Matt writes retellings of mythology as dark, gritty fantasy. His passions of myths, philosophy, and history inform his series. He strives to combine gut-wrenching action with thought-provoking ideas and culturally resonant stories.

 

 

 

 

 

Going in, my understanding of Norse mythology shamefully came from what little morsels were sprinkled throughout the Thor appearances in the Marvel universe. With Anthony Hopkin’s Shakespearean Odin planted firmly within my mind, and Chris Hemsworth’s ‘fat Thor’ decisively ejected I eagerly pressed play, finding myself entrenched in a dreamlike world where myth met reality.

 

For those who don’t know, Larkin writes his entire bibliography within a larger framework known as the Eschaton Cycle. The Eschaton Cycle essentially encompasses an mytho-historic account of our world, with each ‘cycle’ of history resetting itself via a different mythology. The Ragnarok Era was Matt’s debut series and thus felt like a solid starting point (although readers can find Matt’s own recommendations handily on his very informative website).

 

 

The foreboding atmosphere is immediately set into motion with the commencing of a firelit conversation between everyone’s favourite troubled trickster Loki, and Mundilfari, the mad Vanr. Utgard to Midgard, Vanaheim to Vanir, the lexicon of mythology instantly immerses one into this world of many realms.

 

A word to the wise in fact for those listening via audio narration, don’t set your speed too high, as Ulf Bjorkland’s Nordic inflections both add to the immersion and require one to pause to take in the multitude of new terminologies.

 

This late-night dialogue establishes what is sure to be the overarching narrative of this nine-book epic. Beyond the Wall separating Midgard from the apocalyptic dangers of the Otherworld, chaos reigns, and the realm of Utgard has fallen. The Era of Ragnarok approaches…

 

This book is ethereally sodden with mythology through each turn of a page and it’s the most brilliant aspect by far. Larkin attempts to bridge the gap between history and mythology, writing a book that feels historical fiction and fantasy in equal measure. Having consumed series 1 of the Last Kingdom almost simultaneously with Apples of Idunn, one could imagine them occurring together in an alternate reality. Matt’s depth of research is evidently very broad, and it is eminently clear that Matt hasn’t just thrown a few words together but knows exactly how to deploy each piece of vocabulary in a position worthy of its heritage.

 

From here we enter into the world of Odin, bereft of his father, Jarl Borr, and having to take on responsibility for the Wodenar tribe in a time of tension and factions amongst the Aesir. This is not the Odin many have come to know as the monarch of Valhalla, this is an Odin torn by grief and fuelled by revenge and youthful hubris. Odin’s journey is one of tackling responsibility and it is with this thrust that Matt takes the character we know and moulds him into a modern and relatable character. Odin is stubborn, and lacking foresight, a man easily tempted by desire and most certainly not a god. It is this Odin who in his mortal ignorance sets many troubles into motion, finding that he has to make the choice between saving his own family, or the families that rely upon him.

 

One aspect of this book I really enjoyed beyond the consistent layering of mythology, was how the episodic structure intertwined with the serialisation of the oncoming Ragnarok. In this regard I also think it really nailed the sense that one receives from the great tales of old; one of a great tapestry of interconnected tales. From Odin’s encounter with Frost giants, to his escapades with the mist spirits, each ‘episode’ easily stands out within the mind, and yet cannot be separated from the whole with each one driving the plot forward. I daren’t say much more for fear of spoilers, but this was one of those rare occasions where one didn’t spoil the other.

 

Of course, Odin is not the only character worthy of note within this tale, nor even the most memorable. Indeed, that honour should go to the aforementioned Loki, our terrible trickster who slithers his serpentine way throughout. Like myself, one may come with their preconceived notions defined by our foreknowledge of Loki’s ultimate embracing of chaos and destruction. However, in this grim reimagining, Loki is a character imbued with a sense of otherworldliness, his motives never entirely clear.

 

In fact, I rather rooted for him for most of the book, for he provides much assistance to Odin, whilst also holding a silently looming presence over proceedings. It is within this playful silence that one starts to suspect what his motives entirely are. Indeed, we see him at certain points manipulating events, although the reason why is never clear. As a reader this kept me on my toes because one could never quite be sure when he would re-emerge. It was a deeply interesting contrast to have Odin as this very human, emotionally raw figure, whilst Loki was endowed with this otherworldliness that was more in line with what we might expect from an ancient god. Going forward I for one will be keeping my eye on this devilish deviant because clearly he has grander plans at play that may just decide the fate of all.

 

Whilst these two are the central characters, there is also a strong supporting cast to flesh things out. With the wider Ragnarok story slowly building we have Sigyn who starts to draw the details of the Ragnarok prophecies together. This was one of my favourite parts of the book as I am a total sucker for characters diving deep into ancient manuscripts with a foreboding sense of doom. Whilst outside of that plot Sigyn is underutilised, I found that she was so effective in pushing that storyline forward that it didn’t bother me too much.

 

Tyr is one of the sidekicks trying to put some sense into Odin and keep the kingdom from the threat of invasion whilst Odin is off playing Lara Croft on the whims of Idunn. His character kept the political struggles of the clans alive, a major storyline from the very start, and provides an dose of excitement in the climax. Whilst I do think that the end of his storyline was rushed to provide some sense of resolution to this initial book, the vast majority of his POVs were fun to read, and that’s what matters to readers like myself.

 

Whilst the ending wasn’t as satisfying as I would’ve hoped it to have been, and it felt like Matt was at times struggling to pull threads together to provide some sort of ending to events ( we do have 8 more books of this after all!), this was a very strong debut from an creative author. To not just take ancient myth and legend and retell, but to mould and shape it into his own narrative that truly humanises the folks and beasts we encounter is no easy feat. Fans of fantasy new to these myths, or scholars of old will find a lot of imagination and entertainment in this twisty new take on the Ragnarok myths.