The Waking of Angantyr is a grimdark novel based on an old Norse poem. While I did enjoy this book overall, I found the pacing a little off at times. The writing is good throughout and the characters are all well written. There is a fair amount of action and gore, which didn't bother me but may be something to be aware of going in.

The fact that I enjoyed this book as much as I did is a testament to Marie Brennan's excellent writing. I'm not normally a fan of grimdark books or excessive violence and, as a warning, there is a lot of it here. It's unavoidable to some degree - the main character being a berserker is in the synopsis - and it's handled as tastefully and non-graphically as possible, but several people still literally lose their heads.

Where The Waking of Angantyr shines is in the story of the main character, Hervor, who is determined to seek revenge on those who have wronged her, but also to eventually chart a path to a better life. For all the talk in fantasy circles about strong female characters, Hervor feels like one - not because she's a murderous Viking, but because she's a murderous Viking who still feels pain and sorrow, and who seeks the comfort of family and peacefulness. The side characters are also fascinating in their own right, particularly the crew of Vikings with whom Hervor adventures for a while.

I'm not familiar with the original Norse myth Brennan based this novel on, but my sense of the world Hervor lives in and the magic available to her grew over time, and it feels as though this story is part of a much bigger canon of work. I've typically enjoyed Brennan's books, and while not my favourite of her works, her ability to write such a diverse range of stories does stand out.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this arc in exchange for this honest review.

My arc expired whilst I was reading this, so a proper review will follow once I get a physical copy of it.

I did not finish this book. I dropped it at 50%

There are a lot of good things going on in this book, I love the Norse atmosphere, for example, and the fact that our MC is a young woman and a berserker (and I was surprised to see a female berserker, but in the best possible way!), and she is an interesting character, resourceful and strong, but the story has a cyclical structure that does not work for me. It is the one typical of the fairytales or the tales of old, and if you are a fan of those, this book would work wonders for you, but it is a thing that does not work for me, and so, after reaching the halfway point I decided to stop trying, because my main problem was the structure of the story, sure, but I wasn't really invested in the story or the characters, either. I mean, while I was reading I was interested enough, but every time I put down the book I wasn't so motivated to pick it up again.
I think that simply put, I am not the biggest fan of the author. I wanted to try something else by her because her most famous series didn't work for me, but since theoretically I should love her works because they all are my cup of tea, I thought that maybe with this one things would have worked out, but I was wrong.

https://lynns-books.com/2023/10/19/the-waking-of-angantyr-by-marie-brennan/
My rating 4 of 5 stars
My Five Word TL:DR Review : An Old Norse Poem Reimagined

The Waking of Angantyr is based on a very old Norse poem that the author came across during her academic years. This reimagining clearly uses much of the original material but the author has taken a different path breathing new life into the story and delivering plenty of ‘blood and guts and vengeance’.

Now, firstly, I would say that this isn’t a soft and fluffy tale. The author promised blood and guts and she delivers on this aplenty. This is a saga set in a time and place that was harsh. Where Gods roamed amongst the common people and men and women longed to become heroes.

As the story begins we meet Hervor, a bondmaid on a less than prosperous homestead. Hervor isn’t the same as the other women she works alongside, she’s tall, strong and frequently given the heavy tasks, she’s not treated very well and has slowly come to the realisation that she will never be allowed to work off her ‘bond’ as is the custom. Hervor is cursed. She hears the voices of the dead and they’re frankly driving her crazy. When the opportunity to escape arises Hervor takes a chance, she needs to find a ‘blood’ witch to advise her how to help these ghosts to pass on. Without giving too much away, this will eventually become a tale involving vikings, witches, Gods, ghosts and treachery. Hervor will be tasked by her ancestors to avenge their deaths and more than that will be tasked by the Gods to help rid them of a vile sorcerer.

I will say that I love the way that Brennan writes such strong female characters who are frequently out of step with the period they have been born into. I mean, to be fair, I wouldn’t call Hervor an easy character to really fall in love with, but, this is a reflection of the period and her own determination to prove herself. She’s never been taught to fight or survive, she frequently feels fear but she doesn’t give up. I loved her persistence, she makes plenty of mistakes and this is her tragic story, tragic because her family suffered from deceit and treachery and were further burdened by a cursed sword – a sword that Hervor is about to take up.

What I really liked about this. The sense of place, the harshness of the environment and the general characteristics of the people. The period is really brought to life. The cold, the struggle to survive, the rush to weapons, violence is frequently the first response, life is cheap. Then we have the ghosts, the superstitions, the witches. And did I mention the vikings and the fact that Hervor manages to join them?

In some respects this is also a frustrating story. I did mention that Hervor’s family is cursed and this frequently works itself out in the form of death. So, becoming attached to people can be a fruitless endeavour. But this is a Norse saga. You have to pick this book up expecting tragedy and death -but also relentless heroics and strong willed characters determined to do the right thing. So, yes, frustrating, but in a way that feels relevant and natural to this particular story.

