Book Review: Dolor and Shadow by Angela B. Chrysler

Tags

Angela B. Chrysler, Dark Fantasy, Dolor and Shadow, Kallan, Norse Mythology, Tales of the Drui

Title: Dolor and Shadow

Book 1 of the Tales of the Drui series

Author: Angela B. Chrysler

Amazon Rating: 4.2/5

Pages: 520 (Paperback)

Publisher: Angela B. Chrysler

Date Published: July 3, 2015

 

Blurb:

As the elven city burns, Princess Kallan is taken to Alfheim while a great power begins to awaken within her. Desperate to keep the child hidden, her abilities are suppressed and her memory erased. But the gods have powers as well, and it is only a matter of time before they find the child again. When Kallan, the elven witch, Queen of Lorlenalin, fails to save her dying father, she inherits her father’s war and vows revenge on the one man she believes is responsible: Rune, King of Gunir. But the gods are relentless, and when a twist of fate puts Kallan into the protection of the man she has sworn to kill, Rune obtains a power he does not understand. From Alfheim, to Jotunheim, and then lost in the world of Men, these two must form an alliance to make their way home, and try to solve the lies of the past and of the Shadow that hunts them all.

My Take: I was immediately entranced with the premise of the book, since it envisions Viking/Norse mythology from the perspective of the elves. I knew, going in, that there would be a lot to love about the world being built and, in that aspect, I was not disappointed in the least. The worldbuilding here is magnificent and, once you get used to the onslaught of names and places, you can really begin to feel immersed in the world. Things are just so well-developed in this book that it feels reminiscent of the wholeness that Tolkien brought together with Middle-Earth in his books. This is one of the greatest strengths a book can have, that synergy with the wholeness of the world that allows for complete immersion, and is one of the things I love the most about reading fantasy novels.

This book has moments of darkness in there, with some pretty brutal scenes happening to one of the main characters. They prove to be quite essential to the development of both the plot and that main character, and the amount of detail given during said scenes are rather minimal in comparison to some other dark fantasy novels I have read this year. Just be aware, if you are a sensitive reader, that there will be some chapters in the middle that may make you a bit uncomfortable.

One of the biggest issues I had came in the first hundred pages or so. There are so many characters and balls juggling in the air and shifts in POV that it was confusing trying to decipher who was central to the story and what is going on and how much time has elapsed. By the time the POV settled down upon the two central characters, the struggle went away and some of the events became clearer, although I probably would need to revisit those first hundred pages now to really grasp all that happened and the implications of those things.

The other big detraction came about from the ending which, ultimately, felt like a forced ending point. The main characters still have not reached their intended destination, and the only resolution came from meeting up with a character while driving off, at least temporarily, the threat that was pursuing them. The consolation is that there is a new book in the series coming next month (which I am very excited about and plan to read as soon as I can cross a few other books off my list) which should progress things beyond where the first one left off.

As a whole this book was very good and certainly is one I would recommend to anyone who loves grand worldbuilding in fantasy, dark fantasy stories, interesting magic systems, Norse mythology, and complex female protagonists. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and look forward to reading more books by Angela.

 

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Medievalist Monday: Valhalla

Tags

Einherjar, Magnus Chase, Norse Mythology, Odin, Valhalla, Vikings

Welcome to the first official Medievalist Monday. This is the fourth week, which means we’ll be covering something related to Medieval Iceland. Because so much revolves around the idea of Valhalla in Norse mythology it seemed like a good place to begin (next month we’ll follow up with Ragnarok, the other big thing that pops up quite often).

In the Norse mythology, they believed that Valhalla, which means “hall of the fallen”, was the place where the the god Odin would house the dead that are judged worthy of dwelling there. Rather than a selection process of people who were good, the selections were brave and distinguished warriors who are being stored away in order to take part in the eventual coming of Ragnarok. These warriors are known as the Einherjar. And while you might think that Odin would be the one to judge these warriors, they are actually selected by Odin’s team of Valkyries. Yet not all warriors who die will go to Odin at Valhalla (although this is the one many dream of going to), but some are selected to go to Freya’s hall of Folkvang. Which is why many Vikings would go into battle and attempt to accomplish great feats: they wanted to be chosen for Valhalla.

What do they do all day in Valhalla? They are fighting, of course! They are always fighting, as the day of Ragnarok will arrive and they should be in the best fighting-shape, right? And after the battle, the warrior emerge healed and sit together around the tables in the great hall. This is something that was remarkably well-done in Rick Riordan’s first Magnus Chase book (a positively delightful read if you have even the least interest in Norse mythology!)

There are a few descriptions of Valhalla. It is rumored to have five hundred and forty doors. It is decorated with spears and shields and breast-plates (as if anything else would be fitting for a hall of heralded heroes) and is guarded by a wolf and an eagle. The best place to turn to for the source material on Valhalla, and other Norse mythology information, would be either the Poetic Edda or the Prose Edda. But if you are the casual reader who is interested in Norse mythology, I can’t recommend the Magnus Chase book (soon to be books) enough.

The Vikings series on the History channel does a good job of capturing the essence of Valhalla and its importance to the warriors with this scene of dialogue: