his career, now.
The show is interrupted by a bunch of lunatics in a helicopter, jumping out, and shooting at everyone. What’s going on? What’s it all about?
Something about Odin and Norse mythology. And gods and treasure and shields and tombs, whatever.
Yes, it’s a convoluted mess! Such a messy mess! Don’t get me wrong... I like these kind of stories, but it’s the delivery, not the mythology, that I have a problem with.
If this was a movie, I would blame the director. Failing that...it’s the writer’s fault. I had problems throughout the telling. Mistakes that shouldn’t happen. Weapons unavailable, when they should be. Not believed when they should…
Opportunities to fight that weren’t visited. Fight scenes that were ridiculous! I’m too tired to go on...
I tried so hard to love this book. I really tried. Truly.
So much to say...Matt Drake’s a photographer. A former member of the British SAS (isn’t everybody)? He’s celebrating fashion week with a friend named Ben, taking pictures, because that’s his career, now.
The show is interrupted by a bunch of lunatics in a helicopter, jumping out, and shooting at everyone. What’s going on? What’s it all about?
Something about Odin and Norse mythology. And gods and treasure and shields and tombs, whatever.
Yes, it’s a convoluted mess! Such a messy mess! Don’t get me wrong... I like these kind of stories, but it’s the delivery, not the mythology, that I have a problem with.
If this was a movie, I would blame the director. Failing that...it’s the writer’s fault. I had problems throughout the telling. Mistakes that shouldn’t happen. Weapons unavailable, when they should be. Not believed when they should…
Opportunities to fight that weren’t visited. Fight scenes that were ridiculous! I’m too tired to go on...
February 28, 2017
The Bones of Odin
David Leadbeater
Warning: There be spoilers here (with apologies to Scotty from Star Trek IV).
I started this novel on February 27th and finished it in the wee hours of this morning, March 11th. It doesn’t usually take me almost two weeks to read a novel. Let’s look at why it took so long with this one.
First, let’s find out about the author. David Leadbeater is a UK author who has written 4 books in the Matt Drake series (of which The Bones of Odin is the first) and one book in The Chosen series (he calls it a trilogy, so evidently two more are coming) His being UK shows up mostly in the occasional spellings, like kerb for curb, mould for mold, etc. Otherwise, I didn’t really notice much about his writing style and word usage that would give his ethnic origins away. I did notice on his website a 5th book – or I assumed it was a book – called Walking with Ghosts. I could find nothing anywhere on his website about this book, so I looked it up on Amazon.com – short story. Interesting that he does not mention this anywhere easily seen on his website
Now on to the novel, itself.
I’m a lifelong lover of the myths surrounding bygone civilizations, so this series immediately appealed to me. I also love action -- fast, non-stop action, and the blurbs for this novel certainly promised that. Yes, I was hooked before page one.
The plot of this novel is fantastic. The idea that the old Norse gods actually existed; the supposition that the old legends are true; the hint that a literal graveyard of the gods might exist – all of these ideas were enticing, exciting, expectation triggers.
If you like a fast paced, well-plotted, Never Ending Story, you’ll love this book. The author certainly has skills. His battles are relatively believable, or at least he is able to make the reader want to believe them. His descriptions are spot on. He has imagination out the whazoo. You instantly like his protagonists and he gives them interesting back stories with which most any reader can identify. He takes you to interesting places, which he describes in wonderful detail. You literally feel the tension in all the colorful and manic situations. Yes, he has skills.
As the title suggests, the legends surrounding the god, Odin, featured foremost in the novel. There are three separate groups after the Nine Pieces of Odin, which promise to lead to the Tomb of the Gods. One group is accidentally drawn into the fray – and that’s our protagonist’s group. Matt Drake, whose series this is after all, is retired from the U.K. SAS. He’s exploring alternate careers when he finds himself, along with his young friend, Ben, in the middle of the theft of the first of the “9 Pieces,” Odin’s Shield. Along the way, they pick up Kennedy, a disgraced NY cop, and although in abstentia, Ben’s sister, Karin. Also, Drake’s old group, the SAS and some American forces, get involved on the side of the “good guys” on this global romp.
The writing is certainly descriptive. The action is non-stop. The special effects are mind-boggling. The author takes the reader from one spine-tingling, death defying battle to the next, often with our good guys unarmed but for their almost unbelievable luck and pluck. You have in-the-moment threats and thrills, danger around most every corner, up-to-date high tech gadgets and how-to, ancient cryptic clues and curses. It’s a roller coaster ride.
Unfortunately, it’s a roller coaster ride that never ends.
Along about 50% through, I was exhausted and longing for an end to the madness. By the time I got to “Part 2,” which occurred at 70% through the novel (yes, reading on my Kindle), I would have thrown the book at the wall if it were a paper book, but I wasn’t about to damage my Kindle. I thought, if this Part 2 is more than 20 pages long, this book will be about 40 pages too long. So, imagine my surprise when I hit “Part 3.” Arrrrrrgggggggghhhhhhh!
So, I’ll admit it, I did something I almost never do. I think, in fact, I can count on the fingers of one hand how many times I’ve done it – and have a couple of fingers left over. I scanned “Part 3.” You know, just ran over it with my eyes and only stopped when something popped off the page that indicated important events happening. And, finally, Valhalla! I arrived at the end! Yes, the cryptic reference to the home of the gods was intentional. Because, the ending was about as pedestrian an ending as one could imagine. Puleeze.
So, none of the characters you’ve grown to care about died, although all were put in mortal danger multiple times. Lots of soldiers, on all sides, died. Bad guys died, and some got away, obviously living to fight another day. The world-as-we-know-it-destruction was avoided, and we end with our man Drake carrying a by-now scantily clad Kennedy off to his hotel room for, I don’t know, maybe a good game of chess? Have I said ARRRRGGGGGHHHHHH, yet?
I was also very put off when our little group of highly out-manned and out-gunned heroes finds the Tomb of the Gods, for suddenly, this telling of a strictly Norse tale explodes with the Tomb containing gods from many cultures – Egyptian, Mayan, Greek, Roman. There was nothing in the storyline to hint at this, nor was there any explanation as to why they were all there together, nor was there any real explanation at the time or any wrap up of this element in the denouement. Evidently Leadbeater just wanted some extra color – or more likely he was leading into his next novels (with no particular explanation), as I note the next books in this series all revolve around mythology, too, and eventually, in the fourth book of the series, must carry good old Matt Drake back to The Tomb of the Gods.
As usual, there were some editing errors, and if you read my reviews you know those drive me crazy. At first I didn’t notice many, the word usages mentioned in the first of this review being mostly what stopped my progress in the story, but as it went along there were a few more, so I started to keep count. I know, I know, I’m a twit. But the lack of adequate editing and proof-reading are my number #1 and #2 top hates in today’s publishing market. They stop the reader’s progress, ruin the illusion of being in the action, and generally take the fun out of reading. Authors – I know your publishing houses, if you have a publishing house and aren’t self-publishing, no longer provide the services they once did. It’s a pity. It stinks. I shouldn’t be. But it is. So develop a support system with your fellow authors and proof/edit each others work. I may be the world’s worst proof reader, so if I noticed these, there were probably more. Readers don’t want to be taken out of the action by something as simple as a grammar or spelling or proof-reading error. You want us to buy your books, right?
Here are a couple of examples.
Chapter 12 – first page, 2nd paragraph:
“Just like being a boy again,” Drake urged Ben on, gently him to go faster without causing panic.
Just what-ing him? Pushing, elbowing, beckoning, what?
Also in chapter 12, while in the custody of Swedish forces, this:
Ben was already warning up to his tale of the Nine Pieces of Odin and the Tomb of the Gods, when Drake interrupted.
Really? Warning up rather than warming up? If that’s a difference between slang in the UK and US, It’s a difference that has escaped me.
