Valhalla

By: Robert J. Mrazek

Narrated by: Christopher Lane

Length: 10 hrs and 9 mins

Publisher's Summary

In remote, icy Greenland, ex-Air Force General Steven Macaulay helps lead an expedition to recover a lost World War II plane. Encased in ice below is a find that will astonish the world - a perfectly-preserved Viking ship, buried for nearly a thousand years, along with the frozen corpses of nine crewmen.

Assembling the foremost Viking scholars, Macaulay tasks the gorgeous Lexy Vaughan to translate the ship’s markings - until her work is cut short when her colleagues are murdered. Stranded on a vast landscape of ice, wind and unbearable cold, Lexy and Macaulay are hunted by a secret cult that will go to the end of the earth to hatch an ancient plot of death and world domination.

©2014 Robert Mrazek (P)2014 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved. Recorded by arrangement with NAL Signet, a member of Penguin Group (USA) LLC, a Penguin Random House Company.

Still can't get my head around it...

This book started with such promise, that I thought I'd settle into a good listen. Unfortunately the author's ability to craft a believable plot doesn't measure up to his writing ability. Very well written, but the plot is just to unbelievable for me. I can get into good sci-fi, mystery and even spy novels, but not Norse cults of Oden that secretly have members at the seats of power, even within the FBI. Sorry, this one is just too far fetched !

Bring an extra sweater when you listen to this one

If you could sum up Valhalla in three words, what would they be?

Fascinating
Dramatic
Intense

What did you like best about this story?

The parallel stories, wrapping history of Vikings, the Final Solution, archeology, and White House intrigue. It sounds messy, but it moves along intelligently and quickly.

Have you listened to any of Christopher Lane’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I don't recall any, but I will definitely from here on out. Quite simply this is a stunning performance by a true professional. He has to work a variety of intense characters, with a wide range of accents, and he does so with clarity and precision. I can't give him high enough remarks. Certainly now in my personal hall of fame.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Made me research Viking history, which was somewhat moving.

Any additional comments?

This book snuck up on me, and by the end of the story it had me wrapped up totally. Lanes' performance brings it to life, and the total package is very compelling. Most highly recommended.

Truly enjoyable story from start to finish!

Would you listen to Valhalla again? Why?

Absolutely! It was a great adventure/mystery story with wonderful characters. There is so much detail I'm sure there are things I missed that would be even clearer the next time I listen. The narrator was greatly skilled with all the different accents and ages of the characters as well as different male and female characters. It kept my interest all the way through, and made me laugh out loud at some points as well as being on the "edge of my seat" at other times.

What other book might you compare Valhalla to and why?

Some parts are similar to Clive Cussler's "Plague Ship", but the story has much more to it.

Have you listened to any of Christopher Lane’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Christopher Lane has been one of my favorite narrators ever since I heard him narrating "Lightening" by Dean Koontz. I like his voice and his skill at making many different characters seem like they are speaking with different voices.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, it is a long one, and there are lots of details.

Any additional comments?

After I listened, I immediately looked to see if this author has any other fiction books available. So far, he has only written two other non-fiction, historical books. I hope that he will write another fiction adventure. I really enjoyed this. HIs characters are interesting and multi-dimensional. He adds humor which is a plus to any adventure story (for me) and he seems to have done lots of research on historical facts. Of course, reviews are only really opinions, so they can be as varied as the diversity of people who give them. I really enjoyed this book and that is nice to be able to say.

Really good. Was hoping for more Viking history

I really liked this book. The narrator was a little over the top on most of his voices. Some for good, some bad. I was loving all the Viking stuff literally frozen in time and found myself wishing there was much more than there was. But overall really enjoyable. Reminded me of Dan Brown's earlier stuff like Deception Point.

Decent Story, poor characters

Is there anything you would change about this book?

Yes.

The ridiculous description of the heroin ....

Brilliant, beautiful, young, violet eyes (seriously .... this is not a fantasy series. purple eyes? lame).

If you’ve listened to books by Robert J. Mrazek before, how does this one compare?

This was the first.

What aspect of Christopher Lane’s performance would you have changed?

I thought he did a good job.

Was Valhalla worth the listening time?

yes, but barely

Any additional comments?

This was a fairly run-of-the-mill tech thriller that was kind of fun, but the characterization of the main characters was super cliche and very distracting.

I think it would've made a better beach or pool novel than an audiobook for me.

Above average action-adventure novel

This was an entertaining action/conspiracy novel. I'm not sure why its star rating is so low - it is slightly above average in its genre.

Good points: lots of action, lots of varied scenes, not a lot of repetition or vehicle chases or gun porn, females aren't there just as prizes for the men.

Bad points: character development a little light, underlying conspiracy was a bit of a stretch - possibly even a little moralistic in nature.

I didn't actually know what the story was about when I started it so had some idea that it was a "fantasy" type novel. It is not. There is no fantasy component - it's a straight up action-adventure with a conspiracy as the basis of the action.

The narration is very well done (even if some of his voices were on the raspy side - this was intentional). There are no sex scenes and it's not gory or particularly violent. Seems to me there wasn't much swearing either, if any... I'll certainly read more by this author.

Overall a decent tale with interesting characters

I like the narrator, he did an excellent job on the voices. The story was clear and clean with enough detail to make it realistic but not clutter it up.

A Suspenseful Thriller!

Would you consider the audio edition of Valhalla to be better than the print version?

Not my usual genre, I bought this book because it was Audible's “Daily Deal" and do not have the print version but I really enjoyed the audio version.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Valhalla?

This story was full of memorable moments, but one I know I will not forget is when the dog fought the wolves. I love dogs, so I won't be able to forget this scene.

What about Christopher Lane’s performance did you like?

Christopher did an awesome job at narrating. He gave the character's their own voice and accents. I will be on the lookout for other books narrated by him.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, this fast paced thriller drew me in and kept me engaged from the first chapter to the last. Once I started the story, I could not stop listening to it, and completed it over the weekend!

Any additional comments?

This was an intriguing, suspenseful thriller with a great plot, and characters.

Good ... wishing it would have been great

I had very high hopes ... but it didn't quite work out. It as an okay story with interesting twists. I had been hopeful for a little more Dan-Brown-Ization of Viking lore, but it didn't quite work out that way. Narration was great ... just a little disappointed that the promising premise didn't feel more satisfying.

Wow; and it was FREE

I'm excited about this writer and wish I could find more of his books at Audible. He's Clive Cussler without all the narcissism! Loved the characters and the twists and turns in the story. Very very good.