Scott Oden’s epic novel A Gathering of Ravens is “satisfying…complex…and a pleasure to read” (Publishers Weekly, starred review). To the Danes, he is skraelingr; to the English, he is orcnéas; to the Irish, he is fomoraig. He is Corpse-maker and Life-quencher, the Bringer of Night, the Son of the Wolf and Brother of the Serpent. He is Grimnir, and he is the last of his kind—the last in a long … he is the last of his kind—the last in a long line of monsters who have plagued humanity since the Elder Days.
Drawn from his lair by a thirst for vengeance against the Dane who slew his brother, Grimnir emerges into a world that’s changed. A new faith has arisen. The Old Ways are dying, and their followers retreating into the shadows; even still, Grimnir’s vengeance cannot be denied.
Taking a young Christian hostage to be his guide, Grimnir embarks on a journey that takes him from the hinterlands of Denmark, where the wisdom of the ancient dwarves has given way to madness, to the war-torn heart of southern England, where the spirits of the land make violence on one another. And thence to the green shores of Ireland and the Viking stronghold of Dubhlinn, where his enemy awaits.
But, unless Grimnir can set aside his hatreds, his dream of retribution will come to nothing. For Dubhlinn is set to be the site of a reckoning—the Old Ways versus the New—and Grimnir, the last of his kind left to plague mankind, must choose: stand with the Christian King of Ireland and see his vengeance done or stand against him and see it slip away?
Scott Oden’s A Gathering of Ravens is a novel of vengeance, faith, and the power of myth.
more
A Gathering of Ravens is an intelligent, intriguing, and different kind of fantasy tale.
*** What to expect
Set at the turn of the 11th century, Oden weaves an incredible tale of historical fantasy that brings together elements of Earth’s real geography and culture together with Nordic myths like Beowulf. Having been inspired by Tolkien, he goes further still in exploring the same inspiration behind it and twisting them in a different, original way to produce a unique take on historical epic fantasy.
The main theme is the clash of the new, Christian, faith and Old World remnants straight out of legends. This is packaged around a story of personal vengeance, of travel and growth in unexpected ways. It is both an epic and an intimate story. Oden brings alive a faithful representation of the attitudes of people of the time without value judgement, no mean feat.
*** What I liked
I love it when authors use real history as a basis for fantasy. Oden has deep knowledge of the Norse, Anglo-Saxon, and Irish cultures, social structures, and events at the early 11th century, and he uses it expertly to bring the background world of the story arc to life. I love how he painted the “Elder Days” of myth (the fantasy elements), and their collapse under the advent of the modern world.
In style, the prose is exceptional, much in keeping with the inspirations of classic adventure tales from Beowulf to Conan. It reads like a saga, and is evocatively descriptive in ways that are a pure joy to read for the mastery of language.
*** What to be aware of
As above, the prose is truly exceptional. This is a book to savour, to enjoy reading for the sake of reading, not to tear through quickly. It doesn’t mean that the plot is slow – it moves at a fair clip – but one enjoys on multiple level, on how the story is told and not just what is being told.
The characters themselves are very realistic for the period, but that does not make them approachable to modern readers. Much of the novel is dedicated to their clashing belief system, the clash of Christianity and Paganism, which may affect people sensitive to religion and its part in history. The end result is a delicate balance, but might not appeal to those who only care about the characters personal journey or a thriller plot.
*** Summary
I truly enjoyed this book. If you’re into historical fantasy, if you’d love to see how the real medieval people would have react to myth coming alive, this a book you absolutely must read.
—
Assaph Mehr, author of Murder In Absentia: A story of Togas, Daggers, and Magic – for lovers of Ancient Rome, Murder Mysteries, and Urban Fantasy.
5/5
A GATHERING OF RAVENS is a novel set in the Bernard Cornwell-esque world of Vikings, Christians, and the conflict between their faiths. The big difference here is the supernatural is explicitly real in Scott Oden’s world where all of Norse Mythology is true but so is Celtic and Christian. The White Christ is conquering the world and his symbol repels the magic of the Old Gods even as they fight with their own followers over mass conversions. It is a violent, dark, cynical, and thoroughly fascinating novel I recommend to all fans of true grimdark.
The book begins with converted Viking Njall and his associate Etain as they seek refuge in a cave, which turns out to be inhabited by Grimnir the last of the skraelingr. Grimnir is an interesting character as he’s an ogre, formor, troll, or whatever you want to call him but he is also the last real remnant of the culture which once destroyed his kind. He serves as the entirely unsympathetic view of Christianity and Norse culture both. He is an excellent creation for those who like dark antiheroes like the Hound of George R.R.Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire, the Black Thorn from the Ties That Bind, or the Black Dow from the First Law Trilogy.
Part of what makes grimdark unique from other fantasy exemplars, at least when it’s actually supposed to grimdark versus something passed off as it (yes, the No True Scotsman fallacy) is presenting characters who embody moral ambiguity as the protagonists. Grimnir is an awful person, if you can call him a person at all, and a monster who gets a lot of people killed both likable and otherwise.
There’s no attempt to soften him by putting him up against worse creatures or showing a hidden soft side–beneath his monstrous orc-like exterior is a monstrous orc-like interior. Yet, there’s an honesty about what he is which becomes refreshing against many of the hypocritical characters around him. I both hated and understood Grimnir, which made him an interesting character to follow on his mission of murderous vengeance. I respect Scott Oden for not going the easy way and turning him into a big cuddly teddy bear but remembering we’re following a monster throughout. This is a story of Norse mythology and Christian conquest as told through the eyes of Grendel rather than Beowulf.
Etain is a character which also serves as an excellent foil for Grimnir. A pacifist but well educated Christian in a land defined by blood and vengeance, you have to wonder how well their faith will hold up while traveling with living embodiment of mythology. I found their struggle painful and believable, especially as their situation kept going from bad to worse. Those who expect Scott Oden to come down on one side or another in the war of the faiths will be pleased to know they actually did a great job making an exemplar of Christian virtues–it’s just, well, almost no one else seems to follow them on Etain’s side.
The book is divided into multiple “books” which work as a series of novellas that reflect Grimnir and Etain’s adventures. This is a common fantasy trope and feels a bit like a Dungeons and Dragon’s campaign except all of the conflicts are bloody as well as horrifying. We get to see exactly how both the “heathen” and Christian forces treat one another as well as the hypocrisies on both sides. For one potentially triggering example, poor Etain witnesses a group of Christian warriors who are about to rape a female prisoner but only back off when they find out she’s one of their faith–which gets their leader to try to figure out a way she doesn’t qualify as a “real” Christian. Another moment has a Celtic god hesitate to destroy a city full of innocents with an earthquake until Grimnir points out they’re all Christians so they don’t count. No one comes out looking good during this battle between religions because everyone, at the end of the day, is human.
Even the nonhumans.
The novel is a bit slow getting started but becomes one of the better ones I’ve read this year by the end of the first few chapters. It is a dark hard-R rated fantasy which pulls no punches and never really let’s up from beginning to end. None of the violence is gratituous but reflects this is an evil world and that is why I strongly recommend this book to those who enjoy pitch black storytelling. Few people can write as intelligently about stupid self-serving evil warping good enlightened ideals–be they pagan honor or Christian peace. A must have for those who enjoy mythological historical fantasy.