After that flurry, the grammar and wordage use problems seemed to stop, or at least I stopped noticing them, until I was about 60% through the book. At Chapter 30, 4th paragraph, 2nd sentence, I was stopped by this interesting visual: “Models and famous young actors and actresses wearing baby-dolls made of satin, silk and lace.” Now, I think I’m as hip as the next everyday person, but do I read that as just the actresses (the last group mentioned), wearing ‘baby-dolls made of satin, silk and lace,’ or are the actors and models similarly attired? Certainly makes for some interestingly differing visuals, don’t you think? However, I suppose it really doesn’t matter, because once, again, it stopped my progress in the novel so significantly that I got out of bed and came in to my computer to jot down this note.
And this seemed to signal another flurry of stop-producing events, or maybe it just reminded me that they might appear and since I was already longing for this saga to end, I began noticing them again.
In Chapter 34 – some few pages in – in a discussion about Odin’s shield, is this:
“It’s also made of different maerial than the other Pieces – almost as if it has another part of play. An objective.”
Okay. Is that ‘made of different material?’ I assume so, but it’s italicized, so it could be a foreign word; but surely not as “objective” is italicized also. So, I’ll go with material. But, again, stopped my progress, took ME out of the action. Big sigh.
From there, a few more of the proper, but different from what I might expect, spellings appeared: centrepiece for centerpiece (and, by the way, when I typed the English ‘re’ in center, rather the American spelling of ‘er,’ my auto correct changed it immediately and I had to go back and un-correct it!); more mould, “Poncy” – what the heck does that even mean? Should I once again have gotten up out of bed and gone to my computer to try and look it up? (Another by-the-way -- when I loaded this review up to the Good Reads app, it also marked these spellings as incorrect.)
All in all, I have wildly differing feelings about this book. It certainly delivered the action it promised – just was too long-winded about it for my personal taste. Maybe because he doesn’t start off using UK spellings and slang, I was surprised and a bit put-off when they occasionally appeared. I loved his descriptions and the wild across-the-globe settings. I hated that it felt like I was reading something that was being written to become a movie rather than something that was intended as a novel. And, David – I don’t believe there’s a movie company out there that could afford to film so many slam-bang, highly destructive events in so many varied and detailed surroundings. At least not and do them well.
In the end, there are three more books in this series. Will I read them? Time will tell. I certainly won’t be starting another one any time soon.
David Leadbeater
Warning: There be spoilers here (with apologies to Scotty from Star Trek IV).
I started this novel on February 27th and finished it in the wee hours of this morning, March 11th. It doesn’t usually take me almost two weeks to read a novel. Let’s look at why it took so long with this one.
First, let’s find out about the author. David Leadbeater is a UK author who has written 4 books in the Matt Drake series (of which The Bones of Odin is the first) and one book in The Chosen series (he calls it a trilogy, so evidently two more are coming) His being UK shows up mostly in the occasional spellings, like kerb for curb, mould for mold, etc. Otherwise, I didn’t really notice much about his writing style and word usage that would give his ethnic origins away. I did notice on his website a 5th book – or I assumed it was a book – called Walking with Ghosts. I could find nothing anywhere on his website about this book, so I looked it up on Amazon.com – short story. Interesting that he does not mention this anywhere easily seen on his website
Now on to the novel, itself.
I’m a lifelong lover of the myths surrounding bygone civilizations, so this series immediately appealed to me. I also love action -- fast, non-stop action, and the blurbs for this novel certainly promised that. Yes, I was hooked before page one.
The plot of this novel is fantastic. The idea that the old Norse gods actually existed; the supposition that the old legends are true; the hint that a literal graveyard of the gods might exist – all of these ideas were enticing, exciting, expectation triggers.
If you like a fast paced, well-plotted, Never Ending Story, you’ll love this book. The author certainly has skills. His battles are relatively believable, or at least he is able to make the reader want to believe them. His descriptions are spot on. He has imagination out the whazoo. You instantly like his protagonists and he gives them interesting back stories with which most any reader can identify. He takes you to interesting places, which he describes in wonderful detail. You literally feel the tension in all the colorful and manic situations. Yes, he has skills.
As the title suggests, the legends surrounding the god, Odin, featured foremost in the novel. There are three separate groups after the Nine Pieces of Odin, which promise to lead to the Tomb of the Gods. One group is accidentally drawn into the fray – and that’s our protagonist’s group. Matt Drake, whose series this is after all, is retired from the U.K. SAS. He’s exploring alternate careers when he finds himself, along with his young friend, Ben, in the middle of the theft of the first of the “9 Pieces,” Odin’s Shield. Along the way, they pick up Kennedy, a disgraced NY cop, and although in abstentia, Ben’s sister, Karin. Also, Drake’s old group, the SAS and some American forces, get involved on the side of the “good guys” on this global romp.
The writing is certainly descriptive. The action is non-stop. The special effects are mind-boggling. The author takes the reader from one spine-tingling, death defying battle to the next, often with our good guys unarmed but for their almost unbelievable luck and pluck. You have in-the-moment threats and thrills, danger around most every corner, up-to-date high tech gadgets and how-to, ancient cryptic clues and curses. It’s a roller coaster ride.
Unfortunately, it’s a roller coaster ride that never ends.
Along about 50% through, I was exhausted and longing for an end to the madness. By the time I got to “Part 2,” which occurred at 70% through the novel (yes, reading on my Kindle), I would have thrown the book at the wall if it were a paper book, but I wasn’t about to damage my Kindle. I thought, if this Part 2 is more than 20 pages long, this book will be about 40 pages too long. So, imagine my surprise when I hit “Part 3.” Arrrrrrgggggggghhhhhhh!
So, I’ll admit it, I did something I almost never do. I think, in fact, I can count on the fingers of one hand how many times I’ve done it – and have a couple of fingers left over. I scanned “Part 3.” You know, just ran over it with my eyes and only stopped when something popped off the page that indicated important events happening. And, finally, Valhalla! I arrived at the end! Yes, the cryptic reference to the home of the gods was intentional. Because, the ending was about as pedestrian an ending as one could imagine. Puleeze.
So, none of the characters you’ve grown to care about died, although all were put in mortal danger multiple times. Lots of soldiers, on all sides, died. Bad guys died, and some got away, obviously living to fight another day. The world-as-we-know-it-destruction was avoided, and we end with our man Drake carrying a by-now scantily clad Kennedy off to his hotel room for, I don’t know, maybe a good game of chess? Have I said ARRRRGGGGGHHHHHH, yet?
I was also very put off when our little group of highly out-manned and out-gunned heroes finds the Tomb of the Gods, for suddenly, this telling of a strictly Norse tale explodes with the Tomb containing gods from many cultures – Egyptian, Mayan, Greek, Roman. There was nothing in the storyline to hint at this, nor was there any explanation as to why they were all there together, nor was there any real explanation at the time or any wrap up of this element in the denouement. Evidently Leadbeater just wanted some extra color – or more likely he was leading into his next novels (with no particular explanation), as I note the next books in this series all revolve around mythology, too, and eventually, in the fourth book of the series, must carry good old Matt Drake back to The Tomb of the Gods.
As usual, there were some editing errors, and if you read my reviews you know those drive me crazy. At first I didn’t notice many, the word usages mentioned in the first of this review being mostly what stopped my progress in the story, but as it went along there were a few more, so I started to keep count. I know, I know, I’m a twit. But the lack of adequate editing and proof-reading are my number #1 and #2 top hates in today’s publishing market. They stop the reader’s progress, ruin the illusion of being in the action, and generally take the fun out of reading. Authors – I know your publishing houses, if you have a publishing house and aren’t self-publishing, no longer provide the services they once did. It’s a pity. It stinks. I shouldn’t be. But it is. So develop a support system with your fellow authors and proof/edit each others work. I may be the world’s worst proof reader, so if I noticed these, there were probably more. Readers don’t want to be taken out of the action by something as simple as a grammar or spelling or proof-reading error. You want us to buy your books, right?
Here are a couple of examples.
Chapter 12 – first page, 2nd paragraph:
“Just like being a boy again,” Drake urged Ben on, gently him to go faster without causing panic.
Just what-ing him? Pushing, elbowing, beckoning, what?
