• The Doom of Odin by Scott Oden (St. Martin’s Press, 2024)

By Warner Holme: Scott Oden’s The Doom of Odin represents the latest entry in his series. This story takes simple beginnings, once again following Viking adventurer Grimnir through life and death.

Finding himself in the Underworld, the lead is increasingly set upon by enemies even as he is far more concerned with the utter lack of elements he expected to the afterlife. As he journeys to understand what it is that has happened, he finds himself increasingly facing off against foes and threats beyond the expected or even unlikely enemies he had counted on. The fact that the author was somewhat inspired by Robert E. Howard should come as no surprise even without the reference to the man’s work as it’s very much a sword and blood epic that is told here.

Uninteresting momentary discussion is given when the question is raised of who had last seen the deity Loki, giving an idea of being abandoned even by the gods period. Indeed, this comes up repeatedly in an interesting way to look at the problem of theism in a setting where the gods seem to definitively exist, yet disappear or neglect their worshippers. Really? This book provides in that respect. A fascinating choice in another way, as while worship of Loki seemed unthinkable in a lot of Norse scholars’ eyes at one time, the shaky and uneven evidence of the methodology in general raises interesting new probabilities in the present day.

The destruction of culture is referenced briefly toward the end when some discuss on page 258 that there has been no traditional end of the world “only the spreading malice of the Nailed God and the destruction of the old ways” in a dark allusion to the Christianity. That would work to crush as much Norse history and culture as possible for some time to come. This is a dark depiction of a popular religion, but certainly appropriate to the figures experiencing the replacement of one system with another. It does make other things like the use of the word ichor amusing in light of the classic definition of the term.

Still, this is very much on the darker side of epic, fantasy low or high. While orgies and incest are in short supply, the disturbing possibilities of the world and the life beyond are given especially harsh treatment. The lead adventures arguably come to an end with this volume, that certainly seems to be the intention. If so, it’s not a bad way for him to go out. 

Fans of the series will definitely want to pick this one as it makes good and clever use of the mythology as well as history surrounding the time to produce a strange and disturbing look at a Viking adventurer’s world with appropriate mystical aplomb. Why it’s not the most historically accurate book ever written, even among fantasies, the love for the era and style are more than evident. Curious parties might do well to start with some other part of the series, but the overall result will be an interesting read to an interested individual.