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God of war
[ MP3 CD Format ] The Official Novelization of the Best Selling Game His vengeance against the gods of Olympus years behind him, Kratos now lives as a man in the realm of Norse gods and monsters. It is in this harsh, unforgiving world that he must fight to survive ... and teach his son to do the same. This startling reimagining of God of War deconstructs the core elements that defined the series -- satisfying combat, breathtaking scale, and a powerful narrative -- and fuses them anew.
335 pages, Paperback
Published April 4, 2019
318 people are currently reading
1925 people want to read
About the author
J.M. Barlog
18 books75 followersBarlog grew up in Chicago before serving in Vietnam with the U.S. Air Force.
He has authored numerous novels across many genres. Windows to the Soul, his debut novel, won the Readers' Choice award for suspense at an Illinois 'Love Is Murder' Mystery Conference.
But his greatest accomplishments are his three children and his grandchildren.
Barlog currently lives with his wife in Southern California, where he is busy writing sequels to his popular novels The Heart of the Lion, Minno, and A Connecticut Nightmare.
He has authored numerous novels across many genres. Windows to the Soul, his debut novel, won the Readers' Choice award for suspense at an Illinois 'Love Is Murder' Mystery Conference.
But his greatest accomplishments are his three children and his grandchildren.
Barlog currently lives with his wife in Southern California, where he is busy writing sequels to his popular novels The Heart of the Lion, Minno, and A Connecticut Nightmare.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 301 reviews
October 16, 2018
4.5 stars.
As always this review can also be found on my blog The Tattooed Book Geek: https://thetattooedbookgeek.wordpress...
I’ll preface my review with this statement, I’m a massive God of War fan. From its initial release on the PlayStation 2 all the way back in 2005 through to the recent 2018 PlayStation 4 instalment that this book is the novelization of. I mean, the book even has the exact same cover as the video game!📖🎮
Set in ancient Greece and full of the gods and monsters of Greek mythology God of War was a fantastic series and called to me. The setting, the creatures, the epic boss fights, Kratos, the main character, angry with a fiery rage, hell-bent on vengeance against the God’s, the sweet weaponry that he wielded, I mean, c’mon the Blades of Chaos are amazing! and, I’m not gonna lie, the gratuitous violence and copious bloodshed appealed to.
Then, with the latest release, the setting changed. Kratos had quenched his thirst for vengeance and ancient Greece was no more. Instead, the series moved on, forward in time to a new Norse setting and something strange happened to Kratos. He was always a great character but he was also rather one-dimensional and then with this instalment of God of War he changed.
With the passage of time Kratos had aged, he had traded in the Blades of Chaos for a single axe, the Leviathan axe, his anger whilst still there was now more measured, he was more reflective, thoughtful and as a character, he was far more complex than ever before.
The God of War series is one of favourite gaming series and, for this latest release, along with the likes of Bioshock (1, 2 & Infinite), Dead Space (1 & 2), Fallout 3, the GTA series, Horizon Zero Dawn, Red Dead Redemption, going old school now, Shadow of the Colossus and even further back Goldeneye and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time it is one of the best games that I have ever played, it’s not just a video game, it’s an experience. The setting, the mythology, the monsters, the locations, the dialogue, the weapons, the RPG (Role-playing-Game) elements and expanded gameplay, Kratos and then, this time, the cutscenes, the storytelling and the emotions that the game evokes in the player too. Yes, the visceral violence that is synonymous with the franchise is still there but then there is added depth too. God of War has such a heartfelt, personal and poignant story with Kratos and his son, Atreus leaving their isolated forest home to fulfil Kratos’s promise to his deceased wife, to honour her last wish and scatter her ashes from the top of the highest mountain peak in all of the nine realms. The simple story that turns into an epic journey spanning various realms and the fraught relationship between the father and son who have never really bonded is a testament to the power of storytelling in the video game medium with some amazing voice acting by Christopher Judge (Teal’c from Stargate SG1) as Kratos.
Saying all that, after being offered a copy of the God of War book to read and review (which, I have to admit that I had no idea was even a thing until I received the press release email) half of me was chomping at the bit to accept and thinking ‘how cool is this‘ but the other half was rather more apprehensive about accepting it. You see, with no disrespect to either the book or Barlog the game had set such a high standard (I’d go as far as to call it a masterpiece) that I had to ask myself what could the book possibly add to the game and would it be a worthy addition or an unnecessary extra that simply left me yearning to pick up the controller and replay the game.
Well, after finishing the book I have to admit that Barlog has done a damn fine job with the God of War novelization and he brings the game to life in the form of a tremendous book. I loved it and in my opinion, if you are a fan of the game then you’ll be a fan of the book.
Obviously, the book tells the same story as in the game. Kratos and Atreus journey forth from their home to scatter Faye’s (the wife of Kratos and the mother of Atreus) ashes from the highest mountaintop in all the realms.
There’s a lot packed into the game of God of War. Along with the main story, there is a whole plethora of other content available with plenty of lore and a variety of side quests to discover throughout the world. As such, the book is far more linear in its approach focusing solely on the main story and missing out the lore and side quests. This, however, is totally understandable and Barlog can’t be faulted for his focus on the main story. Had he written about everything else that is included in the actual game then the book would have been double the size in length and probably well over 800 pages. Instead, what we get is a streamlined narrative featuring the major points of the main story that manages to keep the core of the game intact and works well.
It is a long and arduous trek to the highest mountain peak spanning various realms with plenty of obstacles along the way and many battles against a variety of foes (including Trolls, Hel-walkers, Draugr, Ogres, Elves, Wulver, a Dragon, demi-gods and a god) to overcome.
Kratos and Atreus are both consumed by grief by the loss of Faye. They are in turmoil and the loss is a wound that is raw and still bleeds. Atreus wears his heart on his sleeve and often shows his emotions. Whereas, with Kratos, apart from the anger shown he is very stoic, grieving in his own way and mourning silently but the grief, for the pair is palpable on the pages. Kratos doesn’t know how to be a father to Atreus struggling with the role and at its core, that’s what God of War is about. The building and the development of the relationship between the two, the growth of Kratos as he learns to be a father, Atreus maturing from the child who started the journey and showing that he is strong enough to complete the task, trusting each other, working together and finally both Kratos and Atreus coming to terms with their true nature.
In general, the action in God of War is decent enough but there’s a couple of occasions where more description and detail would have been welcomed in the encounters and fights. It’s a tough one though as the action in the game is very visceral. Subsequently, if Barlog had taken that gaming action and written it in the same visceral way then the God of War book would have been very dark and it wouldn’t have been as accessible as it ultimately is.
The settings in the book are recognisable as the locations in the game. Likewise, the characters in the book are the not only reminiscent of the characters from in the game, they ‘are‘ the characters from in the game. Kratos, Atreus, the head of Mimir, Brok and Sindri (the bickering dwarven brothers), Freya and Baldur and their actions, the dialogue between them and their personalities are all on point and Barlog has done a great job of transferring them to the book.
The book offers fans of the game something extra in the form of a worthy companion piece that sits beside the game as a welcome addition to the God of War franchise evoking the spirit of the game. For those who don’t play video games (I know, the horror but alas, some people don’t) and have no prior knowledge of Kratos and the God of War gaming series then you will also still find a good adventure and story inside the pages of the book.
As always this review can also be found on my blog The Tattooed Book Geek: https://thetattooedbookgeek.wordpress...
