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RuneWarriors (2008)

by James Jennewein(Favorite Author)

3.13 of 5 Votes: 4

ISBN

0061449369 (ISBN13: 9780061449369)

languge

English

genre

Fantasy

publisher

HarperCollins

series

RuneWarriors

review 1: Thoughts on the Overall Book: This was one of those books that I just grabbed at the library with a kind of indifference like 'it looks like it could be good, I'll give it a go'. I wasn't really sure of it, but when I started reading it I really instantly fell in love with the story, characters and writing style. It was just really funny, but with a good mix of drama and adventure thrown in as well. The characters were great, and it was overall a very pleasant surprise! It's definitely not a historical fiction, but I really like how the authors mixed in a bit of modern day stuff which would make it a more fun read for the recommended audience (12-16, I'd say) and also the mixed in Norse legends and Viking Lore. I've always been a fan of Norse Mythology, so I really liked h... moreow that was worked into this book.Cover-- Yae or Nay: I don't mind the covers for these books. I think the picture does look like Dane, but they make it look like the book has a much darker feel than it really does. So much so, that I was totally surprised when I started reading it at how quirky and funny the story actually was. So it looks neat, but it doesn't really show what's inside the book either.Characters: Dane is a great hero. He's flawed but he also knows how to do the right things, and I thought he was a well-crafted young protagonist. His friends are awesome too like Drott the Dim and Fulnir the Stinking, and don't forget Jarl with the gorgeous hair and an obsession with hair-care products :P I also really liked Astrid as the heroine. She was awesome because, though she was the damsel in distress, she was also more than capable of taking care of herself. And she also didn't have the Attitude at all. Sure she could throw axes better than all the men, but she never flaunted that fact.And then there's the villain, Thidrick who liked to knit on his spare time, and also held matinée executions every saturday where children under ten could get in free. Seriously, is that not enough?Writing Style: It was good, fast paced, and laced with humor outside of the dialogue. My favorite kind of style for this sort of book.Problems/What bothered Me: Overall, I didn't really have any problems with this book. Since it was not presented as historical fiction, I won't say anything about the inaccuracies that were only there for the sake of humor. The only thing I had a problem with was that it seemed whenever someone got hurt they were well again, WAY too quickly. Like almost instantly, and that is a huge pet peeve of mine, but the book was enjoyable enough I'll let it slide this once.Conclusion: 4 Stars, I really liked this book. It was a quick fun read and I look forward to reading the sequels. The authors seemed like really fun guys too, I enjoyed reading the interview in the back of the book.Recommended Audience: I'd say this is more of a guy read, but girls who like guy reads will enjoy it too, because Astrid is a great heroine who girls would like to read about. (She's also the only girl character which makes this so much better) As I said before probably ages 12-16 would enjoy it the most. If you're looking for Viking historical fiction this is not it (Go read Judson Roberts' Strongbow Saga') but if you're looking for a fun quick read, this is a great book to pass the hours with. And I think fans of Ranger's Apprentice or John Flanagan's other books would like these a lot.
review 2: First, I listened to this book in my car. This story is about a young viking boy, Dane, trying to become a man. He has to save the country from a vicious ruler who has killed his father, stolen the girl of his dreams and is bent on ruling everyone and thing with cruelty. The stupid part was the fact that the hero is like 12 or 13 years old and the things he says and does do not reflect a child of that age. The story was at times so hard to listen to because the dialog was ridiculous. It seemed as if the author/s were trying so hard to make characters so modern, when the story itself was set so so long before now. (obviously i didn't care enough to look up or know what time frame it was exactly, other than it was during viking times...) There were so many obnoxious and lame things about this book. So why did I keep listening to it? Mostly because I love listening to Richard Poe narrate. Although, but the end I can't imagine how he could continue reading the story because it was so lame and cheesy. would not recommend even to my 12 year old son. less

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