I suppose that it is inevitable that a novel that re-tells the events of Ragnarok should have an air of inevitability about the plot. Even so, when reading Greg van Eekout’s Norse Code I kept getting the feeling that everything that happened in it was pre-determined. Characters would turn up in the right place at the right time; characters would fall in love with each other; and so on, just because it was required of them. It is a book that I thought could have been a lot better. But then I kept putting myself in the position of an editor faced with the choice as to whether or not to buy the book. And every time I did so I said to myself, “Modern day chick gets to be Valkyrie and hang around with surfer-dude godling seeking to save Earth from Ragnarok, complete with comedy ravens; how cool is that!” So yeah, I would have bought the book too, because it is a lot of fun for all its faults. Especially the comedy ravens.