Suspense Central
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Norse Code by Greg van Eekhout
1/9/12 event recap by Todd Ehrenfels:
Monday at Panera we had the first Suspense Central of
2012. There were chills, there were thrills, there were
surprises, but there was no Fimbulwinter, in spite of Ann
Marie trying to reenact the death of Baldr with a Mistletoe
Spear (by the way, that hurt). In spite of the fact that Loki
showed up to mock us (we know that was not really Deena),
and the great wolf Fenris ate the battery in Aurelia's car,
those of us who made it out in the not-quite-so-Fimbul
Winter had a great time discussing Norse Code by Greg van
Eekhout.
So, I guess I should talk about the meeting instead of making
silly comments about stuff that may or may not have
happened (I am looking at you Loki). We met at Panera
Bread last night to discuss the January selection of Norse
Code by Greg van Eekhout, a fitting selection for the
Rock'em-Sock'em SF theme of battle and conflict in the genre.
Of those in attendance, Ann Marie, Chris, Kathleen, and I
had read the whole book, Josephine was 14% through it,
and we all had a lot to talk about.
The action opens up, somewhat amusingly, with the
abduction of an accountant from his home in Passaic NJ. Said
number-cruncher is, in point of fact, a descendant of Odin the
All Father, and he is being given the honor of joining the
Einherjar in their fight against the armies of Hel at the last
battle of Ragnarok. The catch is that joining the Einherjar
means dying valorously in combat, and Adrian is not so keen
on this idea. Grimnar, the Einherjar in charge of getting more
Einherjar via the judicious use of his sword, and Mist, a
rather whiny Valkyrie who is Grimnar's field supervisor, argue
the merits of this procedure before Grimnar kills the
accountant and Mist takes a slice out of Grimnar's head and
the rather nice Bowler atop it (don't worry, he is already
dead and thus this is more an inconvenience than a
problem). Hijinx... and Ragnarok... ensue. No, seriously, Mist
goes on a whirlwind, cross-country trip to find the Norse god
Hermod to take her to Hel to find the soul of the accountant,
as well as the soul of her sister, and maybe prevent the end
of the universe.
Most of the story is taken up with the events of Ragnarok,
and the characters' different ways of dealing with the end of
all things (either hastening it or attempting to thwart it).
Hermod and the gods seem to be the best drawn characters,
while Mist, the alleged protagonist seems a bit more...
lackluster. In fact, as Kathleen pointed out, Mist seemed
more like a catalytic character rather than a proper
protagonist. The only time she really shows any active
participation (other than simply setting events in motion) is
when she takes on her former boss near the end of the book.
We all brought forth favorite passages, and discussed the
pros and con's of the story and the ways that van Eekhout
presented the motivations for people doing things that they
knew would end in disaster. Fenris' dialog with Hermod is a
great example of the nihilistic worldview of the Norse
pantheon, and their resignation that things would turn out
how they were going to turn out because there was no other
way for them to turn out. Another great scene is the one in
which we see Loki's wife, the Giantess Sigyn, tortures her
husband by allowing Jormungandir's venom to drip on him
instead of using her cup to catch the venom. We all laughed
at the Chinese Food in the bowels of the underworld. The
characterization of Sleipnir and Hugin and Munin were also
fantastic. In fact, pretty much every character except Mist
was fairly awesome.
We laughed and joked for over two hours, with Mike and Liz
asking questions about the ways the mythology was
handled, and how the different concepts in Norse
Determinism were presented. Parallels were drawn to other
mythological stories that we had done in the past, and the
discussion proceeded to the point where we were forced to
quit the store lest we invoke the wroth of Panera (or possibly
the anger of Thor). We also made mention of next month's
book, The Thief of Always by Clive Barker. Join us at Panera
on February 13th for a scary time!
1/9/12 event recap by Todd Ehrenfels:
Monday at Panera we had the first Suspense Central of
2012. There were chills, there were thrills, there were
surprises, but there was no Fimbulwinter, in spite of Ann
Marie trying to reenact the death of Baldr with a Mistletoe
Spear (by the way, that hurt). In spite of the fact that Loki
showed up to mock us (we know that was not really Deena),
and the great wolf Fenris ate the battery in Aurelia's car,
those of us who made it out in the not-quite-so-Fimbul
Winter had a great time discussing Norse Code by Greg van
Eekhout.
So, I guess I should talk about the meeting instead of making
silly comments about stuff that may or may not have
happened (I am looking at you Loki). We met at Panera
Bread last night to discuss the January selection of Norse
Code by Greg van Eekhout, a fitting selection for the
Rock'em-Sock'em SF theme of battle and conflict in the genre.
Of those in attendance, Ann Marie, Chris, Kathleen, and I
had read the whole book, Josephine was 14% through it,
and we all had a lot to talk about.