I’ll preface my review with this statement, I’m a massive God of War fan. From its initial release on the PlayStation 2 all the way back in 2005 through to the recent 2018 PlayStation 4 instalment that this book is the novelization of. I mean, the book even has the exact same cover as the video game!📖🎮
Set in ancient Greece and full of the gods and monsters of Greek mythology God of War was a fantastic series and called to me. The setting, the creatures, the epic boss fights, Kratos, the main character, angry with a fiery rage, hell-bent on vengeance against the God’s, the sweet weaponry that he wielded, I mean, c’mon the Blades of Chaos are amazing! and, I’m not gonna lie, the gratuitous violence and copious bloodshed appealed to.
Then, with the latest release, the setting changed. Kratos had quenched his thirst for vengeance and ancient Greece was no more. Instead, the series moved on, forward in time to a new Norse setting and something strange happened to Kratos. He was always a great character but he was also rather one-dimensional and then with this instalment of God of War he changed.
With the passage of time Kratos had aged, he had traded in the Blades of Chaos for a single axe, the Leviathan axe, his anger whilst still there was now more measured, he was more reflective, thoughtful and as a character, he was far more complex than ever before.
The God of War series is one of favourite gaming series and, for this latest release, along with the likes of Bioshock (1, 2 & Infinite), Dead Space (1 & 2), Fallout 3, the GTA series, Horizon Zero Dawn, Red Dead Redemption, going old school now, Shadow of the Colossus and even further back Goldeneye and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time it is one of the best games that I have ever played, it’s not just a video game, it’s an experience. The setting, the mythology, the monsters, the locations, the dialogue, the weapons, the RPG (Role-playing-Game) elements and expanded gameplay, Kratos and then, this time, the cutscenes, the storytelling and the emotions that the game evokes in the player too. Yes, the visceral violence that is synonymous with the franchise is still there but then there is added depth too. God of War has such a heartfelt, personal and poignant story with Kratos and his son, Atreus leaving their isolated forest home to fulfil Kratos’s promise to his deceased wife, to honour her last wish and scatter her ashes from the top of the highest mountain peak in all of the nine realms. The simple story that turns into an epic journey spanning various realms and the fraught relationship between the father and son who have never really bonded is a testament to the power of storytelling in the video game medium with some amazing voice acting by Christopher Judge (Teal’c from Stargate SG1) as Kratos.
Saying all that, after being offered a copy of the God of War book to read and review (which, I have to admit that I had no idea was even a thing until I received the press release email) half of me was chomping at the bit to accept and thinking ‘how cool is this‘ but the other half was rather more apprehensive about accepting it. You see, with no disrespect to either the book or Barlog the game had set such a high standard (I’d go as far as to call it a masterpiece) that I had to ask myself what could the book possibly add to the game and would it be a worthy addition or an unnecessary extra that simply left me yearning to pick up the controller and replay the game.
Well, after finishing the book I have to admit that Barlog has done a damn fine job with the God of War novelization and he brings the game to life in the form of a tremendous book. I loved it and in my opinion, if you are a fan of the game then you’ll be a fan of the book.
Obviously, the book tells the same story as in the game. Kratos and Atreus journey forth from their home to scatter Faye’s (the wife of Kratos and the mother of Atreus) ashes from the highest mountaintop in all the realms.
There’s a lot packed into the game of God of War. Along with the main story, there is a whole plethora of other content available with plenty of lore and a variety of side quests to discover throughout the world. As such, the book is far more linear in its approach focusing solely on the main story and missing out the lore and side quests. This, however, is totally understandable and Barlog can’t be faulted for his focus on the main story. Had he written about everything else that is included in the actual game then the book would have been double the size in length and probably well over 800 pages. Instead, what we get is a streamlined narrative featuring the major points of the main story that manages to keep the core of the game intact and works well.
It is a long and arduous trek to the highest mountain peak spanning various realms with plenty of obstacles along the way and many battles against a variety of foes (including Trolls, Hel-walkers, Draugr, Ogres, Elves, Wulver, a Dragon, demi-gods and a god) to overcome.
Kratos and Atreus are both consumed by grief by the loss of Faye. They are in turmoil and the loss is a wound that is raw and still bleeds. Atreus wears his heart on his sleeve and often shows his emotions. Whereas, with Kratos, apart from the anger shown he is very stoic, grieving in his own way and mourning silently but the grief, for the pair is palpable on the pages. Kratos doesn’t know how to be a father to Atreus struggling with the role and at its core, that’s what God of War is about. The building and the development of the relationship between the two, the growth of Kratos as he learns to be a father, Atreus maturing from the child who started the journey and showing that he is strong enough to complete the task, trusting each other, working together and finally both Kratos and Atreus coming to terms with their true nature.
In general, the action in God of War is decent enough but there’s a couple of occasions where more description and detail would have been welcomed in the encounters and fights. It’s a tough one though as the action in the game is very visceral. Subsequently, if Barlog had taken that gaming action and written it in the same visceral way then the God of War book would have been very dark and it wouldn’t have been as accessible as it ultimately is.
The settings in the book are recognisable as the locations in the game. Likewise, the characters in the book are the not only reminiscent of the characters from in the game, they ‘are‘ the characters from in the game. Kratos, Atreus, the head of Mimir, Brok and Sindri (the bickering dwarven brothers), Freya and Baldur and their actions, the dialogue between them and their personalities are all on point and Barlog has done a great job of transferring them to the book.
The book offers fans of the game something extra in the form of a worthy companion piece that sits beside the game as a welcome addition to the God of War franchise evoking the spirit of the game. For those who don’t play video games (I know, the horror but alas, some people don’t) and have no prior knowledge of Kratos and the God of War gaming series then you will also still find a good adventure and story inside the pages of the book.
March 15, 2023
Spoilers for if you haven't played the game!!!
↠ 5 stars, I wish that I could give it more
--
"No. We are not men. We are far more, which makes our responsibilities far greater," his father corrected. Could this boy even comprehend what that meant? "And you must be better than me. Understand?" Atreus stared at the knife, then at his father. He nodded absently. "Say it," Kratos demanded.
"I will be better."
Kratos, the God of War, has left behind Olympus and his vengeance. For years he has been living in the realm of the Norse Gods hidden far away from the world. Believing that his past is well behind him Kratos has married again to a woman named Faye and they have son together, Atreus. Faye is the one who taught Atreus the most like hunting and archery while Kratos mostly went hunting by himself, which meant that he was pretty much absent for most of Atreus' life.
When Faye unexpectedly dies years later Kratos is suddenly left behind with his son, with who he shares a troubled bond. Before Faye died she had told Kratos that she wanted her ashes to be scattered from the highest peak in all of the realms. Kratos thinks that Atreus is inexperienced and young, and not ready to partake such a venture, but he has no other choice than to take him with him. Kratos needs to honor the wishes of his late wife.
Together they leave behind their secluded home in the forest and set out towards the mountains.
Atreus, my precious sugar muffin, is determined to proof his father wrong and to show him that he's perfectly capable to come along and that he can fight alongside him. Now that he has lost his mother Atreus feels the strong need to develop a bond with his father since he barely knows the man who has been mostly absent during his life. He just wants to be accepted and appreciated.
Atreus does his best to show Kratos exactly how much his mother has taught him and that he has his anger and sickness under control. He is a quick learner and listens to what his father tells him, to improve his skills.
"When fear seizes you, Atreus, that is the moment you must become fearless."
Atreus has never ventured further than besides the forest that surrounds his house and this is the first time that he sees what Midgard has to offer, which surprises him. Atreus becomes the one who translates all of the ruins that they encounter since Kratos has never learned how to describer Norse ruins. Apparently languages come easy to Atreus and all of his mother's lessons proof useful on the road. Kratos begins to rely on him.
