-- Originally reviewed at Here There Be Books. --I've gotten more and more fond of books with Norse mythology in them, probably because I took a really good medieval history class last semester that covered quite a bit of Viking history, which naturally made me more interested in everything to do with Viking and so on. One thing I've noticed about these books, though, is that the protagonists tend to be all boys, and I prefer to read books about girls (because I am one, and, by the way, there aren't nearly enough fantasy books starring girls without any romance in them). So! I really liked Runemarks because it had loads of nifty Norse gods and mythology in it, and a female lead that did things besides trying to woo her boyfriend! (Not that she had a boyfriend.)Maddy is a really strong female lead, one who has powerful abilities and isn't afraid to go off and have her own adventures. She's also pretty realistic, by which I mean she felt like a real person to me, with feelings and dreams and a personality of her own. I also liked that she was really-- I don't know how to say it. Female? She didn't just seem like Ms Harris had taken a boy character and switched him into a girl-- Maddy was a real girl and her gender was an important part of herself. Does that make sense? I hope it does, because I don't think there are tons of female adventure types that actually like being a girl and want to do things as a girl; it always seems instead that they disguise themselves as boys or something (Shakespeare does that a lot in his plays).Anyway, the story is a really exciting one, with battles and magic and gnomes. It slows down a bit in the middle, and the ending was somewhat of a disappointment to me because it was sort of like Maddy had been pushed to the side in favor of Odin's subplot. But I had a wonderful time following Maddy along in her adventures, and the rest of the characters were sufficiently flushed out enough to not just become prop figures.One character who really surprised me was Loki, who nearly always is portrayed as an almost evil character, more malicious than mischievous (think American Gods, maybe). The Loki in Runemarks is very sympathetic, and it made me think of him more as a person who is trapped in a place he doesn't want to be, where he can't ever win and he has to look out for himself because no-one else will. I think he even says somewhere in the book that the gods are happy to use his talents when it suits them, but then sweep him under the rug (or try to kill him) when they no longer need him. So, yeah, that made me empathize with him more than despise him, even when he did try to trick Maddy out of something (he made up for it later, anyway).I really enjoyed reading Runemarks. I think it'd be a great book for anyone interested in alternate universes, Norse mythology, strong female adventurer characters, and fun fantasy stories that aren't exactly swords-and-sorcerers but do give that sort of thing a nod. The ending isn't exactly a cliffhanger but it does leave room for a sequel, which I think Ms Harris is working on now. I think.
Sometimes when I’m reading a book, friends, I have figured out the ending within three seconds.This is what I thought was happening with Runemarks.“Really, Joanne Harris,” I said, rolling my eyes and flinging my arms around in a grandiose manner, “you really think this is a book with twists and turns? The main character just met a witty maybe-evil prankster named Lucky. Am I supposed to be SHOCKED when he turns out to be Loki, the witty maybe-evil prankster god? And am I just blown away by the realization that Old One-Eye, the one-eyed craggy bearded wanderer, is really Odin, the one-eyed craggy bearded wandering god? I am not. I am not at all. I hate this book.”Okay. But here’s the thing.This book is actually epic.It is amazing.By page 200, I had completely lost track of where I thought the story was going, and was left flailing in the awesome wake of Joanne Harris’ brilliance.Normally books that make me go, “Wait… what?” and “Wait, what?!” are the books that piss me off. This book I just wanted to nuzzle, and maybe take home to meet the folks.Clearly I’m not saying anything coherent here. Um. Read this book. It has goblins and severed heads and hot dead gods and demonic possession and shapeshifters and magic apples and the possibility of a love story. It’s pretty much brilliant.
What do You think about Runemarks (2007)?
I loved the movie Chocolat and I read a bit of Jigs and Reels, but nothing has hooked me on Joanne Harris as much as this! She started it as a story for her daughter, years later it is a fantastic tale of magic and adventure for all ages. The mythology is Norse, a nice break from the Greek gods if you've been devouring Rick Riordan's Olympians. So soon after reading Michael Scott's The Alchemyst, it's neat to come across more references to Yggdrasil, the World Tree. And if, like me, you love keeping track of a seemingly ever-expanding cavalcade of major and minor characters, and the minutiae of their lives and credos, then this is the book of the summer for you. Haven't run across this many characters since The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters. -+- After: Even better than I ever expected, and I had pretty high expectations. I hope she writes a dozen more of these! I think I've finally found someone to meet and exceed my Pottermania.
—Alethea A
I love reading mythologies, and this was a fun YA take on Norse mythology, taking place in a time and place post-Ragnarock.While this book was written for a younger audience, I really enjoyed the creativity of the story, the runemarks, their powers, whether they were complete, partial or reversed. The new runes versus the old old runes, and who it identified the Gods as along with the trails they leave that are invisible to most.It is a story about old and new, the old ways and Gods trying to ho
—Freya
AWESOME! I AM OBSESSED WITH THIS BOOK, DO YOU HEAR ME? AWESOME! "Runemarks" is based on Norse Mythology, and the witty and surprisingly colorful cast of characters includes many Norse Gods (including Loki the Trickster, Odin the All-Father, and Thor the Thunderer), several hilarious goblins (my favorite of which was named Sugar-&-Sacke), and quite a few persnickety, clever, and downright serendipitous humans (including Nat Parson, his wife Ethelberta who is not all she seems, and the uptight Mrs. Scattergood). But of course, no one can forget the book's main character, the clever and brave Maddy Smith, a fourteen-year-old with a "ruinmark" (runemark) on the palm of her hand, an ancient and mysterious symbol that signifies the Seer-folk blood she is scorned for and the magic that she is able to preform. Read this book and you are in for a wild adventure without even leaving your room!
—Rachel Of Questionable Luck
