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Valhalla #2
Ragnarök
Book Two
After a year spent hunting for Mishka and Wulfgar, V team is no closer to finding them. If they're going to locate their nemeses, they're going to have to break some rules. As they begin their most dangerous mission yet, the stakes grow higher than they ever imagined as they uncover not only the subjects of their hunt, but the greatest threat the Earth has ever known.
To save the planet, their path will take them across the globe, across the solar system, and deeper into their relationships with each other than they've ever dared to look. Sacred bonds will be tested, the closest alliances will fall, and Violet will come face-to-face with a far more daunting and dangerous challenge than saving the planet—her growing love for Vibeke—a love that could be her salvation, or the cause of her ultimate downfall.
350 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 4, 2014
30 people are currently reading
314 people want to read
About the author
Ari Bach
10 books81 followersAri Bach runs a blog devoted to the Valhalla series at http://the-walrus-squad.tumblr.com/
Ari’s artwork can be found online at http://aribach.deviantart.com/.
Ari also runs a webcomic at http://www.twistedjenius.com/Snail-Fa... and has a Tarot deck at http://surrealist.tarotsmith.net/.
But Ari is probably best known for the humor blog “Facts-I-Just-Made-Up” at http://facts-i-just-made-up.tumblr.com/.
Ari’s artwork can be found online at http://aribach.deviantart.com/.
Ari also runs a webcomic at http://www.twistedjenius.com/Snail-Fa... and has a Tarot deck at http://surrealist.tarotsmith.net/.
But Ari is probably best known for the humor blog “Facts-I-Just-Made-Up” at http://facts-i-just-made-up.tumblr.com/.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
January 31, 2017
while the actual ending was good I had some issues with most of the second half of the book....................
February 12, 2017
Oh boy what a wild ride.
It's very clear this was made for the big screen, and honestly I hope it makes it because I will watch the heck out of that trilogy. Something I've noticed with this series is there's a lot of telling us what's going on instead of showing us, but it somehow works? Normally I'm screaming at authors to show me what's going on, don't just tell me, but here it works and it's very strange. I'm not sure why. My theory is there's so much action, it just flows better.
The only thing I didn't totally enjoy this time around was Violet's feelings towards Vibs, especially the way she dealt with it. Their trip to Mars was really cute and well done, but I found myself wishing for the action to come back. It felt very long and drawn out, and honestly Violet's constant pining for Vibs and begging to get her into bed got old fast.
The jumping to the past and different relevant plot points was very disorienting plotwise. This was a great example of how this would work great in a movie, but doesn't translate so well to book form. The information was relevant, although that wasn't always readily apparent, but it was useful and entertaining. I'm sure a lot of it was done for suspense, but I just really didn't care about some previously unknown party, I want to know what's happening to our characters. Which is great because that makes me want to continue reading.
I LOVED the twist at the end. And I loved the ending. I'm very excited for book three now, cliffhangers are my enemies I swear. Really though, this book was full of action right from the beginning. This series is so great in that aspect. I also love that the bad guys and good guys are all really terrible people. As characters, they're great. I love reading about them and the crazy stunts they get into, but if I ever met any of these people in real life, I would run the other way.
My main hope for book three is more walruses.
It's very clear this was made for the big screen, and honestly I hope it makes it because I will watch the heck out of that trilogy. Something I've noticed with this series is there's a lot of telling us what's going on instead of showing us, but it somehow works? Normally I'm screaming at authors to show me what's going on, don't just tell me, but here it works and it's very strange. I'm not sure why. My theory is there's so much action, it just flows better.
The only thing I didn't totally enjoy this time around was Violet's feelings towards Vibs, especially the way she dealt with it. Their trip to Mars was really cute and well done, but I found myself wishing for the action to come back. It felt very long and drawn out, and honestly Violet's constant pining for Vibs and begging to get her into bed got old fast.
The jumping to the past and different relevant plot points was very disorienting plotwise. This was a great example of how this would work great in a movie, but doesn't translate so well to book form. The information was relevant, although that wasn't always readily apparent, but it was useful and entertaining. I'm sure a lot of it was done for suspense, but I just really didn't care about some previously unknown party, I want to know what's happening to our characters. Which is great because that makes me want to continue reading.