Atreus is filled with kindness, which he has from his mother, and he easily befriends everyone that they encounter. He sees the good in everyone and always wants to save as much people or creatures as he can, which Kratos doesn't always understand.
As they travel across the Lake of Nine they encounter the World Serpent, Jörmungandr, which is still the best part. The serpent speaks to them in the ancient tongue and reading about that part still gave me some chills.
A giant snake, so huge it consumed the entire sky before them, rose up out of the water, then lowered its head, tilting it to one side to eye Kratos and the boy suspiciously.
Their road leads them high into the mountains of Midgard!
When they finally made it onto the mountain they come across, Mimir, the smartest man alive.
"I'm going to cut off your head now, so you will be silent."
"Fair enough."
Kratos decapitates Mimir at his request and let his head dangle on his belt. Mimir tells them that the highest peak of all the realms isn't in Midgard, but in Jotunheim. That means that they still have a long way to go before they scatter Faye's ashes. Only from there Mimir joins them, and the head proves to be of much value since he knows the answer to every question.
If she can't bring it back to life, can we keep the head anyway?"
"No. But you may feed it to the fish."
Mimir is the one who makes the most jokes of everyone and who doesn't hesitate to show his disdain for the gods. His conversations with Kratos and Atreus are funny and never failed to make me laugh, even when I read about them.
"It looked like the World Serpent was gonna eat us!" Atreus said.
"My fault. A misplaced click or two created some confusion. He thought I said you were friends of Odin. You will have to forgive me. Trust is, I have never spoken the ancient tongue while sober."
The journey continues and it takes us to different realms!
Midgard!
Alfheim!
There is this part where Kratos has to travel into the light of Alfheim to collect the Bifröst while Atreus waits for him. In the game it appears that Atreus was only waiting there for a few hours at least, where in the book it was almost a day and Atreus fought of plenty of Dark Elves during his father's absence.
And Helheim
I have a feeling that I can easily sit here writing about my love for this game and this book, but I don't want to extend this review for that much longer. Still I want to mention some of the characters that make this story memorable and that played a part in it.
The dwarven brothers Brok and Sindri.
The little man slid from his hiding place, stopping beside Atreus. "Ya see what my touch brung!" Brok boasted with a broad smile.
"Adequate," said Kratos.
"Adequate he says..."
The Goddess Freya, the Witch in the woods.
"You should know the gods of these realms do not take kindly to outsiders. Trust me, I know."
The God Baldur
The Demi-God Modi
And the Demi-God Magni
The relationship between Kratos and Atreus started of problematic. Kratos wanted to show Atreus that he cared and that he could be a good father to him, one that he deserves, but he didn't know to. The God of War was scared. Kratos wants to make up for all of the time that he has lost with Atreus when he had been absent during his son's life.
"Can I... turn into an animal?" Atreus asked.
"Can you turn into an animal? No... no, I don't think so," Kratos responded.
"[...] Are you sure I cannot turn into a wolf?"
"You are welcome to surprise me."
During their journey Atreus and Kratos grow closer to another, especially after Kratos tells him about where he came from and the reason why Atreus is sick. Kratos doesn't doubt his son's abilities any longer and is more than happy to let Atreus fight along side him, without questioning him. It creates a strong bond between them.
God of War is one of my all time favorite videogames and I've replayed it a couple of times since it released last April. In my opinion it has everything that a phenomenal videogame requires and I'm immensely invested into this world and its characters. I wasn't aware that a book about this game was being made, but when I discovered it on twitter a couple of days ago I could only jump into this world again. The book is just as mind-blowing as the game.
I think I'll return to this world again and again. Everyone should give this game a chance, you will not regret it!
"Is this what it is to be a god? Is this how it always ends? Sons killing their mothers... their fathers?"
And now we patiently wait for the next game to be created and be released within 4-5 years from now....
↠ 5 stars, I wish that I could give it more
--
"No. We are not men. We are far more, which makes our responsibilities far greater," his father corrected. Could this boy even comprehend what that meant? "And you must be better than me. Understand?" Atreus stared at the knife, then at his father. He nodded absently. "Say it," Kratos demanded.
"I will be better."
Kratos, the God of War, has left behind Olympus and his vengeance. For years he has been living in the realm of the Norse Gods hidden far away from the world. Believing that his past is well behind him Kratos has married again to a woman named Faye and they have son together, Atreus. Faye is the one who taught Atreus the most like hunting and archery while Kratos mostly went hunting by himself, which meant that he was pretty much absent for most of Atreus' life.
When Faye unexpectedly dies years later Kratos is suddenly left behind with his son, with who he shares a troubled bond. Before Faye died she had told Kratos that she wanted her ashes to be scattered from the highest peak in all of the realms. Kratos thinks that Atreus is inexperienced and young, and not ready to partake such a venture, but he has no other choice than to take him with him. Kratos needs to honor the wishes of his late wife.
Together they leave behind their secluded home in the forest and set out towards the mountains.
Atreus, my precious sugar muffin, is determined to proof his father wrong and to show him that he's perfectly capable to come along and that he can fight alongside him. Now that he has lost his mother Atreus feels the strong need to develop a bond with his father since he barely knows the man who has been mostly absent during his life. He just wants to be accepted and appreciated.
Atreus does his best to show Kratos exactly how much his mother has taught him and that he has his anger and sickness under control. He is a quick learner and listens to what his father tells him, to improve his skills.
"When fear seizes you, Atreus, that is the moment you must become fearless."
Atreus has never ventured further than besides the forest that surrounds his house and this is the first time that he sees what Midgard has to offer, which surprises him. Atreus becomes the one who translates all of the ruins that they encounter since Kratos has never learned how to describer Norse ruins. Apparently languages come easy to Atreus and all of his mother's lessons proof useful on the road. Kratos begins to rely on him.
Atreus is filled with kindness, which he has from his mother, and he easily befriends everyone that they encounter. He sees the good in everyone and always wants to save as much people or creatures as he can, which Kratos doesn't always understand.
As they travel across the Lake of Nine they encounter the World Serpent, Jörmungandr, which is still the best part. The serpent speaks to them in the ancient tongue and reading about that part still gave me some chills.
A giant snake, so huge it consumed the entire sky before them, rose up out of the water, then lowered its head, tilting it to one side to eye Kratos and the boy suspiciously.
Their road leads them high into the mountains of Midgard!
When they finally made it onto the mountain they come across, Mimir, the smartest man alive.
"I'm going to cut off your head now, so you will be silent."
"Fair enough."
Kratos decapitates Mimir at his request and let his head dangle on his belt. Mimir tells them that the highest peak of all the realms isn't in Midgard, but in Jotunheim. That means that they still have a long way to go before they scatter Faye's ashes. Only from there Mimir joins them, and the head proves to be of much value since he knows the answer to every question.
If she can't bring it back to life, can we keep the head anyway?"
"No. But you may feed it to the fish."
Mimir is the one who makes the most jokes of everyone and who doesn't hesitate to show his disdain for the gods. His conversations with Kratos and Atreus are funny and never failed to make me laugh, even when I read about them.
"It looked like the World Serpent was gonna eat us!" Atreus said.
"My fault. A misplaced click or two created some confusion. He thought I said you were friends of Odin. You will have to forgive me. Trust is, I have never spoken the ancient tongue while sober."
The journey continues and it takes us to different realms!
Midgard!
Alfheim!
There is this part where Kratos has to travel into the light of Alfheim to collect the Bifröst while Atreus waits for him. In the game it appears that Atreus was only waiting there for a few hours at least, where in the book it was almost a day and Atreus fought of plenty of Dark Elves during his father's absence.