Also in chapter 12, while in the custody of Swedish forces, this:
Ben was already warning up to his tale of the Nine Pieces of Odin and the Tomb of the Gods, when Drake interrupted.
Really? Warning up rather than warming up? If that’s a difference between slang in the UK and US, It’s a difference that has escaped me.
After that flurry, the grammar and wordage use problems seemed to stop, or at least I stopped noticing them, until I was about 60% through the book. At Chapter 30, 4th paragraph, 2nd sentence, I was stopped by this interesting visual: “Models and famous young actors and actresses wearing baby-dolls made of satin, silk and lace.” Now, I think I’m as hip as the next everyday person, but do I read that as just the actresses (the last group mentioned), wearing ‘baby-dolls made of satin, silk and lace,’ or are the actors and models similarly attired? Certainly makes for some interestingly differing visuals, don’t you think? However, I suppose it really doesn’t matter, because once, again, it stopped my progress in the novel so significantly that I got out of bed and came in to my computer to jot down this note.
And this seemed to signal another flurry of stop-producing events, or maybe it just reminded me that they might appear and since I was already longing for this saga to end, I began noticing them again.
In Chapter 34 – some few pages in – in a discussion about Odin’s shield, is this:
“It’s also made of different maerial than the other Pieces – almost as if it has another part of play. An objective.”
Okay. Is that ‘made of different material?’ I assume so, but it’s italicized, so it could be a foreign word; but surely not as “objective” is italicized also. So, I’ll go with material. But, again, stopped my progress, took ME out of the action. Big sigh.
From there, a few more of the proper, but different from what I might expect, spellings appeared: centrepiece for centerpiece (and, by the way, when I typed the English ‘re’ in center, rather the American spelling of ‘er,’ my auto correct changed it immediately and I had to go back and un-correct it!); more mould, “Poncy” – what the heck does that even mean? Should I once again have gotten up out of bed and gone to my computer to try and look it up? (Another by-the-way -- when I loaded this review up to the Good Reads app, it also marked these spellings as incorrect.)
All in all, I have wildly differing feelings about this book. It certainly delivered the action it promised – just was too long-winded about it for my personal taste. Maybe because he doesn’t start off using UK spellings and slang, I was surprised and a bit put-off when they occasionally appeared. I loved his descriptions and the wild across-the-globe settings. I hated that it felt like I was reading something that was being written to become a movie rather than something that was intended as a novel. And, David – I don’t believe there’s a movie company out there that could afford to film so many slam-bang, highly destructive events in so many varied and detailed surroundings. At least not and do them well.
In the end, there are three more books in this series. Will I read them? Time will tell. I certainly won’t be starting another one any time soon.
May 29, 2012
Brief Summary - Matt Drake, former SAS man, now working as a freelance photographer gets caught up in a plan to find the nine pieces of Odin, assembling a puzzle which may well lead to the end of the world. His old talents are tried to the limits as he fights to save his friends, find the pieces of Odin, and save the day.
The Bones of Odin is not without some charm - the lead characters are fairly likeable, and dialogue is comfortable. However, that's pretty much the only real positive I can find. The basic story is a low-quality version of the recently-popular genre brought into prominence by The Da Vinci Code. I'll admit to some guilty pleasures in similar books (Preston and Child are favourites of mine), but this is definitely one of the poorer versions. Most of these books run along the lines of: hero stumbles across ancient conspiracy/prophecy, rushes to save the world, gets chased by shadowy conspiracy group, goes from A to B to C to D to collect various pieces/clues (usually just too late, or just ahead of the bad guys), eventually finds the last piece in time to make sense of the whole thing, realises it's a bit of a misunderstanding, saves the day, goes home. Usually gets the girl.
So it is with The Bones of Odin. Only, it's pretty poorly done. Getting Drake into the story is poorly handled coincidence of the highest order. The bad guys are phenomenally rubbish. The introduction of the love interest, the shocking plot holes, and the whole chase are disappointing. The McGuffins (the 9 pieces of Odin) which are meant to be assembled to point to something or other are actually nothing, and have no bearing on any of the prophecy or clues. Coincidence works in with the most appalling timing (Classic example, a team of crack SAS-types are exploring a cavern, and have been for a while. The moment they realise that the floor they're standing on is a trap, it goes off. The very moment. Twaddle.) Inconsistencies litter the book. To list all the flaws would fill pages here (but I do have to highlight that I'm pretty sure the SAS would do psych tests of some description - especially an elite branch of the SAS).
However, the most grating thing about the whole exercise is Leadbeater's obsession with simile and analogy. Most of which are utterly painful, but manage to crop up on almost every page. It swiftly degenerates into parody in the same way that Cat did in the later series of Red Dwarf (when he was reduced to doing nothing more than comparing situations to out-of-date clothing styles and such). If, however, you find phrases like "It was colder than a polar bear's scrotum" to be the height of quality, you may well enjoy this.
I do try to find something positive in every book, and I would re-emphasise that the trio of lead characters are well-defined (ignoring the shockingly poor way they're brought into the story), and actually pretty likeable. However, I would remind Leadbeater that you don't have to attack the reader with the backstory of a character immediately upon introduction. Some things can be hinted at, and introduced slowly. The dialogue is, surprisingly smooth.
Overall, a clumsy piece, that's not without charm
The Bones of Odin is not without some charm - the lead characters are fairly likeable, and dialogue is comfortable. However, that's pretty much the only real positive I can find. The basic story is a low-quality version of the recently-popular genre brought into prominence by The Da Vinci Code. I'll admit to some guilty pleasures in similar books (Preston and Child are favourites of mine), but this is definitely one of the poorer versions. Most of these books run along the lines of: hero stumbles across ancient conspiracy/prophecy, rushes to save the world, gets chased by shadowy conspiracy group, goes from A to B to C to D to collect various pieces/clues (usually just too late, or just ahead of the bad guys), eventually finds the last piece in time to make sense of the whole thing, realises it's a bit of a misunderstanding, saves the day, goes home. Usually gets the girl.
So it is with The Bones of Odin. Only, it's pretty poorly done. Getting Drake into the story is poorly handled coincidence of the highest order. The bad guys are phenomenally rubbish. The introduction of the love interest, the shocking plot holes, and the whole chase are disappointing. The McGuffins (the 9 pieces of Odin) which are meant to be assembled to point to something or other are actually nothing, and have no bearing on any of the prophecy or clues. Coincidence works in with the most appalling timing (Classic example, a team of crack SAS-types are exploring a cavern, and have been for a while. The moment they realise that the floor they're standing on is a trap, it goes off. The very moment. Twaddle.) Inconsistencies litter the book. To list all the flaws would fill pages here (but I do have to highlight that I'm pretty sure the SAS would do psych tests of some description - especially an elite branch of the SAS).
However, the most grating thing about the whole exercise is Leadbeater's obsession with simile and analogy. Most of which are utterly painful, but manage to crop up on almost every page. It swiftly degenerates into parody in the same way that Cat did in the later series of Red Dwarf (when he was reduced to doing nothing more than comparing situations to out-of-date clothing styles and such). If, however, you find phrases like "It was colder than a polar bear's scrotum" to be the height of quality, you may well enjoy this.
I do try to find something positive in every book, and I would re-emphasise that the trio of lead characters are well-defined (ignoring the shockingly poor way they're brought into the story), and actually pretty likeable. However, I would remind Leadbeater that you don't have to attack the reader with the backstory of a character immediately upon introduction. Some things can be hinted at, and introduced slowly. The dialogue is, surprisingly smooth.
Overall, a clumsy piece, that's not without charm
July 21, 2019
A while back I did a search for adventures like Indiana Jones and this series was one of the results. My dislike in part might be due to false expectations.
Leadbeater actually explains the term euhemerism. Where there is a kernel of truth in legends, some believe that the same is true for myths. Imagine a book such as The Da Vinci Code but written by Derek Kolstad (the author of John Wick).
The DVC got famous because of Dan Brown’s painstaking research. Readers also got a lot of information about when the reality stopped and the fiction started. Leadbeater’s tale, unfortunately, defies even the most ardent suspension of disbelief, one sometimes needs to keep enjoying this genre. And they find the tomb of gods mostly by doing Internet searches. That's just lazy.
Also, the book focuses more on the action part. You could switch Odin’s corpse for some random villain’s trope, like some plot for world domination, and it wouldn't have made much of a difference. Because this isn't a treasure hunt, but an action movie. With very uneven pacing. It’s kind of stop and go. Stop: Matt is hired as a photographer at a fashion show in downtown London. Go: When it is attacked by a military helicopter and armed men with machine guns. One of them threatens Matt because he caught them on film. Stop: Matt still decides to go home as if nothing happened, without even sending his slacker sidekick, Ben, away as a safety precaution. Go: His home is attacked, but they manage to flee. Stop: they set up in a hotel room in Paris. Go: the decoy room across the hall is attacked. Stop: They decide to grab a bite to eat. Go: The worst sniper in the universe tries to take them out. A car chase follows. Stop: After which they lay low in a cafe. And so on and so forth.
But the pacing or the bad plot wasn’t the only thing that I didn’t like. The characters are completely bland, make some very strange decisions and you keep asking yourself, why they are involved in this conspiracy in the first place. An ex-SAS agent, a mother’s boy, whom he met during his photography course and who suddenly turns into a brilliant computer specialist and researcher, and a New York cop on leave, who chatted them up because she thought that the nervous-looking Ben might be a kidnapping victim. She stays with them because her uncovering a corrupt cop freed a serial killer and she needs to take her mind off feeling guilty.
As an adventure, it isn’t good. As an action novel, it’s probably okay. I started skipping pretty soon and I most certainly won't read a second one.
The villains are even worse. They keep shooting up large places to acquire the nine pieces of Odin and then wonder why they have a regimen of special forces from diverse countries sniffing after them.
Leadbeater actually explains the term euhemerism. Where there is a kernel of truth in legends, some believe that the same is true for myths. Imagine a book such as The Da Vinci Code but written by Derek Kolstad (the author of John Wick).
The DVC got famous because of Dan Brown’s painstaking research. Readers also got a lot of information about when the reality stopped and the fiction started. Leadbeater’s tale, unfortunately, defies even the most ardent suspension of disbelief, one sometimes needs to keep enjoying this genre. And they find the tomb of gods mostly by doing Internet searches. That's just lazy.
Also, the book focuses more on the action part. You could switch Odin’s corpse for some random villain’s trope, like some plot for world domination, and it wouldn't have made much of a difference. Because this isn't a treasure hunt, but an action movie. With very uneven pacing. It’s kind of stop and go. Stop: Matt is hired as a photographer at a fashion show in downtown London. Go: When it is attacked by a military helicopter and armed men with machine guns. One of them threatens Matt because he caught them on film. Stop: Matt still decides to go home as if nothing happened, without even sending his slacker sidekick, Ben, away as a safety precaution. Go: His home is attacked, but they manage to flee. Stop: they set up in a hotel room in Paris. Go: the decoy room across the hall is attacked. Stop: They decide to grab a bite to eat. Go: The worst sniper in the universe tries to take them out. A car chase follows. Stop: After which they lay low in a cafe. And so on and so forth.
But the pacing or the bad plot wasn’t the only thing that I didn’t like. The characters are completely bland, make some very strange decisions and you keep asking yourself, why they are involved in this conspiracy in the first place. An ex-SAS agent, a mother’s boy, whom he met during his photography course and who suddenly turns into a brilliant computer specialist and researcher, and a New York cop on leave, who chatted them up because she thought that the nervous-looking Ben might be a kidnapping victim. She stays with them because her uncovering a corrupt cop freed a serial killer and she needs to take her mind off feeling guilty.
As an adventure, it isn’t good. As an action novel, it’s probably okay. I started skipping pretty soon and I most certainly won't read a second one.
The villains are even worse. They keep shooting up large places to acquire the nine pieces of Odin and then wonder why they have a regimen of special forces from diverse countries sniffing after them.
September 12, 2012
I didn't like the writing style in this book. It seems disjointed and unorganized.
April 28, 2021
A good old fashioned action-adventure romp.
I started reading The Bones of Odin, hoping that the first Matt Drake novel would fill a void somewhere between the lack of Indiana jones material and because I had recently finished reading Scott Mariani's The Devil's Kingdom. The story and general premise was an interesting one, and the blurb alone made me want to read this book. I enjoyed the fast pace and constant moving nature of the story, something very common with this genre, and sometimes a little repetitive, however David Leadbeater managed to balance this very neatly without loosing my interest.
The character of Matt Drake is an interesting twist on the usual "ex-special forces" character. Matt has left the SAS to continue a normal life with his wife, and flitting from career to career, he is a natural comically written and yet grounded character and although the dialogue between Matt and the other minor protagonists can sometimes feel a little forced, it does seem to fit with the general form of the novel, and after some early dialogue it doesn't seem out of place at all. The other characters are well written and I found myself caring about the fate of the characters and even interested with certain characters history, prior to the novel. The villains are interesting, although sometimes a little far-fetched, however I felt that this fitted the novel well and seemed to allow the novel to be different from the general, obvious "baddies" in similar novels.
If you are a fan of this type of novel then I highly recommend The Bones of Odin, however if you are new to this genre there are more engrossing novels and I would start with other works by novelists such as Scott Mariani, A. G. Riddle and Greig Beck, with Dan Brown being an obvious starting point for someone with very little experience of this genre.
Overall I feel that The Bones of Odin is a good action-adventure story and adds to the genre quite well, however for a reader new to this genre, the almost forced and cliched dialogue can seem a little senseless and unrealistic. I have given The Bones of Odin a 4 star rating as I feel that being a fan of the genre it gave me something a little different than the usual characters, premise and feel of this type of novel.
I started reading The Bones of Odin, hoping that the first Matt Drake novel would fill a void somewhere between the lack of Indiana jones material and because I had recently finished reading Scott Mariani's The Devil's Kingdom. The story and general premise was an interesting one, and the blurb alone made me want to read this book. I enjoyed the fast pace and constant moving nature of the story, something very common with this genre, and sometimes a little repetitive, however David Leadbeater managed to balance this very neatly without loosing my interest.
The character of Matt Drake is an interesting twist on the usual "ex-special forces" character. Matt has left the SAS to continue a normal life with his wife, and flitting from career to career, he is a natural comically written and yet grounded character and although the dialogue between Matt and the other minor protagonists can sometimes feel a little forced, it does seem to fit with the general form of the novel, and after some early dialogue it doesn't seem out of place at all. The other characters are well written and I found myself caring about the fate of the characters and even interested with certain characters history, prior to the novel. The villains are interesting, although sometimes a little far-fetched, however I felt that this fitted the novel well and seemed to allow the novel to be different from the general, obvious "baddies" in similar novels.
If you are a fan of this type of novel then I highly recommend The Bones of Odin, however if you are new to this genre there are more engrossing novels and I would start with other works by novelists such as Scott Mariani, A. G. Riddle and Greig Beck, with Dan Brown being an obvious starting point for someone with very little experience of this genre.
Overall I feel that The Bones of Odin is a good action-adventure story and adds to the genre quite well, however for a reader new to this genre, the almost forced and cliched dialogue can seem a little senseless and unrealistic. I have given The Bones of Odin a 4 star rating as I feel that being a fan of the genre it gave me something a little different than the usual characters, premise and feel of this type of novel.
October 22, 2017
I rarely see such absurd high-paced action so lovingly woven together by nothing more than artfully crafted plot holes. I am quite convinced that the author used to write for the GI Joe cartoon series. Let me give you an example.