I LOVED the twist at the end. And I loved the ending. I'm very excited for book three now, cliffhangers are my enemies I swear. Really though, this book was full of action right from the beginning. This series is so great in that aspect. I also love that the bad guys and good guys are all really terrible people. As characters, they're great. I love reading about them and the crazy stunts they get into, but if I ever met any of these people in real life, I would run the other way.
My main hope for book three is more walruses.
July 26, 2016
Not as good as I hoped, but it's not like I can really say I'm disappointed.
(note: some mild/less mild spoilers throughout)
Ragnarok is an action-packed book from beginning to end. Seriously. Action-packed. If action, science, and fighting isn't your thing, you may want to try something else. Speaking of, action REALLY isn't my thing. But I endure, as always, for the downtime. I like the characters. I love the world-building. The plot, and the norse connections I am slowly finding, are awesome. You just got to sit through some action to get anywhere.
The book takes place like, two years? after Valhalla. It's not very different, but there is a lot of references to things you never get to see, or else get explained to you later. It's sort of disjointing- you get the feeling you missed a book somewhere along the line.
There's this feeling, throughout this book and far more than in Valhalla, that the world presented is really, really big and the Ari is just presenting some small tale from it. Like he's just drawn a box, and that's what you get- spies and guns. But elsewhere, unseen, a whole hell of a lot is present. It gets confusing, and a lot of the writing works off of this expansive world in that it just sort of assumes you know what is going on.
It's good in that books should do that- too much exposition can weigh you down. But it's bad in that, if you are easily confused, you will be confused.
This book has been determined as the book where "Shit gets fucked up" by our illustrious author Ari. This is true! There's also a plot twist cliffhanger kind of ending. This is also true! I'm going to talk more about the end closer to the end of the review, but I will say, the book does live up to its promise- in fact, it's basically centered around it. To somewhat odd degrees.
Violet, our violent friend, is further defined as a character. All our V team buddies are. However much I enjoy them, though, I will admit I am finding it harder and harder to really sum anyone up. Violet is still sort of simple- though now 'dangerously horny' can be added to her list of traits. But Vibeke is less of a 'hardcore violent book nerd' and more of a '??? smart violent gal'. I really don't know. She doesn't feel to have changed much, but a lot of her development, while good, is... somehow off.
The boys feel somewhat missing from the first half. In the second half, we do see Veikko go from 'humor nerd' to 'deathwish demonspawn', but Varg basically stays exactly the same. He seems weirdly missing, actually. I know about him, but I still don't feel like I hear much about him. He is 'tough sex man' through and through.
More on Veikko: UH. As interesting as his philosophy is, as cool as his drive is, his developments seems somewhat sudden, though not implausible.
This book is full of references to Norse myth, something I truthfully know nothing about. However, googling things was a smart idea. I mean, smart in that it was informative. If you see a name, googling it MIGHT just fill you in on a key part of the plot. This is cool, but I'm sure it takes some surprise away from people who already know norse myth. Still, it's super fun.
Am I sounding too negative about this book? I seem to always do that. The problem is, I can't really name anything more positive! I feel like I liked it. But I did spend a lot of time thinking back to book one, and thinking how much I enjoyed book one. Is Ragnarok better? Is it worse? I have no idea.
I like Wulfgar for some unknown reason. I enjoy some of the jokes. The world building is fun. The internet, no matter how insane it is to follow, is very imaginative. The backstories for old, new, and even unimportant characters are some of my favorite bits. Sal, who I believe is a reference to Hal at this point, is my new fav. And it truly was upsetting to see . I'm curious as to how the next book will WORK and what it will be about with the way this one ended!
But
The book is obviously centered on 'ragnarok' as a bit of it's theme. So naturally, things go to hell to extreme degrees through crazily hard to follow politics and action. The end is weird, but I have to say this: I have a habit (badly) of going back and reading the end of the book. So yeah, I read the last few lines. But hey! I seriously had no idea this was how it was going to end. Intense man. Good cliffhanger.
The last 25% of the book is the final climax, and the set up of this climax, and the reasonings, both make sense and do not. I still do not understand all of our precious hellchild's reasonings, and honestly, it felt like every chapter was the end one. Don't get me wrong, there were no late timeskips or anything near the end, but it still felt weirdly muddled, full of death and false ends. Our actual end feels quick by comparison- the whole last portion sort of feels like the start of a new book, or at least something that belonged earlier on in this one.