And Helheim
I have a feeling that I can easily sit here writing about my love for this game and this book, but I don't want to extend this review for that much longer. Still I want to mention some of the characters that make this story memorable and that played a part in it.
The dwarven brothers Brok and Sindri.
The little man slid from his hiding place, stopping beside Atreus. "Ya see what my touch brung!" Brok boasted with a broad smile.
"Adequate," said Kratos.
"Adequate he says..."
The Goddess Freya, the Witch in the woods.
"You should know the gods of these realms do not take kindly to outsiders. Trust me, I know."
The God Baldur
The Demi-God Modi
And the Demi-God Magni
The relationship between Kratos and Atreus started of problematic. Kratos wanted to show Atreus that he cared and that he could be a good father to him, one that he deserves, but he didn't know to. The God of War was scared. Kratos wants to make up for all of the time that he has lost with Atreus when he had been absent during his son's life.
"Can I... turn into an animal?" Atreus asked.
"Can you turn into an animal? No... no, I don't think so," Kratos responded.
"[...] Are you sure I cannot turn into a wolf?"
"You are welcome to surprise me."
During their journey Atreus and Kratos grow closer to another, especially after Kratos tells him about where he came from and the reason why Atreus is sick. Kratos doesn't doubt his son's abilities any longer and is more than happy to let Atreus fight along side him, without questioning him. It creates a strong bond between them.
God of War is one of my all time favorite videogames and I've replayed it a couple of times since it released last April. In my opinion it has everything that a phenomenal videogame requires and I'm immensely invested into this world and its characters. I wasn't aware that a book about this game was being made, but when I discovered it on twitter a couple of days ago I could only jump into this world again. The book is just as mind-blowing as the game.
I think I'll return to this world again and again. Everyone should give this game a chance, you will not regret it!
"Is this what it is to be a god? Is this how it always ends? Sons killing their mothers... their fathers?"
And now we patiently wait for the next game to be created and be released within 4-5 years from now....
January 5, 2024
An interesting take on Norse gods and mythology 😁
October 25, 2021
Actual review coming soon but BOY do I have questions.
Actual Review: Just to get one thing out of the way: I bought the audiobook 100% because Alistair Duncan AKA Mimir does the narration and I could listen to him talk forever. He's my third favorite character in the game. I acknowledge this is Embarrassing Stan Behavior, but it is what it is. His narration voice is still good and I still love Mimir, so he's the reason this review is a two-star. As for the book itself...WELL...
In my Lore and Legends review, I said the best part of the book were the parts that contained information not in the game, because everything else got a bit repetitive. The novelization has a similar problem, but different outcome. The best parts of the book are by and large the parts that contain information not in the game--Faye's pet hawk, more translations for what the World Serpent (whose name I cannot spell, sorry, big guy) says, better descriptions of the wall murals, finding out what Atreus was doing while Kratos was in the light of Alfheim, that kind of thing. Some of the "getting inside the head of the character" bits were also good (like the extra heartbreaking detail that Atreus latched onto Freya because he missed his mother...ouch...).
The worst parts, meanwhile, are the parts that more directly adapt the game, or attempt to. This is not because they get repetitive. It's because there are some utterly baffling characterization choices and plot changes that really drew me out of the experience, doubly so as someone who has a 100% completion saved file on the game proper. There are some differences I'm not going to address here because I acknowledge that they are probably because a) I interpreted the character differently from the author, which happens in interpretative works and that's normal, and b) my interpretation is based on gameplay that the author probably hadn't seen, and the actor performances absolutely shape the way different characters come across (ESPECIALLY Kratos). YMMV, all that jazz. But I do want to address some particular changes I noted while listening that can't be chalked up to varying interpretations and just do not make sense to me. I'll be putting these behind a spoiler cut so this review isn't ten years long, but the tl;dr is that several moments from the game that are actively important to its emotional themes and impact are either removed or changed to the point of being different scenes, and it's incredibly jarring. But for specifics...
Also Kratos's eyes are described as grey and not gold, which doesn't affect anything on a thematic level but it bothers me. Especially since Fallen God's first issue has just been released and yep...those are VERY gold eyes.
In conclusion: I would gladly listen to Alistair Duncan read me myths for approximately the rest of my natural life, and I still love the game. One of the best I've ever played, can't wait for the sequel. But as an adaptation, this doesn't have any of the game's magic, and many of the changes it made actively harmed the narrative rather than just being necessary alterations to fit a new medium. Can't say I recommend this one unless you, like me, really like Mimir and are okay with paying $13 on libro.fm to listen to him talk for ten hours. (And if you are, that's valid.)
Actual Review: Just to get one thing out of the way: I bought the audiobook 100% because Alistair Duncan AKA Mimir does the narration and I could listen to him talk forever. He's my third favorite character in the game. I acknowledge this is Embarrassing Stan Behavior, but it is what it is. His narration voice is still good and I still love Mimir, so he's the reason this review is a two-star. As for the book itself...WELL...
In my Lore and Legends review, I said the best part of the book were the parts that contained information not in the game, because everything else got a bit repetitive. The novelization has a similar problem, but different outcome. The best parts of the book are by and large the parts that contain information not in the game--Faye's pet hawk, more translations for what the World Serpent (whose name I cannot spell, sorry, big guy) says, better descriptions of the wall murals, finding out what Atreus was doing while Kratos was in the light of Alfheim, that kind of thing. Some of the "getting inside the head of the character" bits were also good (like the extra heartbreaking detail that Atreus latched onto Freya because he missed his mother...ouch...).
The worst parts, meanwhile, are the parts that more directly adapt the game, or attempt to. This is not because they get repetitive. It's because there are some utterly baffling characterization choices and plot changes that really drew me out of the experience, doubly so as someone who has a 100% completion saved file on the game proper. There are some differences I'm not going to address here because I acknowledge that they are probably because a) I interpreted the character differently from the author, which happens in interpretative works and that's normal, and b) my interpretation is based on gameplay that the author probably hadn't seen, and the actor performances absolutely shape the way different characters come across (ESPECIALLY Kratos). YMMV, all that jazz. But I do want to address some particular changes I noted while listening that can't be chalked up to varying interpretations and just do not make sense to me. I'll be putting these behind a spoiler cut so this review isn't ten years long, but the tl;dr is that several moments from the game that are actively important to its emotional themes and impact are either removed or changed to the point of being different scenes, and it's incredibly jarring. But for specifics...
Also Kratos's eyes are described as grey and not gold, which doesn't affect anything on a thematic level but it bothers me. Especially since Fallen God's first issue has just been released and yep...those are VERY gold eyes.
In conclusion: I would gladly listen to Alistair Duncan read me myths for approximately the rest of my natural life, and I still love the game. One of the best I've ever played, can't wait for the sequel. But as an adaptation, this doesn't have any of the game's magic, and many of the changes it made actively harmed the narrative rather than just being necessary alterations to fit a new medium. Can't say I recommend this one unless you, like me, really like Mimir and are okay with paying $13 on libro.fm to listen to him talk for ten hours. (And if you are, that's valid.)
August 7, 2019
I have been a fan of God of war since it came out, played all the games in all the platforms, the story is amazing, and when i heard there was a novelization of the last game I did not hesitate in getting it.
An Old battered Kratos is in strange lands, ancient Norway in the realm of Midgard, his life has changed, now he lives in seclusion and entirely in charge of a small boy, his son, Atreus, after the death of his wife (the boy's mother). They embark on a journey to spread her ashes at the highest peak of the nine realms.