Our protagonist, Matt, is a former special forces soldier who is now a photographer. He's shooting an elite fashion show, with a pocket camera, in an English city known for anything but fashion. Suddenly, two attack helicopters fly in. One drops a squad of German soldiers, the other sends a rocket into a storefront and starts firing its machine guns. During this, Matt is very concerned; so concerned that he takes a few more pictures of the archaeological find (an ancient shield) instead of trying to capture the mayhem. The soldiers force him to surrender his identification, but he still manages to witness the white-suited mastermind confirm with one of his minions that they’ll be in Paris tomorrow at 6PM. He manages to get away without further incident. Back at their apartment (What? No interview with the police about this horrendous act of terrorism on English soil?), the baddies come after Matt and his young lover, but they are quickly dispatched. What should he do? Inform the police? Naw. Talk to his old army commander? Absolutely! Tell the commander about the potential attack in Paris. Pffft, of course not. Instead, he goes to Paris with his boyfriend where they set up a trap to … see if they’re being followed. They are. Time to inform the police? Nope. Not even about the attack on the Louvre? No. Instead, they go to the museum to witness the attack. The attack they could have prevented had they informed the authorities. Never mind, this is an action story. So, the Germans are stealing a thing when suddenly an opposing force shows up. French police? Too obvious. French military? That would make sense, but no. It’s the frickin’ Canadians!
This is a great read for adolescent boys who miss that non-stop action in the old GI Joe cartoons.
Our protagonist, Matt, is a former special forces soldier who is now a photographer. He's shooting an elite fashion show, with a pocket camera, in an English city known for anything but fashion. Suddenly, two attack helicopters fly in. One drops a squad of German soldiers, the other sends a rocket into a storefront and starts firing its machine guns. During this, Matt is very concerned; so concerned that he takes a few more pictures of the archaeological find (an ancient shield) instead of trying to capture the mayhem. The soldiers force him to surrender his identification, but he still manages to witness the white-suited mastermind confirm with one of his minions that they’ll be in Paris tomorrow at 6PM. He manages to get away without further incident. Back at their apartment (What? No interview with the police about this horrendous act of terrorism on English soil?), the baddies come after Matt and his young lover, but they are quickly dispatched. What should he do? Inform the police? Naw. Talk to his old army commander? Absolutely! Tell the commander about the potential attack in Paris. Pffft, of course not. Instead, he goes to Paris with his boyfriend where they set up a trap to … see if they’re being followed. They are. Time to inform the police? Nope. Not even about the attack on the Louvre? No. Instead, they go to the museum to witness the attack. The attack they could have prevented had they informed the authorities. Never mind, this is an action story. So, the Germans are stealing a thing when suddenly an opposing force shows up. French police? Too obvious. French military? That would make sense, but no. It’s the frickin’ Canadians!
This is a great read for adolescent boys who miss that non-stop action in the old GI Joe cartoons.
January 25, 2020
I'm a big fan of wildly unbelievable and over the top action adventure books. Clive Cussler, Matthew Reilly and, more recently, James Rollins. The maguffin in this one holds up against the rest and I was willing to finish it based on that alone. As it turned out, the maguffin itself really wasn't anything at all but that's not my main problem. Several fairly obvious plot-holes are knocking about, the villains are in no way fleshed out and, well, it simply isn't very well written. Some examples: "There was a roar like the collision of two dinosaurs." There was a later reference in the book to a helicopter engine sounding like a dinosaur. "Colby Taylor looked incredulous for a second, gawping as if Bryan Adams had just jumped out of the woods and launched into Summer of ’69." "They whooped, they fired wildly, they laughed like geeks overdosing on multiple Jager Bombs at spring break." Then there's the hint of an old uncle that you try not to get caught in a Brexit discussion about: "“These guys are more annoying than an Indian call center.” There was also a part where a Swedish person (in Sweden) speaking in halting English (not the national language of Sweden) was bemoaned by the Yorkshire main character who later on states they want some "scran." I've also never read a book where the word "spittle," was used so much. In a ridiculous fight scene, the main character pauses to reflect, "“Wimps aim for the plexus,” before everybody for the remaining 75% of the book gets hit in the "plexus." I know this is the first of the Matt Drake novels and it may just be the author was still finding his voice/honing his craft, but I'm not willing to pay again to find out.
August 14, 2017
This was a disappointment. The concept of the story was great, but the execution was so very poor.
June 15, 2019
The Bones of Odin - a review by Rosemary Kenny
*slight spoilers*
Introducing heroic ex-Special Forces agent, Matt Drake in The Bones of Odin, by prolific (he has another 19 titles available already for your delectation), author David Leadbeater in his Matt Drake series, that's sure to thrill and entertain the fan of adventure stories with equal amounts of drama, archeological/mythological discoveries and the importance of loyalty, integrity and friendship among comrades and family.
In this novel I really like the strong characters: Drake, young tech-geek Ben, (a strong female character) Kennedy - a disgraced New York cop on (unfairly),forced leave. Then Wells, Drake's former commander and his team, plus Hayden a US government tech advisor, making an elite group who have to survive the many dangers and a motley assortment of villains (from different countries), including Frey, a psychotic so-called fashion designer, some Germans, Drake's ex-Special Forces female colleague and even a Swedish group, on Drake's mission to reclaim the nine treasures of Odin, uncover his tomb/bones and prevent a fiery Armageddon.
I must admit I found the plot in The Bones of Odin a little 'unfinished' and confusing in a couple of places:
1) Despite obtaining some of the nine artefacts, it's unclear if Drake et al actually had them all, (or just Odin's Shield) when they found his tomb, (let alone once the sarcophagus was stolen by Frey and his cohorts) or if the latter really contained the eponymous Bones of Odin, something else, or if it was even empty.
2)Why were so many other Gods, from different countries/religions/cults, brought into the mix, yet not mentioned in the title or anywhere before the final climax?
Odin alone (or perhaps just with Thor and Loki's for good measure), would have been more than enough, in my humble opinion.
3) Although Drake's supposed to be from York, (in the North of England) he never seems to be misunderstood because of his regional accent/expressions, hardly ever mentions his British background etc and most peculiarly seems to have become part of the American military force (in his past and again now), whereas UK forces have nothing at all to do with any part of the novel.
Overall, I really enjoyed the book - it has fast, well-written effective action and pace. The characters are believable and interact well together to bring their many diverse talents into play, leading to a fairly satisfying conclusion that made me want to get the next in series straightaway. Well worth a try - get your copy soon!
*slight spoilers*
Introducing heroic ex-Special Forces agent, Matt Drake in The Bones of Odin, by prolific (he has another 19 titles available already for your delectation), author David Leadbeater in his Matt Drake series, that's sure to thrill and entertain the fan of adventure stories with equal amounts of drama, archeological/mythological discoveries and the importance of loyalty, integrity and friendship among comrades and family.
In this novel I really like the strong characters: Drake, young tech-geek Ben, (a strong female character) Kennedy - a disgraced New York cop on (unfairly),forced leave. Then Wells, Drake's former commander and his team, plus Hayden a US government tech advisor, making an elite group who have to survive the many dangers and a motley assortment of villains (from different countries), including Frey, a psychotic so-called fashion designer, some Germans, Drake's ex-Special Forces female colleague and even a Swedish group, on Drake's mission to reclaim the nine treasures of Odin, uncover his tomb/bones and prevent a fiery Armageddon.
I must admit I found the plot in The Bones of Odin a little 'unfinished' and confusing in a couple of places:
1) Despite obtaining some of the nine artefacts, it's unclear if Drake et al actually had them all, (or just Odin's Shield) when they found his tomb, (let alone once the sarcophagus was stolen by Frey and his cohorts) or if the latter really contained the eponymous Bones of Odin, something else, or if it was even empty.
2)Why were so many other Gods, from different countries/religions/cults, brought into the mix, yet not mentioned in the title or anywhere before the final climax?
Odin alone (or perhaps just with Thor and Loki's for good measure), would have been more than enough, in my humble opinion.
3) Although Drake's supposed to be from York, (in the North of England) he never seems to be misunderstood because of his regional accent/expressions, hardly ever mentions his British background etc and most peculiarly seems to have become part of the American military force (in his past and again now), whereas UK forces have nothing at all to do with any part of the novel.
Overall, I really enjoyed the book - it has fast, well-written effective action and pace. The characters are believable and interact well together to bring their many diverse talents into play, leading to a fairly satisfying conclusion that made me want to get the next in series straightaway. Well worth a try - get your copy soon!