I did spent a lot of time being confused. I got bothered by action scenes, and their frequency. I think it's safe to say this isn't really a book series meant for me- but hey, I'll still be reading the third one. Also, note the four star rating? It's still a good book, no matter how much I gripe, and probably worth a read.
(note: some mild/less mild spoilers throughout)
Ragnarok is an action-packed book from beginning to end. Seriously. Action-packed. If action, science, and fighting isn't your thing, you may want to try something else. Speaking of, action REALLY isn't my thing. But I endure, as always, for the downtime. I like the characters. I love the world-building. The plot, and the norse connections I am slowly finding, are awesome. You just got to sit through some action to get anywhere.
The book takes place like, two years? after Valhalla. It's not very different, but there is a lot of references to things you never get to see, or else get explained to you later. It's sort of disjointing- you get the feeling you missed a book somewhere along the line.
There's this feeling, throughout this book and far more than in Valhalla, that the world presented is really, really big and the Ari is just presenting some small tale from it. Like he's just drawn a box, and that's what you get- spies and guns. But elsewhere, unseen, a whole hell of a lot is present. It gets confusing, and a lot of the writing works off of this expansive world in that it just sort of assumes you know what is going on.
It's good in that books should do that- too much exposition can weigh you down. But it's bad in that, if you are easily confused, you will be confused.
This book has been determined as the book where "Shit gets fucked up" by our illustrious author Ari. This is true! There's also a plot twist cliffhanger kind of ending. This is also true! I'm going to talk more about the end closer to the end of the review, but I will say, the book does live up to its promise- in fact, it's basically centered around it. To somewhat odd degrees.
Violet, our violent friend, is further defined as a character. All our V team buddies are. However much I enjoy them, though, I will admit I am finding it harder and harder to really sum anyone up. Violet is still sort of simple- though now 'dangerously horny' can be added to her list of traits. But Vibeke is less of a 'hardcore violent book nerd' and more of a '??? smart violent gal'. I really don't know. She doesn't feel to have changed much, but a lot of her development, while good, is... somehow off.
The boys feel somewhat missing from the first half. In the second half, we do see Veikko go from 'humor nerd' to 'deathwish demonspawn', but Varg basically stays exactly the same. He seems weirdly missing, actually. I know about him, but I still don't feel like I hear much about him. He is 'tough sex man' through and through.
More on Veikko: UH. As interesting as his philosophy is, as cool as his drive is, his developments seems somewhat sudden, though not implausible.
This book is full of references to Norse myth, something I truthfully know nothing about. However, googling things was a smart idea. I mean, smart in that it was informative. If you see a name, googling it MIGHT just fill you in on a key part of the plot. This is cool, but I'm sure it takes some surprise away from people who already know norse myth. Still, it's super fun.
Am I sounding too negative about this book? I seem to always do that. The problem is, I can't really name anything more positive! I feel like I liked it. But I did spend a lot of time thinking back to book one, and thinking how much I enjoyed book one. Is Ragnarok better? Is it worse? I have no idea.
I like Wulfgar for some unknown reason. I enjoy some of the jokes. The world building is fun. The internet, no matter how insane it is to follow, is very imaginative. The backstories for old, new, and even unimportant characters are some of my favorite bits. Sal, who I believe is a reference to Hal at this point, is my new fav. And it truly was upsetting to see . I'm curious as to how the next book will WORK and what it will be about with the way this one ended!
But
The book is obviously centered on 'ragnarok' as a bit of it's theme. So naturally, things go to hell to extreme degrees through crazily hard to follow politics and action. The end is weird, but I have to say this: I have a habit (badly) of going back and reading the end of the book. So yeah, I read the last few lines. But hey! I seriously had no idea this was how it was going to end. Intense man. Good cliffhanger.
The last 25% of the book is the final climax, and the set up of this climax, and the reasonings, both make sense and do not. I still do not understand all of our precious hellchild's reasonings, and honestly, it felt like every chapter was the end one. Don't get me wrong, there were no late timeskips or anything near the end, but it still felt weirdly muddled, full of death and false ends. Our actual end feels quick by comparison- the whole last portion sort of feels like the start of a new book, or at least something that belonged earlier on in this one.
