By Sandy Amazeen Dec 4, 2005, 23:44 GMT
Twice jolted at love, Victoria was more then happy to accept a meteorological research traineeship at Kirkja Station on remote Othinsey Island two hundred miles off the Norwegian coast. What better way to work on her doctoral thesis while escaping further entanglements of the heart? Almost from the start Victoria is warned about strange nighttime activities including unusual noises, visitations by something the research team calls the hag and more. A stanch skeptic, Victoria is unimpressed by any of the stories and has no intention of allowing the staff to haze the newcomer to the group with such antics, not even when the night terrors leave bruises.
Vidar, son of Odin has awaited the return of his mortal lover for a thousand years and at long last she has been returned to Midgard. Forbidden by his father to return to Midgard, Vidar must rely on the assistance of his lovely, totally smitten bondmaid Aud and mercurial Loki who delights in subterfuge and pilfering to find a way across the bridge between the worlds. That’s the easy part, once in Midgard Vidar must make Victoria love him without revealing a whisper of their twined past. Life won’t get any easier for either of them once the old bonds are reestablished as doing so will put Victoria under an immediate death sentence. If Vidar is unable to find a way to protect her he will be sentenced to one thousand years of servitude.
Wilkins drew deeply on old Norse/Germanic legends to create an engaging new telling of love found and lost, knightly quests and petty rivalries every bit as inventive as the original epic tales. Like any good fairy tale there is a cornucopia of protagonists including some less then savory humans in addition to an array of mythical characters. The heroes prove that loyalty and trustworthiness don’t always appear where expected nor do they always win. There are some places where the pacing dragged a bit as Asgard and Aesir background are filled in but may be forgiven as it does tie in to the overall tale and is sure to spark the interest off those who have not yet delved into the old folklore.
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