June 25, 2012
I read about half of this book Saturday in between doing laundry and a number of other things like arranging plants and pots in my shade garden and chopping off the bottom of a 'stump-tree'. Eventually I got sick of gardening and decided it was time for a nap. I swear I had to get up to finish the book because I fell asleep and dreamed I was looking for the World Tree. Apparently there was no resisting reading the book. In the end I just got up without having a nap and finished the book, it seemed more appropriate than dreaming alternate endings somehow.
The Bones of Odin
intrigued me because of the link to Norse Mythology. I have to admit I regret not being able to take it (as it wasn't offered while I was there) when I was taking History courses at Brandon University. It has been offered since, but like many courses at BU, it is offered on a rotating cycle because of small faculty numbers. In effect, more courses are offered, but over a two year cycle, or in some cases a four year cycle.
For now though, I'll be content with the knowledge that the second in this series The Blood King Conspiricy is awaiting me on my ereader. I've actually already started it. I have always been one of those people who prefers to not have to wait for anything, even the second book in a series.
I have to say that reading the book made me think of many other books and movies I also enjoy. It's almost as if a cross between Indiana Jones and James Bond exist in the character Matt Drake. I like his name too. The name is simple, easy to remember, mono-syllabic brilliance.
There was also clearly a mix of folk-lore with history, and enough realism to make the book one of those that could theoretically happen, but in all likelihood won't. It's also the first time I've read a book that didn't have any egregious grammatical errors. The last book I read had two.
I have to say Ben was my favorite character simply because he was nerdy. Nerdy and smart, and smart enough to keep using google. There are so many questions that can be self-answered now by just typing into a search box on a web browser. I think it brought home the idea, through repeated exposure, that sometimes geniuses aren't genius at one thing, they're just genius at finding and using information and things around them to suit their needs.
Yup, you read that right. Google is the next Catholic church.
This is why I prefer to read books about Norse mythology and a bunch of secret service guys getting the shit kicked out of them. I like it when the 'good' guys get to kick some ass. It makes the conspiracy theorist in me come alive with my own conspiracies, and it makes the cynic in me laugh.
It's probably all going down the shitter anyway?
I probably wouldn't go so far as to say The Bones of Odin gave me hope for humanity, but I would go so far as to say it made me laugh. Whether I'm laughing at humanity or with it I'm never sure, but laughing is good all the same.
Read the book. This book didn't even let me take a nap. Resistance was futile.
We are the Borg, and We like stories about Thor.
Buy it on amazon uk, or amazon us. Read more about it on Goodreads. Be a fan of David Leadbeater on Goodreads, or read his blog. You could also follow him on twitter. He says some funny stuff :D.
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Norse Myth Part 2: The Creation Myth (dmmaster42.wordpress.com)
The Norse God Loki - Immortal Monday (debrakristi.wordpress.com)
Norse mythology and loo roll (singingalto2.wordpress.com)
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The Bones of Odin
intrigued me because of the link to Norse Mythology. I have to admit I regret not being able to take it (as it wasn't offered while I was there) when I was taking History courses at Brandon University. It has been offered since, but like many courses at BU, it is offered on a rotating cycle because of small faculty numbers. In effect, more courses are offered, but over a two year cycle, or in some cases a four year cycle.For now though, I'll be content with the knowledge that the second in this series The Blood King Conspiricy is awaiting me on my ereader. I've actually already started it. I have always been one of those people who prefers to not have to wait for anything, even the second book in a series.
I have to say that reading the book made me think of many other books and movies I also enjoy. It's almost as if a cross between Indiana Jones and James Bond exist in the character Matt Drake. I like his name too. The name is simple, easy to remember, mono-syllabic brilliance.
There was also clearly a mix of folk-lore with history, and enough realism to make the book one of those that could theoretically happen, but in all likelihood won't. It's also the first time I've read a book that didn't have any egregious grammatical errors. The last book I read had two.
I have to say Ben was my favorite character simply because he was nerdy. Nerdy and smart, and smart enough to keep using google. There are so many questions that can be self-answered now by just typing into a search box on a web browser. I think it brought home the idea, through repeated exposure, that sometimes geniuses aren't genius at one thing, they're just genius at finding and using information and things around them to suit their needs.
Note, I refuse to capitalize google. It not just a company anymore - as much as it will probably over run the earth similar in impact to the Catholic church and its role throughout history.
Yup, you read that right. Google is the next Catholic church.
This is why I prefer to read books about Norse mythology and a bunch of secret service guys getting the shit kicked out of them. I like it when the 'good' guys get to kick some ass. It makes the conspiracy theorist in me come alive with my own conspiracies, and it makes the cynic in me laugh.
It's probably all going down the shitter anyway?
I probably wouldn't go so far as to say The Bones of Odin gave me hope for humanity, but I would go so far as to say it made me laugh. Whether I'm laughing at humanity or with it I'm never sure, but laughing is good all the same.
Read the book. This book didn't even let me take a nap. Resistance was futile.
We are the Borg, and We like stories about Thor.
Buy it on amazon uk, or amazon us. Read more about it on Goodreads. Be a fan of David Leadbeater on Goodreads, or read his blog. You could also follow him on twitter. He says some funny stuff :D.
Related articles
July better be sunny ~ My garden gnome needs a wake up call (naimeless.wordpress.com)
Norse Myth Part 2: The Creation Myth (dmmaster42.wordpress.com)
The Norse God Loki - Immortal Monday (debrakristi.wordpress.com)
Norse mythology and loo roll (singingalto2.wordpress.com)
Until Ragnarok Come (ambermarshall.wordpress.com)
Announcing a busy month, and blog tours! Yay! (naimeless.wordpress.com)
September 23, 2018
This author is new to me, and if the first book is any indication, I’m going to enjoy the series. It reminds me of the Chase & Wilde characters in Andy McDermott’s long running serial. It’s not just the English author feel, either. There’s a similarity that will feel very comfortable to fans of McDermott’s books.
July 23, 2017
Wow!
Non-stop action. Well written. Engaging plot. Likeable characters whose witty banter was entertaining in itself. Historical and mythical references. One of the best books I've read in a very long time. Highly recommended.
Non-stop action. Well written. Engaging plot. Likeable characters whose witty banter was entertaining in itself. Historical and mythical references. One of the best books I've read in a very long time. Highly recommended.
December 27, 2019
Pretty much a typical end of the world because of bad guys but can be saved by finding the pieces of Odin. Mix of legend greed ambition and good old fashioned hero stuff. Matt Drake is a fine hero but not enough New here though once started had to finish it
December 12, 2020
I’m a big fan of these sorts of books, and this was a very welcome addition to my collection
Quick pacing and lots of action made it a real enjoyable reading experience
I always judge the book series by how quickly I want to read the next one, and I purchased the second of the series straight away after finishing this book
To any fans of this genre I would definitely recommend giving it a go
Quick pacing and lots of action made it a real enjoyable reading experience
I always judge the book series by how quickly I want to read the next one, and I purchased the second of the series straight away after finishing this book
To any fans of this genre I would definitely recommend giving it a go
July 1, 2021
I went into this expecting it to be OK, but it turned out to be a blatant copy of the Wilde & Chase series by Andy McDermott (https://www.goodreads.com/series/4522... an action-packed hunt for a long-lost, thought-to-be-pure-myth archaeological treasure, heroes chased by bad guys (Germans, of course) around the world, exploding choppers and super-rich villains, and (get this!) an ex-SAS soldier from Yorkshire for a main character. Ay up!
It scrapes two stars because I am a sucker for these kinds of stories, and there were interesting bits and a likeable sidekick, plus, Iceland as a location is always great, but if you are familiar with McDermott's books, you just can't unsee how similar they are, and how inferior this is to the other.
Side note: If you're going to use German characters, and have them speak German, how about asking a real German speaker for help with their lines instead of Google Translate? It was unintentially ridiculous, and it's not like like the internet doesn't offer the opportunity to get a proper answer from a real native speaker in a matter of seconds.
