Austin Wyrd (Valhalla Awol, #1)

by Steve Curry and Steven Curry

[kimbacaffeinate]

The tale offered a modern-day Norse tale with humor and intriguing characters.

Curry delivered a fresh tale, steering clear of familiar tropes and infusing Norse mythology into this urban fantasy. Our protagonist Magnus Gustav a.k.a. Mouse is a bouncer at a heavy metal bad in downtown Austin, Texas. Trouble begins when he finds a mutilated body by the dumpsters.

There is a lot to like about this first in series. We learn Magnus is one of Odin’s Chosen Warriors hiding out from Valhalla. When we first meet him, he is feeling off. His senses, balance and intuition seem for lack of a better word sluggish. All of which causes him to get his head pummeled more than once.

The secondary characters are intriguing. I loved the dog, the raven, and the fox. The fox is a bit of a mystery, and I hope we learn more. The Professor, Drew and Maureen all had aspects I liked and I am keen to learn more.

The world-building was loose, particularly with the Norse mythology. While I have read numerous fiction novels surrounding these lores but not much was explained for those unfamiliar to the mythology.

The book has been likened to Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files, and I can see that from the humor to the sexualized females. In one scene he is battling a female and his eye wonder to her breasts and the smoothness of her skin. You get the point. Since this didn’t bother me in Butcher’s books, I rolled with it here.

Gary Bennett narrates and brought these characters to life. I enjoyed his pacing and different accents. I felt he captured the characters and added an extra layer of enjoyment.

Austin Wyrd was a solid start to the series and Curry set listeners up nicely for b This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer