The Serpent & The Dead (Marvel Legends of Asgard)

by Anna Stephens

An extraordinary duo of Asgardian Heroines battle across the Ten Realms, in this epic fantasy adventure set in Marvel’s Legends of Asgard

Brunnhilde the Valkyrie, the fearsome Asgardian warrior entrusted with conveying worthy souls to the heroes’ afterlife, stalks a battlefield finding only empty husks. Yet the souls are not already in Valhalla, or the lesser afterworlds – they have vanished. She enlists the aid of the valiant Lady Sif, and together they scour Asgard for answers. Rumors abound of towns being attacked by a horde of soldiers who cannot be killed. Someone is building an immortal army and stealing Asgardian souls… A worthy challenge for two of Asgard’s mightiest champions!

• ISBN10: 183908068X
• ISBN13: 9781839080685
• Publish Date: 20 January 2022 (first published 3 August 2021)
• Publish Status: Transferred
• Out of Print: 5 August 2024
• Publish Country: GB
• Imprint: Aconyte Books
• Edition: Paperback Original
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 336
• Language: English

Reviews

[Quirky Cat]

The Serpent and the Dead is one of the newest Marvel novels and part of the Legends of Asgard series. Written by Anna Stephens, this novel follows Brunnhilde and Lady Sif – two of my favorites.

The warriors of Asgard are always attending to one battle or another. That is not unusual. However, when Lady Sif witnessed a friend's death, she knew something was wrong. A Valkyrie did not escort her friend's soul to her eternal resting place.

This sets both Brunnhilde and Lady Sif on a quest to discover what is happening to the missing spirits of the dead, a pursuit that will inevitably get darker before they put an end to this horror. The real question is, will they be able to save the souls of those who have already been lost?

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I love the Marvel: Legends of Asgard series. This series gives my favorite Asgardians a chance to shine in their own novels, and I couldn't be happier for it. Now it's time for The Serpent and the Dead, highlighting Brunnhilde and Lady Sif – two unforgettable heroines that deserve the attention.

The Serpent and the Dead was a blast and a half to read, but it was also a surprisingly emotional read. I suppose the latter shouldn't be that much of a surprise since we're talking about lost spirits and Sif/Brunnhilde's need to recover them.

The early parts of this book hit hard, giving readers all the reason in the world(s) to care about the success of this mission. To be fair, it isn't hard to convince me to root for these ladies, because duh. But I still appreciated the effort.

All things said and done, The Serpent and the Dead was a well-written story, one that I didn't want to end. I would love to see this story take place in the MCU, even if realistically, I know that this will never happen (hey, a girl can hope!).

Thanks to Aconyte and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

DISCLAIMER:

About Marvel Entertainment

Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world’s most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of more than 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media for over eighty years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing, publishing, games, and digital media.
For more information visit marvel.com. © 2020 MARVEL

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