Second side note: Odin only sacrificed one eye to drink from Mimir's Well, not both. He is one-eyed, not blind. I didn't even have to Google that, but I did all the same to make double sure I wasn't mistaken. And I'm only writing a review here, not a book where this is an actual plot point.
It scrapes two stars because I am a sucker for these kinds of stories, and there were interesting bits and a likeable sidekick, plus, Iceland as a location is always great, but if you are familiar with McDermott's books, you just can't unsee how similar they are, and how inferior this is to the other.
Side note: If you're going to use German characters, and have them speak German, how about asking a real German speaker for help with their lines instead of Google Translate? It was unintentially ridiculous, and it's not like like the internet doesn't offer the opportunity to get a proper answer from a real native speaker in a matter of seconds.
Second side note: Odin only sacrificed one eye to drink from Mimir's Well, not both. He is one-eyed, not blind. I didn't even have to Google that, but I did all the same to make double sure I wasn't mistaken. And I'm only writing a review here, not a book where this is an actual plot point.
August 13, 2015
Oh dear, where do I start? On the face of it, this should have been a massive hit with me. Take historical, pseudo fact based fiction and a fair bit of blood letting, let good rule over evil and I am away. So what was wrong with this book?
Perhaps it was the fact it should have been amazing and wasn't. Perhaps it was the immature writing style that had me thinking a 15 year old had been let loose with a reasonable advance and a tick list of cliches.
There has to be something fundamentally wrong when you are really wrapped up in a story and then stop and start thinking "Would this actually happen?" For an ardent Reacher and Ben Hope fan this takes some doing and yet Leadbeater managed it time and time again until I realised I was only half way through, knew who would win and didn't care to find out how.
So whilst I cannot really perform a full review, I can say if you are of the opinion that Dan Brown wrote four excellent and totally dissimilar books then you will love this. However, if you thought he had one story, changed the names and robbed you of hard earned dosh, then step away, there are far better stories out there.
Perhaps it was the fact it should have been amazing and wasn't. Perhaps it was the immature writing style that had me thinking a 15 year old had been let loose with a reasonable advance and a tick list of cliches.
There has to be something fundamentally wrong when you are really wrapped up in a story and then stop and start thinking "Would this actually happen?" For an ardent Reacher and Ben Hope fan this takes some doing and yet Leadbeater managed it time and time again until I realised I was only half way through, knew who would win and didn't care to find out how.
So whilst I cannot really perform a full review, I can say if you are of the opinion that Dan Brown wrote four excellent and totally dissimilar books then you will love this. However, if you thought he had one story, changed the names and robbed you of hard earned dosh, then step away, there are far better stories out there.
June 19, 2013
I was really hoping I would like this book when I started reading it. It promised two of my favorites: adventure and ancient myths and legends. I was sorely disappointed. While the premise was promising (the tomb of ancient gods) the execution was so poor that I couldn't wait for the book to end. It was page after page of poor writing, incomplete sentences and uninteresting and illogical characters who lacked clear motivation. A grudging 2 stars but only for a concept that was pretty much wasted. This author goes on my "never again" list.
December 31, 2022
Due to being in the wrong place at the wrong time, ex-SAS Matt Drake and his roommate Ben end up on the run from two groups both after Odin legend artifacts. The only way to save themselves is to find out what’s going on.
The words on the shield are not a curse but a warning to do what’s right.
How come there’s not local police and people wondering why these foreigners are digging up their sacred site? And if it was that easy, you’d think that archeologists would have found all that years ago.
I found myself constantly putting this down as it failed to keep my attention, but I persevered and it wasn’t too bad. Though it does give me doubts as to whether I want to keep going with this series. I’ll try one more.
Footnote: 1) The ‘Tale’ of Jesus Christ was foretold exactly as it happened in detail in the Old Testament books Isaiah: 50 & 53 (700-681 BC), Micah: 5 (735-71-BC) & Psalms: 69 & 22 (David & Solomon: 1410-450 BC). The Jews traveled all over and the Norse could easily have gotten the story from them.
2) If you take the dates of the history, etc. with a grain of salt it’s an interesting legend adventure. If you do some ‘real’ research you’ll discover that carbon dating is not as accurate as the scientific world wants you to think. They just don’t want to go back, say ‘whoops’ and then have to change all the books.
Fave scenes: the croaking frog, climbing the tree, the pet panther and the occupants of the tombs.
The words on the shield are not a curse but a warning to do what’s right.
How come there’s not local police and people wondering why these foreigners are digging up their sacred site? And if it was that easy, you’d think that archeologists would have found all that years ago.
I found myself constantly putting this down as it failed to keep my attention, but I persevered and it wasn’t too bad. Though it does give me doubts as to whether I want to keep going with this series. I’ll try one more.
Footnote: 1) The ‘Tale’ of Jesus Christ was foretold exactly as it happened in detail in the Old Testament books Isaiah: 50 & 53 (700-681 BC), Micah: 5 (735-71-BC) & Psalms: 69 & 22 (David & Solomon: 1410-450 BC). The Jews traveled all over and the Norse could easily have gotten the story from them.
2) If you take the dates of the history, etc. with a grain of salt it’s an interesting legend adventure. If you do some ‘real’ research you’ll discover that carbon dating is not as accurate as the scientific world wants you to think. They just don’t want to go back, say ‘whoops’ and then have to change all the books.
Fave scenes: the croaking frog, climbing the tree, the pet panther and the occupants of the tombs.
April 2, 2021
I'd heard good things about the author, and the blurb had me excited to start-despite quite a lot of negative reviews on this particular book. Despite these, the first few chapters had me totally engrossed, reminding me very much of the Raymond Khoury thriller 'The last templar' until that is the 'thriller' aspect of the book began to merge with myth, fantasy, romance and pretty much any other genre outside science fiction you can think of! As the book progressed it reminded me more and more of a Neil Gaiman (an author of whom I am a huge fan of) or Andy Mc Nab novel in its basic storyline and became almost an 'everyman' story in that it seemed to attempt to cater to all tastes but, sadly for me, failing to meet any of them.
As someone who just has to finish a book after starting it I muddled on-at this point my rating would have been about 3.5....until the final third of the novel. From this point onwards the whole book felt rushed, in addition to above mentioned points the grammar, punctuation and all round phrasing was terrible, especially when dealing with verbs, e.g. "as he was drive away." All in all disappointing, especially considering the fact that there was a potentially excellent thriller building at the outset.
As someone who just has to finish a book after starting it I muddled on-at this point my rating would have been about 3.5....until the final third of the novel. From this point onwards the whole book felt rushed, in addition to above mentioned points the grammar, punctuation and all round phrasing was terrible, especially when dealing with verbs, e.g. "as he was drive away." All in all disappointing, especially considering the fact that there was a potentially excellent thriller building at the outset.
March 28, 2024
Typical pulp action/adventure novel where a former British SAS soldier, Matt Drake, now lives a life as a photographer, becomes involved in the search for a MacGuffin, in this case the "nine pieces of Odin", to prevent the end of the world. Typical race across the world, to beat the evil opposition, in this case "the Germans" and uniquely "The Canadians". It becomes absurd, when all the "lost relics" are easily located by internet searches, by Ben Blake, Matt's friend, who apparently knows more than Professor Parnevik, who has spent a lifetime studying Nordic Legends. With the help of NY cop Kennedy Moore on leave because she exposed a corrupt fellow officer, which ultimately led to the release of a serial killer, who has resumed his killing spree, an SAS team led by Wells, and a Swedish fighting unit led by Torsten Dahl, can Drake "save the world" from an apocalyptic event, in this case the eruption of a Super volcano in Iceland (guaranteed laughs).
The novel does mix Nordic mythology with historical events, compares Nordic legends and Christianity and involves Odin, Thor and Loki so some things are interesting.
The novel does mix Nordic mythology with historical events, compares Nordic legends and Christianity and involves Odin, Thor and Loki so some things are interesting.
February 26, 2018
This one started off bringing my expectations so high I had trouble putting it down. the plot thickened, bringing my curiosity to an all-time high. To my slight disappointment, I expected a little more out of the last two chapters. Such a great idea and prospect for the hero to decipher needed, in my absolute personal vie, just a little more than what was revealed. I will certainly read the next Matt Drake adventure, simply because I believe the author has demonstrated incredible potential for fantastic and unexplored ideas (keeping in mind that as much as I would like to claim that I've read every adventure book ever written, I am simply a beginner with a long way to go), but I will keep my high expectations in the hope that a little more is revealed to make sense of what was uncovered here. On the upside, it is a great read, well-written, with real unexpected elements accompanied by the unmistakable and incomparable British wit, the ensemble bringing a welcome break from the perhaps (in some cases only) overdone American action adventures.
September 17, 2022
If you want fast, exciting, action packed stories with a great cast of characters and lots of banter, this series is for you!
At the time of writing this review there have been 28 Matt Drake books and 16 related spin-offs! More than enough to keep you entertained for some time!
Matt Drake, a retired SAS officer, must unravel a mystery older than time in his search for the Nine Pieces of Odin. Though scattered aeons ago, it is believed that once the Pieces are reunited they will show the way to the Tomb of the Gods- the greatest archaeological find of all time.
From a rocket attack on the Louvre to a battle in a Swedish cavern, from a daring helicopter raid on New York's National History Museum to an assault on a gangsters mansion in Hawaii, Matt Drake must find the world's oldest treasure in one of the wildest places on earth, searching for the very bones of the Gods with the spoils of victory being the entire world.
At the time of writing this review there have been 28 Matt Drake books and 16 related spin-offs! More than enough to keep you entertained for some time!
Matt Drake, a retired SAS officer, must unravel a mystery older than time in his search for the Nine Pieces of Odin. Though scattered aeons ago, it is believed that once the Pieces are reunited they will show the way to the Tomb of the Gods- the greatest archaeological find of all time.
From a rocket attack on the Louvre to a battle in a Swedish cavern, from a daring helicopter raid on New York's National History Museum to an assault on a gangsters mansion in Hawaii, Matt Drake must find the world's oldest treasure in one of the wildest places on earth, searching for the very bones of the Gods with the spoils of victory being the entire world.
August 8, 2021
So far this book is hilarious. Especially the bit where Ben’s Mum rings him up on the cell phone.
However, this Odin stuff is obscure, and the bits in the Prologue—upon my research— proved to be unmitigated bullsht.
Very light-hearted writing.
But at some point one wishes for less light-heartedness and more factuality.
“‘She’s a second dan black belt,’” Ben was babbling. “‘I didn’t think anyone could b-beat her, my-my big sister.’”
Yeahhhhh, well here’s a FLASH, Big Boy: a man is at LEAST 5 to 10 times as strong as a woman, and the woman has NOT been BORN who can defeat a trained soldier in hand to hand combat. This is a “modern” myth, created by TV, Hollywood, and so called, “Feminists.”
JAYZUS! I’m only 1/2 way through but I quit: I DON’T CARE HOW THIS TURNS OUT. I’m also canceling all future books by this PERSON.
.
However, this Odin stuff is obscure, and the bits in the Prologue—upon my research— proved to be unmitigated bullsht.
Very light-hearted writing.
But at some point one wishes for less light-heartedness and more factuality.
“‘She’s a second dan black belt,’” Ben was babbling. “‘I didn’t think anyone could b-beat her, my-my big sister.’”
Yeahhhhh, well here’s a FLASH, Big Boy: a man is at LEAST 5 to 10 times as strong as a woman, and the woman has NOT been BORN who can defeat a trained soldier in hand to hand combat. This is a “modern” myth, created by TV, Hollywood, and so called, “Feminists.”
JAYZUS! I’m only 1/2 way through but I quit: I DON’T CARE HOW THIS TURNS OUT. I’m also canceling all future books by this PERSON.
.
September 9, 2021
Retired SAS Matt Drake is caught between German mercenaries and cultists who are after nine pieces of Odin which will lead them to the Tomb of the Gods and hence to the bones of Odin. Matt joins the adventures with few of his buddies, which looks unconvincing. Why on earth would you want to do that unless you aren't happy with the peace in your life. The mercenaries want to kill him. Unconvincing. Why would they want to leave their quest and kill a retired soldier? While the characters moving from one place to the other for Odin's nine pieces seemed fun, the climax was a drag. Also, the endless banter at places where the characters were supposed to be serious was snapping the tension which is important in any action scene suggesting grave consequences.
July 27, 2017
Wow!
I'm always looking for a great Indiana Jones-style novel, one with a great plot, believable characters, interesting settings and just the right touch of humor. I usually end up with a mediocre plot, over-the-top characters, settings we've all seen/read before and juvenile humor. The Bones of Odin was, by far, the best Indy-style book I've ever read. Great plot, characters I understood rooted for (and against), really cool locations and both sly and in-your-face humor. Can't wait to read the rest of the series!
I'm always looking for a great Indiana Jones-style novel, one with a great plot, believable characters, interesting settings and just the right touch of humor. I usually end up with a mediocre plot, over-the-top characters, settings we've all seen/read before and juvenile humor. The Bones of Odin was, by far, the best Indy-style book I've ever read. Great plot, characters I understood rooted for (and against), really cool locations and both sly and in-your-face humor. Can't wait to read the rest of the series!
January 6, 2018
Generally exciting tale but too far-fetched to be more than a bit of fun - one step up from Biggles (showing my age). Perhaps akin to Alistair McLean with a bit of myth and legend thrown in for good measure - I enjoyed that when I was about 12 years old but I like to think my tastes have changed somewhat since then.
Having said that I will probably read/listen to more of the series when I am after pure escapism, probably listening to an audio book while on long car journeys - which is how I consumed a large proportion of "The bones of Odin". Matthew Reilly fans may be keen.
Having said that I will probably read/listen to more of the series when I am after pure escapism, probably listening to an audio book while on long car journeys - which is how I consumed a large proportion of "The bones of Odin". Matthew Reilly fans may be keen.
March 12, 2020
I see this book has some 1 star reviews. Not sure why. It is a great tomp.
Old soldier who hasn't really settled since leaving is now trying out a career in photography. He is mentoring a young man and the young man is teaching him about photography.
They get embroiled in a search for the 9 pieces of Odin. They are shove around the world in many dangerous adventures they are really not equipped to handle.
The writer is constantly having to keep the adventures exciting and does a pretty good job.
Come on folks it is a fictional adventure played out with a young lad and an old soldier. If you take it as written it is an exciting, dangerous adventure for a legendary set of items.
Old soldier who hasn't really settled since leaving is now trying out a career in photography. He is mentoring a young man and the young man is teaching him about photography.
They get embroiled in a search for the 9 pieces of Odin. They are shove around the world in many dangerous adventures they are really not equipped to handle.
The writer is constantly having to keep the adventures exciting and does a pretty good job.
Come on folks it is a fictional adventure played out with a young lad and an old soldier. If you take it as written it is an exciting, dangerous adventure for a legendary set of items.
August 18, 2020
This is a great action/adventure book, reminding me of Indiana Jones. The author was born in the U.K. and lives in York. I attribute the differences in phrasing and writing style to be due to that background. For readers from the U.S., some things said will not be interpreted correctly and may be judged as poor writing, which I don't think it is. Anyway, if you can get past that, the story is non-stop action, a real archeological thriller. I will be reading more.
December 15, 2023
Entertaining!
I'm new to this author and very happy to have found him and his Matt Drake series. Great characters, lots of action and plot paths to follow. I enjoyed that it moved a bit around the world, as well as touching on many different myths and cultures. The characters are written well enough that you care and want to follow them again. I'm looking forward to the next book!😀
I'm new to this author and very happy to have found him and his Matt Drake series. Great characters, lots of action and plot paths to follow. I enjoyed that it moved a bit around the world, as well as touching on many different myths and cultures. The characters are written well enough that you care and want to follow them again. I'm looking forward to the next book!😀
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