The action opens up, somewhat amusingly, with the
abduction of an accountant from his home in Passaic NJ. Said
number-cruncher is, in point of fact, a descendant of Odin the
All Father, and he is being given the honor of joining the
Einherjar in their fight against the armies of Hel at the last
battle of Ragnarok. The catch is that joining the Einherjar
means dying valorously in combat, and Adrian is not so keen
on this idea. Grimnar, the Einherjar in charge of getting more
Einherjar via the judicious use of his sword, and Mist, a
rather whiny Valkyrie who is Grimnar's field supervisor, argue
the merits of this procedure before Grimnar kills the
accountant and Mist takes a slice out of Grimnar's head and
the rather nice Bowler atop it (don't worry, he is already
dead and thus this is more an inconvenience than a
problem). Hijinx... and Ragnarok... ensue. No, seriously, Mist
goes on a whirlwind, cross-country trip to find the Norse god
Hermod to take her to Hel to find the soul of the accountant,
as well as the soul of her sister, and maybe prevent the end
of the universe.
Most of the story is taken up with the events of Ragnarok,
and the characters' different ways of dealing with the end of
all things (either hastening it or attempting to thwart it).
Hermod and the gods seem to be the best drawn characters,
while Mist, the alleged protagonist seems a bit more...
lackluster. In fact, as Kathleen pointed out, Mist seemed
more like a catalytic character rather than a proper
protagonist. The only time she really shows any active
participation (other than simply setting events in motion) is
when she takes on her former boss near the end of the book.
We all brought forth favorite passages, and discussed the
pros and con's of the story and the ways that van Eekhout
presented the motivations for people doing things that they
knew would end in disaster. Fenris' dialog with Hermod is a
great example of the nihilistic worldview of the Norse
pantheon, and their resignation that things would turn out
how they were going to turn out because there was no other
way for them to turn out. Another great scene is the one in
which we see Loki's wife, the Giantess Sigyn, tortures her
husband by allowing Jormungandir's venom to drip on him
instead of using her cup to catch the venom. We all laughed
at the Chinese Food in the bowels of the underworld. The
characterization of Sleipnir and Hugin and Munin were also
fantastic. In fact, pretty much every character except Mist
was fairly awesome.
We laughed and joked for over two hours, with Mike and Liz
asking questions about the ways the mythology was
handled, and how the different concepts in Norse
Determinism were presented. Parallels were drawn to other
mythological stories that we had done in the past, and the
discussion proceeded to the point where we were forced to
quit the store lest we invoke the wroth of Panera (or possibly
the anger of Thor). We also made mention of next month's
book, The Thief of Always by Clive Barker. Join us at Panera
on February 13th for a scary time!
Next up: Suspense Central Presents
The Thief of Always by Clive Barker
Monday, February 13, 2011 - 8p
Panera Bread
Route 4 West
Paramus, NJ 07652
This group meets on the second Monday of each month to
discuss a specific mystery, horror, or intrigue novel. Join
Moderator Aurelia Long as we discuss this month's featured
selection.
*Scroll down past event recap for the full line-up of titles for
2012*
Clive Barker's haunting bestseller, The Thief of Always tells
the story about Harvey Swick and his terrible flight from
boredom straight into the menacing evil of Holiday House.
Mr. Hood's Holiday House has stood for a thousand years,
welcoming countless children into its embrace. It is a place of
miracles, a blissful round of treats and seasons, where every
childhood whim may be satisfied...
There is a price to be paid, of course, but young Harvey
Swick, bored with his life and beguiled by Mr. Hood's
wonders, does not stop to consider the consequences.
It is only when the House shows its darker face - when
Harvey discovers pitiful creatures that dwell in its shadows -
that he comes to doubt Mr. Hood's philanthropy.
The House and its mysterious architect are not about to
release their captive without a battle, however. Mr. Hood
has ambitions for his new guest, for Harvey's soul burns
brighter than any soul he has encountered in a thousand
years...
The Thief of Always by Clive Barker
Monday, February 13, 2011 - 8p
Panera Bread
Route 4 West
Paramus, NJ 07652
This group meets on the second Monday of each month to
discuss a specific mystery, horror, or intrigue novel. Join
Moderator Aurelia Long as we discuss this month's featured
selection.
*Scroll down past event recap for the full line-up of titles for
2012*
Clive Barker's haunting bestseller, The Thief of Always tells
the story about Harvey Swick and his terrible flight from
boredom straight into the menacing evil of Holiday House.
Mr. Hood's Holiday House has stood for a thousand years,
welcoming countless children into its embrace. It is a place of
miracles, a blissful round of treats and seasons, where every
childhood whim may be satisfied...
There is a price to be paid, of course, but young Harvey
Swick, bored with his life and beguiled by Mr. Hood's
wonders, does not stop to consider the consequences.
It is only when the House shows its darker face - when
Harvey discovers pitiful creatures that dwell in its shadows -
that he comes to doubt Mr. Hood's philanthropy.
The House and its mysterious architect are not about to
release their captive without a battle, however. Mr. Hood
has ambitions for his new guest, for Harvey's soul burns
brighter than any soul he has encountered in a thousand
years...
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