In reimagining this saga, Brennan has breathed new life into Hervor, making her story one of unbelievable courage. The writing is wonderful and there’s an almost cinematic quality to the descriptions of place and the events that unfold. I had just the easiest time imagining everything. I confess, I would like more tales from this period, I really enjoy the interactions with the Gods, the religion, the customs and the overall way of life with the relentless longing for deeds worthy of tall tales.

I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.

A grim dark novel based on an poem from the Edda. It's modern retelling not so far from the original but with a darker tone. There's a lot of gore but not much more than in the original
I'm not a fan of Hervor: she's strong but she's not wise, she reach her goal but she pays a very high price.
I loved the storytelling and loved how the author created a world that is similar to the original Nordic world.
Well written and gripping,
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

4.5 stars

THE WAKING OF ANGANTYR is a Norse retelling of vengeance and determination. It is full of death and sacrifice and meaningless loss.

I really liked that so many of the deaths were, effectively, meaningless. They were unintended accidents that, while they have an emotional impact on the main character, just happen and then have to be moved on from, like footnotes. It made it feel so much more real.

When you study any period of history, so much time is spent on the big deaths, the ones that change history. But most are accidents (or dystentry, which rarely makes it into stories!) and it's only a small number of deaths that are given any weight. The rest are glossed over.

So to read a book, based on an old Norse poem, have all these deaths that, in many respects, aren't pushing the story forwards (or at least don't need to be as many bodies to do that!) felt so realistic. Plus it gave it a really tragic feel, which I loved. Hervor just loses and loses and loses people.

It makes for a bleak, bloody tale that feels truly epic in the old traditions it's drawing from (though thankfully, it doesn't follow those traditions as far as detailing the piles of guts that are left of enemies!)

I really enjoyed this tale. It starts off as a quest to get some ghosts to shut up and ends up as a desperate mission for vengeance that will demand a steep price. It leans into the cultural mindset of the Old Norse to great effect, using this to explain why Horvor would seek vengeance on behalf of these ghosts despite it making her own life much easier to just ignore them.

Another new author for me and I definitely want to read more of this very talented author's work. Wonderful storytelling with fantastic characters. A young girl who hears voices decides to find a witch to help her stop the voices. What the witch tells her will send her on a journey of discovery and revenge. Once I started reading I found this book impossible to put down and did not want this book to end. I was completely immersed in the tale that was unfolding. A well deserved five stars and highly recommended.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the Arc in return for an honest review.

The Waking of Angantyr is based on an old Norsk saga the author had come across during her academic studies and found lacking in excitement, so much so that she decided to give the story a new spin. She does it with a well-researched historical setting (not reflected by the cover) and a lot of goriness.

Hervor is a bondmaid, a person forced to work in the service of a jarl’s household until she earns her freedom. Only, she knows she’ll never be allowed to do so. That’s not even her biggest grief. She can hear dead people and the residents in the village think she’s cursed. Turns out, she’s a berserker. Pain can turn her into a bloodthirsty warrior no one can stop.

After an incident where Hervor kills a man, a blood witch tells her she can silence the voices and sends her on a quest through the land for a person who knows best. It’s not an easy journey; she’s an escaped bondmaid hunted by everyone. But she has occasional help, like from a group of Vikings who teach her how to fight and eventually help her to the source of the voices in her head.

They are Angantyr and his twelve sons, berserkers who have been killed in what was outwardly an honest duel. Foul play behind the duel has kept the spirits from moving on though, and it’s up to Hervor to avenge them. In order to manage it, she’s given Angantyr’s cursed sword with dire warnings that she ignores. She shouldn’t have.

This was an excellent book. From a gloomy and hopeless start, Hervor forges herself a path through a violent society to do what she needs to do in order to live in peace. She leaves behind a trail of bodies, most of them unintentional when her berserker side takes over. There aren’t really any good things in her life, and the brief respites are always followed by more pain.

The story is set in a pre-Christian Norsk society with a set hierarchy, strict laws, and its own pantheon that doesn’t utilize the overused Odin’s. People and settings weren’t described much though, and I relied on my own knowledge of the era to bring it alive. From a relatively realistic beginning, the story gradually evolves towards more fantastical, but so naturally it doesn’t seem like a shift in the genre.

Hervor was a formidable character, but while I rooted for her, I’m not sure I liked her very much. The ending is good and conclusive, but Hervor had to sacrifice so much for it, I’m not sure I’d call it a happy ending as such. But I’m satisfied with it.

This was a very enjoyable fantasy! My knowledge of the author was previously limited to the work penned as M.A. Carrick (half of that duo), but some trademark characteristics apply here too: lovingly crafted worldbuilding, a focus on female characters, tinges of humor going through a narrative of adventure. It has themes of found family and finding your place in the world, and the characters are very likable. It was a fast an enjoyable read for me.

Thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this.