I did spent a lot of time being confused. I got bothered by action scenes, and their frequency. I think it's safe to say this isn't really a book series meant for me- but hey, I'll still be reading the third one. Also, note the four star rating? It's still a good book, no matter how much I gripe, and probably worth a read.
March 10, 2017
3.5 stars. i have so much to say about this
first, i didn't like the romance as much as i thought i would. in the first book i thought it was going to be a slow-burn, so jumping into it head-first in this book saying they had been pining and in love since they first met seemed a little rushed, but i didnt mind that (and it turned out to be the least of their problems). i loved the beginning, but as it progressed it just got complicated and weird. the way this story line was resolved was so so weird and off-putting, i dont even know what to make of it. it was also really vulgar just for the sake of being vulgar and, like, edgy.
that said, i absolutely loved every other part of this book. it totally delivered on all of the potential from the first book. i normally hate action sequences in books and find them hard to follow and boring, but these were really really well done. they were super cool and exciting and i would recommend this book based on them alone. the sci fi/futuristic aspects of this were incredible and fascinating as well. and the ending was totally amazing. every page dropped my jaw again and again for the entire last quarter of the book. i cant wait to read the next one and explore this universe even more!
(originally i rated this 4.5 stars but the way the last book turns out really soured me on the whole series)
(tw for gore and intense violence pretty much throughout (its sort of camp if that makes a difference) and attempted sexual assault around 60%/pg 210, referenced multiple times after)
first, i didn't like the romance as much as i thought i would. in the first book i thought it was going to be a slow-burn, so jumping into it head-first in this book saying they had been pining and in love since they first met seemed a little rushed, but i didnt mind that (and it turned out to be the least of their problems). i loved the beginning, but as it progressed it just got complicated and weird. the way this story line was resolved was so so weird and off-putting, i dont even know what to make of it. it was also really vulgar just for the sake of being vulgar and, like, edgy.
that said, i absolutely loved every other part of this book. it totally delivered on all of the potential from the first book. i normally hate action sequences in books and find them hard to follow and boring, but these were really really well done. they were super cool and exciting and i would recommend this book based on them alone. the sci fi/futuristic aspects of this were incredible and fascinating as well. and the ending was totally amazing. every page dropped my jaw again and again for the entire last quarter of the book. i cant wait to read the next one and explore this universe even more!
(originally i rated this 4.5 stars but the way the last book turns out really soured me on the whole series)
(tw for gore and intense violence pretty much throughout (its sort of camp if that makes a difference) and attempted sexual assault around 60%/pg 210, referenced multiple times after)
May 20, 2015
Ragnarok had everything that made Valhalla great, from the characters, to the action, to the comedy, and the rich, well-developed world. And, just as a sequel should, it did all of those things better than the original. Every major character was given a new level of depth and the growth felt smooth and realistic. The action became even more advanced, with bigger, badder weapons and more skilled fighters. There were moments I had to set the book down because I couldn't stop laughing. But, as all sequels need to do, it also added new elements. Romance was a significant part of the character arcs of several major characters, but it was protrayed very differently from your average Hollywood rom-com. Both characters are very broken people, and their relationship reflects that. There are ups and downs, and a great deal of surprising and interesting twists. Not to mention the plot as a whole, which leaves you guessing about the ending of the book until the very end, and leaves the reader on edge in anticipation of the conclusion of the trillogy.
Ragnarok is a very different story than most mainstream media. The characters are morally grey, and many are broken people in some way. The world is very complex and the technology is very advanced, but at the same time it is all very accessible. As stated above, the romance is very different than what you would see in a Hollywood rom-com. Ragnarok is a breath of fresh air if you're looking for something different, something new.
Ragnarok is a very different story than most mainstream media. The characters are morally grey, and many are broken people in some way. The world is very complex and the technology is very advanced, but at the same time it is all very accessible. As stated above, the romance is very different than what you would see in a Hollywood rom-com. Ragnarok is a breath of fresh air if you're looking for something different, something new.
December 27, 2014
Ragnarök is, like book 1, a very fast-paced action packed book that develops in a really unique and well developed sci-fi, sometimes dystopian (something i love) universe. Love stories in the book are very complex and although very important for character development, they don't steal the spotlight to make it a romance book or anything of its sort.
Some terms, because of their authenticity or norse language or long acronyms, should be explained more, and reminded several times during the book as to what they mean.
Even more like its predecessor, Ragnarök is full of references that I feel I could understand only 20% of them.