Kratos past will never stop hunting him and he has sworn for the wellbeing of his son to maintain his past a secret, deferent paths and creatures will slowly unveil his past and his capabilities while a whole new world of gods and mythology unveils.
this book was great and surprisingly fun, due to work and grownup life I barely have time to read even less play, so when I found this it was a jackpot!, the book has an excellent plot with an unexpected ending and revelation, I’ve listened to this story in audible the narrator is superb perfect voice acting, I extremely recommend this if you are a God of war fan.
.
An Old battered Kratos is in strange lands, ancient Norway in the realm of Midgard, his life has changed, now he lives in seclusion and entirely in charge of a small boy, his son, Atreus, after the death of his wife (the boy's mother). They embark on a journey to spread her ashes at the highest peak of the nine realms.
Kratos past will never stop hunting him and he has sworn for the wellbeing of his son to maintain his past a secret, deferent paths and creatures will slowly unveil his past and his capabilities while a whole new world of gods and mythology unveils.
this book was great and surprisingly fun, due to work and grownup life I barely have time to read even less play, so when I found this it was a jackpot!, the book has an excellent plot with an unexpected ending and revelation, I’ve listened to this story in audible the narrator is superb perfect voice acting, I extremely recommend this if you are a God of war fan.
.
July 23, 2022
I played the game when it was first released and loved it and I’m very excited for the follow up release later this year however, I needed to brush up on the story some so I did the narration and let me tell you, it was very immersive and the narrator was absolutely phenomenal as the God of War “Kratos”. He even did the other characters voices incredibly well too! The story is very well written and I can’t wait for more of them and Thor and Ragnarok! Highly recommend if you’re a fan of the game!
February 10, 2019
I started reading this book in the hopes that it will provide a more nuanced and detailed telling of the game's story, maybe expand it a little. After a few chapters, I realized that wasn't the case. Aside from a few (and far between) additional story-building paragraphs, the novel feels like a word-for-word copy of its original source, inferior at that. Where the game used subtlety to express the characters' emotions and the gravitas of certain events, the book seems a little heavy-handed, delivering simple, matter-of-fact descriptions. The plot is guided very mechanically and without embellishment, the events are rushed through, without much detail to them, the characters' thoughts are put entirely on display for the benefit (or lack thereof) of the reader. It all boils down to one thing: where the game had the approach of "show, don't tell", the novel was simply about "just telling" everything. Maybe that's why I wasn't so eager to finish this book, it's like the author doesn't trust the reader to infer the story's meaning and does it for them, and where's the fun in that? All in all, the book is not bad, but with the story it had as its source it had the potential to be so much better.
Also, no Valkyries? I understand that that plotline was not part of the main story, but since it was quite an important quest in the game, it should've gotten more attention than a brief mention between the lines.
Also, no Valkyries? I understand that that plotline was not part of the main story, but since it was quite an important quest in the game, it should've gotten more attention than a brief mention between the lines.
September 3, 2018
Excellent reading by a familiar voice (for those who have played the game). I love how they go into detail on Kratos and Atreus' feelings for each other, and how, during one particular section, you are able to see what Atreus went through while waiting for Kratos. Also, the epilogue adds a cliffhanger that you don't want to miss.
December 17, 2020
I found myself pleasantly surprised! This game novelization was well done. The narrator was a pleasure to listen to, the father/son dynamic between Kratos and Atreyus was heart-wrenching and heart-warming, and the pace was non-stop.
Well done.
I'd rate this a PG-13 for violence and gore as well as some swearing, including multiple uses of the F-bomb.
Well done.
I'd rate this a PG-13 for violence and gore as well as some swearing, including multiple uses of the F-bomb.
March 26, 2019
THIS. IS. MIDGARD.
April 8, 2021
Play the game.
January 8, 2021
"When fear seizes you, Atreus, that is the moment you must become fearless."
★★★★✩
I was given this book by Titan Books in exchange of an honest review.
I am a gamer and love playing games for their stories. God of War has been on my to-play list ever since the fourth game was announced, only to find out that it is Playstation only (I am a PC gamer). A bummer, but that makes this novelization of God of War 4 even better for me to experience the story.
Going in this book, I knew next to nothing about Kratos, the God of War. I knew he's a Spartan god, son of Zeus, and at the time of this book he has been living in Norway for some time. But it really hasn't been a problem while reading this. The events of this book aren't related to anything from the past as this is a story on its own. Ofcourse, there are references or flashbacks to certain moments of Kratos' past, but they are explained briefly for the reader to understand them and aren't always that relevant for the story as a whole.
Something I really like is how true the book is to the story of the game. I never played the game, but a friend of mine has and we have been discussing the story itself and aspects of it while I was reading it. He even sent me the 'full movie' of in-game cutscenes (Click here to watch it) after I finished the book, so I could watch that to get a great visual of the story. At the time of writing this review I have watched 30 minutes of the nearly six hour long video. It made me realise how vivid the discriptions are, as so far most have been almost the same or atleast quite similar as I imagined it in my head while reading. Really well done.
The story itself flows really well. All the aspects of the story are in great balance. The character arcs, the traveling, the general pace of the story, the worldbuilding and the fighting scenes work really well together and flow over into eachother to create a really good story. Sometimes, things like fighting scenes can read a bit clunky in novelizations of movies and games, but in this book it is really enjoyable. They aren't stretched out over pages, but aren't rushed over in a few lines either.
Something else what stood out to me is how minimal the amount of active characters was. I have read books with a ton of characters and names and even though I can handle that easily, I takes alot of brainpower to keep track while trying to read casually. In God of War you follow the main characters Kratos and his son Atreus and you circle back and forth between only six other characters as part of the plot. I really like that, as you go "oh, there they are again!" or "oh, we are going to them again!". You remain familiar with these characters along the ride, but without them being main characters. It was really nice to read a book with that, as I could read this fairly casual compared to books with a dozen very important characters.
What I think I liked the most was how this book dragged you, as the reader, along on the father-son journey to honor their mom/wife's last wish. It was really amazing to see them grow and cope with their emotions while on the dangerous adventure. It was heartwarming, really. I really want to learn how their story will go on, as the ending was more of a "to be continued.."
In my opinion, you can enjoy this book very well without having played any of the God of War games or being a gamer at all. It is a great fantasy taking place in Norway, including the amazing Norse mythology. It has all sorts of mythical creatures, the Norse gods and the nine realms and all of that is written so well, you don't need any knowledge about it before hand. Everything is explained along the way, so everyone can enjoy it. I would recommend this book to everyone who loves a good (fantasy) story, not just to gamers and players of God of War
Read more reviews on my blog:
https://ezziesbookshelf.wordpress.com
January 2, 2022
Español:
Como siempre las adaptaciones de videojuego decepcionan tanto que, a esta altura, al no esperar nada de ellas, no me decepcionan. El problema es que el juego es tan bueno, tan excelente, tan majestuosamente escrito, que el libro es un insulto a la fuente original. Jueguen God of War.
English:
I don’t understand the five stars I see. If you’re a God of War fan, and especially a fan of the latest game, you’ll hate this book, like I did. If you’re a reader and not a GoW fan, you’ll see this book falls flat on many areas.
Let’s start with what this book is. An adaptation of the videogame God of War (2018), also known as God of War 4. It’s a reboot of a well-beloved franchise and it follows the journey of Kratos, a former Spartan soldier enslaved by Greek Gods, and his child son Atreus, in their pursuit of fulfilling Kratos’s wife and Atreus’s mother’s last wish: take her ashes to the highest peak of all realms. This story takes place not in a Greek world, but rather a Norse one. Kratos, as a former Greek god, is an intruder in the Norse mythology, and as always, he’s messing up with pantheons and such.
