Austin Wyrd

Valhalla AWOL Series, Book 1

De: Steve Curry

Narrado por: Gary Bennett

Being a bouncer at a heavy metal/goth bar sounds pretty exciting...unless you're one of Odin's Chosen Warriors hiding out from Valhalla and your past. So Magnus a.k.a. Mouse is less than thrilled when Fate drops a supernatural murder at his feet. Is there any way he can stop the killer without tripping over his own secrets? Or will the cops, the feds, or his Valkyrie find him first? And can someone explain how his pet raven is learning to speak Norse?

©2019 Steve Curry (P)2020 Tantor

The story is great

100% great story. The series is full of good characters and the combo of myths is perfect

Great story

Can’t wait for the next book . I like the premise and am looking forward to going deeper into this world.

A pleasant surprise!

Being a Texan -- I was a little wary that I would get over-acted Texas Drawwwl. Pleasantly surprised that there was no weird (haha - keep austin weird) accents. Enjoyed the story. A strong world/reality for urban fantasy, I think the characters are well-developed and I will be reading/listening to the next in the series. I am excited to have a new series to listen to. Whoop!

fresh start to the series

This is the first audio in the Valhalla AWOL narrated by Gary Bennett. The tale offered a modern-day Norse tale with humor and intriguing characters.

Curry delivered a fresh tale, steering clear of familiar tropes and infusing Norse mythology into this urban fantasy. Our protagonist Magnus Gustav a.k.a. Mouse is a bouncer at a heavy metal bad in downtown Austin, Texas. Trouble begins when he finds a mutilated body by the dumpsters.

There is a lot to like about this first in series. We learn Magnus is one of Odin’s Chosen Warriors hiding out from Valhalla. When we first meet him, he is feeling off. His senses, balance and intuition seem for lack of a better word sluggish. All of which causes him to get his head pummeled more than once.

The secondary characters are intriguing. I loved the dog, the raven, and the fox. The fox is a bit of a mystery, and I hope we learn more. The Professor, Drew and Maureen all had aspects I liked and I am keen to learn more.

The world-building was loose, particularly with the Norse mythology. While I have read numerous fiction novels surrounding these lores not much was explained for those unfamiliar to the mythology.

The book has been likened to Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files, and I can see that from the humor to the sexualized females. In one scene he is battling a female and his eye wonder to her breasts and the smoothness of her skin. You get the point. Since this didn’t bother me in Butcher’s books, I rolled with it here.

Gary Bennett narrates and brought these characters to life. I enjoyed his pacing and different accents. I felt he captured the characters and added an extra layer of enjoyment.

The MC isn't the brightest.

I struggled to finish the book. The MC keeps getting the crap beat out of him. He isn't very smart for beginning this old being. Just not what I expected when I bought the book.