The narrative changed a lot from Valhalla, mainly because it features many backstories that I found very interesting because of their immediate connection with the main plotline.
The political connections are really hard to grasp because of the many terms involved or their complexity. For someone not connected with political references it may be a little too complex (e.g myself)
It ends with a painful cliffhanger. That's all I have to say.
GREAT BOOK WOULD RECOMMEND 10/10.
Some terms, because of their authenticity or norse language or long acronyms, should be explained more, and reminded several times during the book as to what they mean.
Even more like its predecessor, Ragnarök is full of references that I feel I could understand only 20% of them.
The narrative changed a lot from Valhalla, mainly because it features many backstories that I found very interesting because of their immediate connection with the main plotline.
The political connections are really hard to grasp because of the many terms involved or their complexity. For someone not connected with political references it may be a little too complex (e.g myself)
It ends with a painful cliffhanger. That's all I have to say.
GREAT BOOK WOULD RECOMMEND 10/10.
May 17, 2015
Really well executed, and a prose improvement from the last outing. Neither are in a style that is my usual reading fare, but this is beautifully layered and hits some seriously difficult material more honestly than almost anything else I've read.
For a wetdryvac that doesn't connect to humans very well, the approach to character motivation and interaction made a hell of a lot more sense than I usually find, and while hitting some seriously painful material, did so in a manner where character interactions didn't feel contrived. Well observed social cause and effect, even - and particularly, I suppose - within abuse structures.
Things that kept me reading beyond that: The comfortable home-ness described in many ways throughout. The ungodly insertions of pop-culture, puns, black humor, and silliness that neither undercut nor was undercut by the regularly brutal material.
Highly recommended IF one has a strong stomach. Recommending anyway even without the strong stomach - a great ride - but one might need a bag every now and then.
For a wetdryvac that doesn't connect to humans very well, the approach to character motivation and interaction made a hell of a lot more sense than I usually find, and while hitting some seriously painful material, did so in a manner where character interactions didn't feel contrived. Well observed social cause and effect, even - and particularly, I suppose - within abuse structures.
Things that kept me reading beyond that: The comfortable home-ness described in many ways throughout. The ungodly insertions of pop-culture, puns, black humor, and silliness that neither undercut nor was undercut by the regularly brutal material.
Highly recommended IF one has a strong stomach. Recommending anyway even without the strong stomach - a great ride - but one might need a bag every now and then.
December 30, 2015
Ragnarok is perhaps the most perfect book in the Valhalla trilogy. The author's summary of this book is that the treaty gets broken, or in his words "shit gets fucked up". Throughout its pages, this promise followed me.
Myriad threats to the future Earth's social order show up as obstacles to V team's success. Tensions arise between the characters themselves too. If Valhalla was meant to make you trust in the ravine's order, Ragnarok is what breaks that trust.
I'd say the middle kind of dragged for me, but the last few chapters deliver the most intense chain of events to happen in the whole story. In the end the promise was certainly kept.
Myriad threats to the future Earth's social order show up as obstacles to V team's success. Tensions arise between the characters themselves too. If Valhalla was meant to make you trust in the ravine's order, Ragnarok is what breaks that trust.
I'd say the middle kind of dragged for me, but the last few chapters deliver the most intense chain of events to happen in the whole story. In the end the promise was certainly kept.
September 27, 2015
Well, um... Qué????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
June 7, 2015
I had an awesome time reading this book!So bad ass and a lot better that the first one! check out me review here: https://thebooklandia.wordpress.com/2...
January 25, 2021
Look. The first book was really good. Great worldbuilding, great action, cool characters. This book? Oh boy. Tl;dr: the series ended with the first book! how crazy!
To be honest, the plot really soured for me the moment the characters almost became completely recognizable from the first book save their names and like, their bugknives.
The biggest problem for me was how it went from a tense will they won't they relationship of the wlws to straight up attempted sexual assault. That really soured the rest of the book for me, especially now that Violet's whole character is that she's sex obsessed? All of the sudden???? Vibeke went from the cool nerd character to like, I'm honestly not sure if her characterization is the same across the chapters.
Things were ok, probably 3-4 stars up until the attempted sexual assault scene. And yeah for a few pages it was a big deal then like, they got over it??????? The higher ups being like well we should get rid of her for being a predator and then Vibeke is like well, we're cool now. I'm going crazy. And then they just started killing everyone?????