The videogame is subtle, mature, creates world building without spitting words at the player, makes use of ellipsis and expressions on character’s faces to tell what they’re really going through. It’s a perfect example of what Hemingway wished for with his ice-berg theory.
The book is an awful adaptation of all that beauty. It butchered the source material. It’s a line-by-line transcription of the game. I can’t give the author credit for any dialogue because it’s all taken straight out of the game (and as far as I’m concerned, this Barlog didn’t take part in the writing of this installment). 90% of this book is made up of dialogues, sometimes not connected accordingly, because in the videogame you would have some gameplay in between the lines, whereas here the information is thrown up against the reader’s face. For instance, there are some bits of Mimir’s trivia in the book, but those pieces of dialogue are disjointed and not well integrated into the paragraphs or the tone of the scene. Chapters end abruptly, not with cliffhangers or anything, anticlimactic and with the lingering feeling that some lines were not printed. The weird usage of adjectives (putting an adjective before every frisking noun is not good writing) and the fascination with certain words like “stares” or “unfathomable” made the reading a lot harder and unnatural. There’s not a single description of places, of sounds, of actions, or of characters, they’re just names that say things. There’s no weight to any action: Kratos pushed a giant hammer into a floor of thick ice and that’s exactly how it’s put in the book. Where’s the noise, the smashing, the ice breaking, the coldness, the thump of falling, Atreus yelling as they fall? Nothing. Mimir’s voice was in my head because I’ve played the game, but I realized soon enough that his different accent isn’t described, nor is Kratos’s monotone and rough voice. Zeus appears and he’s just “an old man”, really?
And regarding world-building, there’s nothing. No one explains anything. I’m not ignoring Mimir’s trivia, I’m talking about that the game creates world-building with everything it has at its disposal: sounds, ambiance, environment, music, little bits of lore found by Atreus, monuments that you come across, runes, gameplay included, and a little more through dialogue and character interaction. The author decided that the only viable way to convey world-building in a book was through dialogue, forgetting that he has at the tip of his fingers the ability to also translate all those things I enumerated and integrate them gracefully in the narration and actions of the characters. Well, I was wrong.
Sometimes it felt as though the author didn’t know the map of the game. The characters were in the Bridge of Yggdrasil, then crossed “a forest” and reached the horn to call for the World Serpent – all those who played the game know that both the World Tree and said horn are within meters away above Tyr’s vault. With. No. Forest. Whatsoever. It’s unprecedented since it’s obvious that the writer had access to the game and to in-depth information about the game, so… what?
Kratos is never once addressed in the game as the God of War, because that role is played by Tyr. I know it's a nitpick but it really struck me as contradictory that the author used "God of War" as an epithet or prononimal phrase to refer to Kratos in replacement of his name or pronouns or... Other expressions, like "the father". It just.. bothered me, because it was also repetitive.
A game this good could’ve used a book of 600 hundred pages. The game is huge, it has a lot to offer, and I’m only talking about the main story. Description of places! Kratos and Atreus just walked into a vault and found the rune. That’s it. Did the floors shimmer? Were the walls wet? Nothing. Absolutely nothing.
The only “new” thing that this book added was that bit where Kratos entered the light of Aflheim, and Atreus is left behind – you get to see what happened to the boy. Problem is, even this part feels disjointed, because Atreus – according to the book – spends a whole night and a big chunk of the next day alone and fighting dark elves. When Kratos returns in the game, Atreus yells that he’d been away for a long, long time. Then, this feels like Kratos had been gone for a few hours – instead, if he’d truly been gone for almost two days, why didn’t Atreus specify the amount of time, when it would’ve been the most natural answer? This in turn creates the feeling that Barlog had been given a small spec of freedom to decide how much time Kratos was gone, but it didn’t connect well at the end. This is an example of what I mean when I say that videogame dialogue was added without proper context or set up in the book.
And speaking of context, let’s talk about what this book also is: a novel.
If I hadn’t played the game, I wouldn’t have understood half of it and the rating would be so much lower right now. Because this book doesn’t stand alone at all.
Like I said, the lack of context and world building, lack of description of places and characters, the little real characterization and development we’re given, makes up for a poorly written book, almost amateur-like. I read at the end, after the epilogue, that Barlog has written twelve books up to this one, so he’s no amateur at this point. But with this presentation, I’m sorry I’ll never touch anything else written by him.
The book needs you to have played the game. I know few people are going to read it without having played it, because let’s face it, this book is for fans of the franchise – or for people who love Kratos but can’t afford the game/console. And that enrages me so, because this book is insulting to the game and to fans.
Despite all I said, it’s not the worst book I’ve ever read, hence my two star rating. It made me want to replay the game and reaffirm my position here that the videogame is a far, far, far greater and better crafted experience, and the only good way to experience this story. God of War 2018 is a story of self-discovery and parenthood, combined with satisfying gameplay and challenges, and excellent acting. The book, the book is… non existent for me.
If the adaptation of Ragnarok comes along, and it’s written by the same man, I’m afraid I’ll pass on that one.
Como siempre las adaptaciones de videojuego decepcionan tanto que, a esta altura, al no esperar nada de ellas, no me decepcionan. El problema es que el juego es tan bueno, tan excelente, tan majestuosamente escrito, que el libro es un insulto a la fuente original. Jueguen God of War.
English:
I don’t understand the five stars I see. If you’re a God of War fan, and especially a fan of the latest game, you’ll hate this book, like I did. If you’re a reader and not a GoW fan, you’ll see this book falls flat on many areas.
Let’s start with what this book is. An adaptation of the videogame God of War (2018), also known as God of War 4. It’s a reboot of a well-beloved franchise and it follows the journey of Kratos, a former Spartan soldier enslaved by Greek Gods, and his child son Atreus, in their pursuit of fulfilling Kratos’s wife and Atreus’s mother’s last wish: take her ashes to the highest peak of all realms. This story takes place not in a Greek world, but rather a Norse one. Kratos, as a former Greek god, is an intruder in the Norse mythology, and as always, he’s messing up with pantheons and such.
The videogame is subtle, mature, creates world building without spitting words at the player, makes use of ellipsis and expressions on character’s faces to tell what they’re really going through. It’s a perfect example of what Hemingway wished for with his ice-berg theory.
The book is an awful adaptation of all that beauty. It butchered the source material. It’s a line-by-line transcription of the game. I can’t give the author credit for any dialogue because it’s all taken straight out of the game (and as far as I’m concerned, this Barlog didn’t take part in the writing of this installment). 90% of this book is made up of dialogues, sometimes not connected accordingly, because in the videogame you would have some gameplay in between the lines, whereas here the information is thrown up against the reader’s face. For instance, there are some bits of Mimir’s trivia in the book, but those pieces of dialogue are disjointed and not well integrated into the paragraphs or the tone of the scene. Chapters end abruptly, not with cliffhangers or anything, anticlimactic and with the lingering feeling that some lines were not printed. The weird usage of adjectives (putting an adjective before every frisking noun is not good writing) and the fascination with certain words like “stares” or “unfathomable” made the reading a lot harder and unnatural. There’s not a single description of places, of sounds, of actions, or of characters, they’re just names that say things. There’s no weight to any action: Kratos pushed a giant hammer into a floor of thick ice and that’s exactly how it’s put in the book. Where’s the noise, the smashing, the ice breaking, the coldness, the thump of falling, Atreus yelling as they fall? Nothing. Mimir’s voice was in my head because I’ve played the game, but I realized soon enough that his different accent isn’t described, nor is Kratos’s monotone and rough voice. Zeus appears and he’s just “an old man”, really?