The last half of the book had me pulling my hair out. All the plans and schemes were just dull and the twists that were supposed to be twists felt weak. Rushed. Why were these guys bad? What was the point of the entire first book to shit on it like this? The cool fun teammate suddenly has this master plan that's against everything we've learned about him in the first book?
The title of this book is Ragnarok, but unlike Ragnarok in Norse Mythos, this was not the end of the world and the rebirth of the new cycle, but instead a loud farting noise that left you unsatisfied and very mad. Please don't let this author write f/f relationships after this. Or women in general. Or books.
To be honest, the plot really soured for me the moment the characters almost became completely recognizable from the first book save their names and like, their bugknives.
The biggest problem for me was how it went from a tense will they won't they relationship of the wlws to straight up attempted sexual assault. That really soured the rest of the book for me, especially now that Violet's whole character is that she's sex obsessed? All of the sudden???? Vibeke went from the cool nerd character to like, I'm honestly not sure if her characterization is the same across the chapters.
Things were ok, probably 3-4 stars up until the attempted sexual assault scene. And yeah for a few pages it was a big deal then like, they got over it??????? The higher ups being like well we should get rid of her for being a predator and then Vibeke is like well, we're cool now. I'm going crazy. And then they just started killing everyone?????
The last half of the book had me pulling my hair out. All the plans and schemes were just dull and the twists that were supposed to be twists felt weak. Rushed. Why were these guys bad? What was the point of the entire first book to shit on it like this? The cool fun teammate suddenly has this master plan that's against everything we've learned about him in the first book?
The title of this book is Ragnarok, but unlike Ragnarok in Norse Mythos, this was not the end of the world and the rebirth of the new cycle, but instead a loud farting noise that left you unsatisfied and very mad. Please don't let this author write f/f relationships after this. Or women in general. Or books.
November 13, 2017
*the sky is clear, snow is falling, my acne has cleared up, my grades are great* F I N A L L Y, I have finished! *remembers there's still one installment to go* ...eeeeeh... eeeeccckk...
On a side one, I do not understand why, up 'till now, I did not have a tag for "stupid books". Like, I've had stupid endings, but why didn't I have a tag for stupid books? I don't understand myself sometimes.
This is not much of a review. Basically everything I'd complain about can be found in the review for the first one (I really have no strenght left to complain about this one, too, and that's saying something).
Maybe just a little add-on: I would not like it even as a movie anymore. The plot was dumb now, too. And, everyone in this series is an awful human being.
(I hate myself for even picking it up and for being unable to quit a series. I should just say fuck it and not read the last one. But, like, it's the last one? I'm not a weakling. God.)
On a side one, I do not understand why, up 'till now, I did not have a tag for "stupid books". Like, I've had stupid endings, but why didn't I have a tag for stupid books? I don't understand myself sometimes.
This is not much of a review. Basically everything I'd complain about can be found in the review for the first one (I really have no strenght left to complain about this one, too, and that's saying something).
Maybe just a little add-on: I would not like it even as a movie anymore. The plot was dumb now, too. And, everyone in this series is an awful human being.
(I hate myself for even picking it up and for being unable to quit a series. I should just say fuck it and not read the last one. But, like, it's the last one? I'm not a weakling. God.)
December 19, 2024
What Valhalla lacked, this book makes up for. We jump right back in with Valknut on an intense mission and see how far they’ve come from the ending of book 1. Everything is kicked up a notch - the action, the writing, the characters. Everything becomes a richer, deeper image.
Quick notes:
-The section of the book with Yoshi and the Black Crag is one of my favorites from the series.
-The Mars mission is awesome. The runners are cool as hell.
-I loved the slow burn of Violet and Vibeke on their month-long “couples getaway”.
And then she goes and ruins it all. Violet was a hair away from getting reprogrammed for being too violent. She gets kicked out of the armed services for her outbursts. Then she ends up in a place where not only is she allowed to act on her impulses, she’s praised for it. She learns nothing but becoming a killing machine, and she feels like she lacks a place in her team other than as a weapon. So she gets really, really good at being that weapon and pushing out any remaining shame she may have had from her past life. When she uses herself, her brute strength, to get what she wants it’s not surprising. But it is shocking.