And regarding world-building, there’s nothing. No one explains anything. I’m not ignoring Mimir’s trivia, I’m talking about that the game creates world-building with everything it has at its disposal: sounds, ambiance, environment, music, little bits of lore found by Atreus, monuments that you come across, runes, gameplay included, and a little more through dialogue and character interaction. The author decided that the only viable way to convey world-building in a book was through dialogue, forgetting that he has at the tip of his fingers the ability to also translate all those things I enumerated and integrate them gracefully in the narration and actions of the characters. Well, I was wrong.
Sometimes it felt as though the author didn’t know the map of the game. The characters were in the Bridge of Yggdrasil, then crossed “a forest” and reached the horn to call for the World Serpent – all those who played the game know that both the World Tree and said horn are within meters away above Tyr’s vault. With. No. Forest. Whatsoever. It’s unprecedented since it’s obvious that the writer had access to the game and to in-depth information about the game, so… what?
Kratos is never once addressed in the game as the God of War, because that role is played by Tyr. I know it's a nitpick but it really struck me as contradictory that the author used "God of War" as an epithet or prononimal phrase to refer to Kratos in replacement of his name or pronouns or... Other expressions, like "the father". It just.. bothered me, because it was also repetitive.
A game this good could’ve used a book of 600 hundred pages. The game is huge, it has a lot to offer, and I’m only talking about the main story. Description of places! Kratos and Atreus just walked into a vault and found the rune. That’s it. Did the floors shimmer? Were the walls wet? Nothing. Absolutely nothing.
The only “new” thing that this book added was that bit where Kratos entered the light of Aflheim, and Atreus is left behind – you get to see what happened to the boy. Problem is, even this part feels disjointed, because Atreus – according to the book – spends a whole night and a big chunk of the next day alone and fighting dark elves. When Kratos returns in the game, Atreus yells that he’d been away for a long, long time. Then, this feels like Kratos had been gone for a few hours – instead, if he’d truly been gone for almost two days, why didn’t Atreus specify the amount of time, when it would’ve been the most natural answer? This in turn creates the feeling that Barlog had been given a small spec of freedom to decide how much time Kratos was gone, but it didn’t connect well at the end. This is an example of what I mean when I say that videogame dialogue was added without proper context or set up in the book.
And speaking of context, let’s talk about what this book also is: a novel.
If I hadn’t played the game, I wouldn’t have understood half of it and the rating would be so much lower right now. Because this book doesn’t stand alone at all.
Like I said, the lack of context and world building, lack of description of places and characters, the little real characterization and development we’re given, makes up for a poorly written book, almost amateur-like. I read at the end, after the epilogue, that Barlog has written twelve books up to this one, so he’s no amateur at this point. But with this presentation, I’m sorry I’ll never touch anything else written by him.
The book needs you to have played the game. I know few people are going to read it without having played it, because let’s face it, this book is for fans of the franchise – or for people who love Kratos but can’t afford the game/console. And that enrages me so, because this book is insulting to the game and to fans.
Despite all I said, it’s not the worst book I’ve ever read, hence my two star rating. It made me want to replay the game and reaffirm my position here that the videogame is a far, far, far greater and better crafted experience, and the only good way to experience this story. God of War 2018 is a story of self-discovery and parenthood, combined with satisfying gameplay and challenges, and excellent acting. The book, the book is… non existent for me.
If the adaptation of Ragnarok comes along, and it’s written by the same man, I’m afraid I’ll pass on that one.
February 9, 2025
Knygos pagal filmus arba serialus jau kaip ir nėra kažkokia naujiena, tačiau bent aš, pirmą kartą skaičiau knygą, parašytą pagal... kompiuterinį žaidimą!
Tematika man labai įdomi, apie vikingų dievus ir sūnaus bei tėvo ryšį, knyga fantastinės, kelionės, ryšio kūrimas, paslaptys ir kovos, tačiau istorija buvo gana sausa.. jaučiasi, kad trūksta kažkokios gilesnės istorijos ir platesnių paaiškinimų, kurie man užsipildė tik todėl, kad susidomėjusi kažkada žiūrėjau kaip šį žaidimą žaidžia mano vyrukas ir pamenu klausinėjau kas, kaip ir kodėl. Jei ne ši dalis, būčiau likusi pasimetusi, su begale neatsakytų klausimų ir istorijos spragų.
Tai apskritai - buvo įdomu pabandyti tokią knygą perskaityti, tik manau, kad ji turėjo būti kiek ilgesnė ir plačiau aprašyta!
Tematika man labai įdomi, apie vikingų dievus ir sūnaus bei tėvo ryšį, knyga fantastinės, kelionės, ryšio kūrimas, paslaptys ir kovos, tačiau istorija buvo gana sausa.. jaučiasi, kad trūksta kažkokios gilesnės istorijos ir platesnių paaiškinimų, kurie man užsipildė tik todėl, kad susidomėjusi kažkada žiūrėjau kaip šį žaidimą žaidžia mano vyrukas ir pamenu klausinėjau kas, kaip ir kodėl. Jei ne ši dalis, būčiau likusi pasimetusi, su begale neatsakytų klausimų ir istorijos spragų.
Tai apskritai - buvo įdomu pabandyti tokią knygą perskaityti, tik manau, kad ji turėjo būti kiek ilgesnė ir plačiau aprašyta!
September 14, 2018
Disclaimer***
I have *not* played this game yet.
Okay, I loved the narrator, he was great after I got used to the Scottish accent. At first I couldn't understand half of what he read.
But I still wish they had gotten Terrence Carlson to narrate the books.
Now, the story.
This is easily the best novel of the bunch!
Unlike the previous ones, this book actually reads like a book instead of reading like an abridged video game.
I loved the depth, I loved the development, and I loved the twists in the story.
I have *not* played this game yet.
Okay, I loved the narrator, he was great after I got used to the Scottish accent. At first I couldn't understand half of what he read.
But I still wish they had gotten Terrence Carlson to narrate the books.
Now, the story.
This is easily the best novel of the bunch!
Unlike the previous ones, this book actually reads like a book instead of reading like an abridged video game.
I loved the depth, I loved the development, and I loved the twists in the story.
September 4, 2018
Very good book, for those who have played the game the audio version is narrated by the actor who plays mimir, and he is an absolute blast! My only complaint is that there is a lot of information missing from the game including lore, side quests, maybe Mr Barlog cut it because it the core story is long enough, but still I would have liked more information into this brilliantly crafted world.
September 27, 2021
So here's the thing.
I watched the entire God of War gameplay on Youtube (twice, but who's counting), so I knew the story going into this novelization. I was excited in reading the book because I'd previously read the first and second, and generally liked them, and because I was so fond of the storyline of the 2018 game, I figured the book had to be good, right?
Plus, it was written by the father of the game's director, which gave it an added 'oomph'.
Sadly, however, this wasn't the case.
Don't get me wrong, the story IS still there ... but it is incredibly dry and lacks most of the emotion evoked by the game. I understand that one is a visual medium and the other is a written book, but the game itself STARTED out as a written one before it was translated onto screen, so I don't know where it went so horribly wrong.
I did enjoy that we got to see into the head of Kratos and Atreus, specifically Kratos with regards to his son, his emotions about his wife Faye, more of his thought process that you could usually only infer through some motion (or non-motion) he made (or didn't make) in the game.
However, I think that this is plagued by more problems than solutions, and actually manages to ruin what's probably one of the best stories told by a game in the last ten years or so. So do yourself a favour, and play the game - or watch gameplays on Youtube.