We learned early on in the series that no one in Valhalla is a good person. We’re swindled into rooting for them because they do good things sometimes. But I’d argue that none of the Valkyries are in it to save the world. They more than anything want to have the ability to act without (much) authority and carry out their own will against people they think deserve it. The protection of any civilians is a happy accident.
And in the end, there is nothing but failure waiting for them. They fail the Mars mission, Violet fails Vibeke, the elders fail to protect the younger teams, they fail to apprehend Mishka and Wulfgar. Veikko succeeds in a way I guess but he pisses me off.
At the end of Valhalla I felt hopeful for what V Team would accomplish. At the end of Ragnarok I felt defeated with them.
Quick notes:
-The section of the book with Yoshi and the Black Crag is one of my favorites from the series.
-The Mars mission is awesome. The runners are cool as hell.
-I loved the slow burn of Violet and Vibeke on their month-long “couples getaway”.
And then she goes and ruins it all. Violet was a hair away from getting reprogrammed for being too violent. She gets kicked out of the armed services for her outbursts. Then she ends up in a place where not only is she allowed to act on her impulses, she’s praised for it. She learns nothing but becoming a killing machine, and she feels like she lacks a place in her team other than as a weapon. So she gets really, really good at being that weapon and pushing out any remaining shame she may have had from her past life. When she uses herself, her brute strength, to get what she wants it’s not surprising. But it is shocking.
We learned early on in the series that no one in Valhalla is a good person. We’re swindled into rooting for them because they do good things sometimes. But I’d argue that none of the Valkyries are in it to save the world. They more than anything want to have the ability to act without (much) authority and carry out their own will against people they think deserve it. The protection of any civilians is a happy accident.
And in the end, there is nothing but failure waiting for them. They fail the Mars mission, Violet fails Vibeke, the elders fail to protect the younger teams, they fail to apprehend Mishka and Wulfgar. Veikko succeeds in a way I guess but he pisses me off.
At the end of Valhalla I felt hopeful for what V Team would accomplish. At the end of Ragnarok I felt defeated with them.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 18, 2018
The relationship between Violet and Vibeke is so fucked up and yet I can't help but root for those two crazy kids. What does that say about me?
The last part of this book was quite shocking and now I can't wait to start the third book.
The last part of this book was quite shocking and now I can't wait to start the third book.
May 30, 2024
I love the absurdity of this series. It’s very refreshing to read something that feels so unfitting for its medium while still being readable and a good story.
I was obsessed with the Crag online setting, loved blended up humans, didn’t like the abuse and lingering at the second half.
I was obsessed with the Crag online setting, loved blended up humans, didn’t like the abuse and lingering at the second half.
July 19, 2017
I'm so disturbed I don't know what to rate this
January 20, 2017
I almost regret reading this book, because Ari Bach gave me one and a half books to really get into this universe, and then decided to rip my heart out from my body and stomp on it before shoving it into a furnace.
Like the biggest problem I had at one point was the fact that Violet, our protagonist, becomes this sex-crazed person, which at first just shatters any relatability, but then escalates beyond measure when she goes on to physically assault and attempt to rape Vibeke. This part makes me not only sad but angry. Because a protagonist who is assumedly 'good' being a rapist too is a bit dark for me to handle. There sometimes feels like there might be some coming back from this, but Bach establishes many times that it can't be undone. But now the part that *really* irks me is that Vibeke at one point, right after thinking about how wrong it is that Vi tried to rape her, immediately shifts to 'she held me down but that's what I wanted to do' and then proceeds to have sex with her, but this time assuming a dominant position herself. Like I feel like two characters were basically ruined for me.
Then of course there's the whole stuff with Alf and Veikko and whatever. That isn't the same kind of ruining, I feel. Alf has his ways, its been hinted at. Veikko maybe less, but despite the speed of it, his turn to a villain is played really well, supported with good backstory, and just really bloody awesome. Yes, it's still devastating to see him do those horrid things. But unlike with the Vi-Vibeke thing, I feel like Bach handled this so bloody well it's very hard to not like it.
Of course, the book isn't called Ragnarok for nothing. The world descends into utter chaos, any foundations laid in the reader's minds by the books so far are utterly destroyed, along with the structures within the world that the books have relied on. In the titular chapter we see Alf and Balder both killed permanently. This is followed by Veikko, the entire W team, Pluturus, and then Varg.
Varg, the shining beacon of Valknut, as it were. Couldn't have died a more honourable death, I feel. Like I've never liked him too much, primarily (okay, entirely) because of the sex obsession, but whatever traits I admired in him come to a full display here, and he more than anyone displays 'heroism' in the book's third act.
Now, by the time Varg dies its starting to look like there's very little one could do in terms of a sequel, which is why I started to become increasingly suspicious that Gudsriki will be a time-travel/alternate reality sort of deal. The final few pages, where Vi herself dies and talks about 'another life', have all but confirmed this thought in my head.
So, while I am disappointed with a huge part of the protagonist and a deuteragonist's story, and incredibly shocked by every event in the third act, I did still enjoy this book. It's a complex and perplexing sequel, and has made me way too eager to see how the final book brings the story to a (or rather, another?) close.
Like the biggest problem I had at one point was the fact that Violet, our protagonist, becomes this sex-crazed person, which at first just shatters any relatability, but then escalates beyond measure when she goes on to physically assault and attempt to rape Vibeke. This part makes me not only sad but angry. Because a protagonist who is assumedly 'good' being a rapist too is a bit dark for me to handle. There sometimes feels like there might be some coming back from this, but Bach establishes many times that it can't be undone. But now the part that *really* irks me is that Vibeke at one point, right after thinking about how wrong it is that Vi tried to rape her, immediately shifts to 'she held me down but that's what I wanted to do' and then proceeds to have sex with her, but this time assuming a dominant position herself. Like I feel like two characters were basically ruined for me.
Then of course there's the whole stuff with Alf and Veikko and whatever. That isn't the same kind of ruining, I feel. Alf has his ways, its been hinted at. Veikko maybe less, but despite the speed of it, his turn to a villain is played really well, supported with good backstory, and just really bloody awesome. Yes, it's still devastating to see him do those horrid things. But unlike with the Vi-Vibeke thing, I feel like Bach handled this so bloody well it's very hard to not like it.
Of course, the book isn't called Ragnarok for nothing. The world descends into utter chaos, any foundations laid in the reader's minds by the books so far are utterly destroyed, along with the structures within the world that the books have relied on. In the titular chapter we see Alf and Balder both killed permanently. This is followed by Veikko, the entire W team, Pluturus, and then Varg.
Varg, the shining beacon of Valknut, as it were. Couldn't have died a more honourable death, I feel. Like I've never liked him too much, primarily (okay, entirely) because of the sex obsession, but whatever traits I admired in him come to a full display here, and he more than anyone displays 'heroism' in the book's third act.
Now, by the time Varg dies its starting to look like there's very little one could do in terms of a sequel, which is why I started to become increasingly suspicious that Gudsriki will be a time-travel/alternate reality sort of deal. The final few pages, where Vi herself dies and talks about 'another life', have all but confirmed this thought in my head.
So, while I am disappointed with a huge part of the protagonist and a deuteragonist's story, and incredibly shocked by every event in the third act, I did still enjoy this book. It's a complex and perplexing sequel, and has made me way too eager to see how the final book brings the story to a (or rather, another?) close.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 3, 2016
The best of the series, Ragnarök furthers the already interesting characters and world - and makes you hurt. Put any happy thoughts out of your head, this one is pretty brutal.
Ragnarök is a balanced book. It has just the right mix of action, character development, and conflict. It goes off the rails a bit toward the end as it leads into the third of the trilogy and, while I do recommend reading Guðsríki if you enjoy the series, if there had only been the two novels I would have come away just as satisfied since this one makes up for the missteps of the third.
This book shows that Ari Bach has chops, and I'm looking forward to further books.
Ragnarök is a balanced book. It has just the right mix of action, character development, and conflict. It goes off the rails a bit toward the end as it leads into the third of the trilogy and, while I do recommend reading Guðsríki if you enjoy the series, if there had only been the two novels I would have come away just as satisfied since this one makes up for the missteps of the third.
This book shows that Ari Bach has chops, and I'm looking forward to further books.
March 1, 2015
I was completely horrified, can't wait for the next one!
March 7, 2016
Ah! Cliffhanger ending. Good thing I have the third book of the trilogy.
October 3, 2015
2 for creativity. Otherwise this would have been a 1. This book was just a huge disappointment.
December 17, 2014
Review to come
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