I promise you won't be disappointed.
I watched the entire God of War gameplay on Youtube (twice, but who's counting), so I knew the story going into this novelization. I was excited in reading the book because I'd previously read the first and second, and generally liked them, and because I was so fond of the storyline of the 2018 game, I figured the book had to be good, right?
Plus, it was written by the father of the game's director, which gave it an added 'oomph'.
Sadly, however, this wasn't the case.
Don't get me wrong, the story IS still there ... but it is incredibly dry and lacks most of the emotion evoked by the game. I understand that one is a visual medium and the other is a written book, but the game itself STARTED out as a written one before it was translated onto screen, so I don't know where it went so horribly wrong.
I did enjoy that we got to see into the head of Kratos and Atreus, specifically Kratos with regards to his son, his emotions about his wife Faye, more of his thought process that you could usually only infer through some motion (or non-motion) he made (or didn't make) in the game.
However, I think that this is plagued by more problems than solutions, and actually manages to ruin what's probably one of the best stories told by a game in the last ten years or so. So do yourself a favour, and play the game - or watch gameplays on Youtube.
I promise you won't be disappointed.
April 22, 2023
I really enjoyed this even though I played the game and know the story. Excellent!
September 4, 2018
Very good book, for those who have played the game the audio version is narrated by the actor who plays mimir, and he is an absolute blast! My only complaint is that there is a lot of information missing from the game including lore, side quests, maybe Mr Barlog cut it because it the core story is long enough, but still I would have liked more information into this brilliantly crafted world.
April 4, 2019
As a fan of the series, this novelization was everything I wanted and more. It had a few glimpses that weren't tackled in the game itself which made it worthwhile even though some might argue the opposite. I listened to the audio version and I can't praise the voice of Mimir enough!
September 12, 2020
I believe my balls might have grown throughout the reading of audio book... A different side of Kratos I do not yet know.
November 14, 2022
I used this as a story refresher before playing God of War: Ragnarok, and for that, I think it did it's job. I would not use this as a replacement for playing the game.
In my eyes, I felt this novelization brushed over some of the bigger moments of the game. Most of the action felt inconsequential and without much stakes or detail. But I guess that all comes with the territory when translating a video game.
I must say, I listened to the audiobook and, without Alastair Duncan's great voice work here, I wouldn't have enjoyed this nearly as much. He is so good, I want a spinoff of just Mimir's head, sitting alone in Kratos' cabin, talking to himself, while Kratos and Atreus are out on their adventures.
In my eyes, I felt this novelization brushed over some of the bigger moments of the game. Most of the action felt inconsequential and without much stakes or detail. But I guess that all comes with the territory when translating a video game.
I must say, I listened to the audiobook and, without Alastair Duncan's great voice work here, I wouldn't have enjoyed this nearly as much. He is so good, I want a spinoff of just Mimir's head, sitting alone in Kratos' cabin, talking to himself, while Kratos and Atreus are out on their adventures.
November 21, 2022
This was fun and nice to hear get the story without all the side quests and being smited by bosses. Mimir telling stories in the game was one of the best parts, so I was happy that it was his voice doing the narration. Could've done with the other two voices, but I liked it. His humor came through and it felt like a genuine extra to the game.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 21, 2022
Loved reading Kratos & Atreus's journey, and all the twists and turns, and revelations, too. The writing was all over the place, which did quite affect my reading experience, but I've been a God of War fan since I was a teenager, so looking past the lacking writing wasn't that big of a deal.
August 5, 2024
а сега трябва да изиграя и всичките игри от поредицата :с
(steam molq vi pusnete namalenie pls)
(steam molq vi pusnete namalenie pls)
May 16, 2020
Wish it had been more of the stories that Mimir told during the game, but it was still great to listen to the audiobook with the voice actor who did Mimir. His voice is so soothing and yet captivating.
January 21, 2024
A legendary journey and Epic tale of Father and son. Shaking the foundations of reality to fulfill the wish of a passing Mother. Nothing will stop this God of Olympus once he has decided his fate. Enjoyed the mindful moments of parenting throughout the story. Even amidst the destruction there were still thoughtful reflections. How one seemingly small choice can change the course of a lifetime. Why every action we take leaves a legacy. Fans of the video game series and Norse mythology will enjoy this one.
February 27, 2021
Entretenido, casi igual al juego, profundiza un poco mas en los personajes. No es la mejor adaptación de juego a libro, pero si te gusta Kratos es más que disfrutable.
July 28, 2022
Read it as my boyfriend is a big fan of the game, but sadly I didn't like it very much. I feel like if I was younger I would have enjoyed it more, but I also didn't find the story interesting enough, it was more like a bunch of quests in order to get to the finish line. But again, it's based on the game, so not much surprising.
April 5, 2019
God of War as a concept was not something I gave attention to. There were games followed by more games at first headline grabbing then declining into convoluted iteration as the series grew older. Most of all, I did not have a Playstation.
Christmas 2017 my beautiful wife gifted me a Playstation 4 and a couple months later reviews for a new game called God of War simultaneously clamored to give more effusive praise to it. Amazing! Perfect! A story about father and son! A thoughtful, tasteful reboot of a franchise formerly known "press X to have sex" game mechnics. Norse Mythology!
Hold up, Norse Mythology? Neil Gaiman! Marvel Comics! Vikings!
God of War is one of my all time favorite games. It is polished and lovingly crafted so that I felt that the creators thought about and designed every single moment. But this is not a review of God of War, this is a review of what it's like to live with someone who plays God of Wait that's the intro to Girlfriend Reviews. . . my bad.
There is a story in God of War. The story has twists, poignant moments, and most of all: creates a framework on which to hang a masterful game. Even the banal video-game-y moments of the game (paddling a canoe to your next location) are made charming by incidental dialogue between the characters. You've never heard a fable until you've heard Kratos mangle it.
There is a story in God of War: The Official Novelization. The story has twists, tries for poignant moments, and most of all: I could not bring myself to care. This is a ghost of God of War. The novelization manages to visit most of the main moments from the game all while sapping the life and magic from it. I don't want to be down on this book. God of War is a game about father and son made by a studio with a director thinking a lot about how his life has changed since becoming a father. His father wrote the novelization, and that is a very special thing indeed.
But maybe play the game instead.
Christmas 2017 my beautiful wife gifted me a Playstation 4 and a couple months later reviews for a new game called God of War simultaneously clamored to give more effusive praise to it. Amazing! Perfect! A story about father and son! A thoughtful, tasteful reboot of a franchise formerly known "press X to have sex" game mechnics. Norse Mythology!
Hold up, Norse Mythology? Neil Gaiman! Marvel Comics! Vikings!
God of War is one of my all time favorite games. It is polished and lovingly crafted so that I felt that the creators thought about and designed every single moment. But this is not a review of God of War, this is a review of what it's like to live with someone who plays God of Wait that's the intro to Girlfriend Reviews. . . my bad.
There is a story in God of War. The story has twists, poignant moments, and most of all: creates a framework on which to hang a masterful game. Even the banal video-game-y moments of the game (paddling a canoe to your next location) are made charming by incidental dialogue between the characters. You've never heard a fable until you've heard Kratos mangle it.
There is a story in God of War: The Official Novelization. The story has twists, tries for poignant moments, and most of all: I could not bring myself to care. This is a ghost of God of War. The novelization manages to visit most of the main moments from the game all while sapping the life and magic from it. I don't want to be down on this book. God of War is a game about father and son made by a studio with a director thinking a lot about how his life has changed since becoming a father. His father wrote the novelization, and that is a very special thing indeed.
But maybe play the game instead.
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