MANNAZ

Coming at last into her full shamanic powers, 19-year-old Anna Sakarias finds herself playing a pivotal role in events that will either kill the Norse gods or permit them to stage a comeback.

Sølvsten’s trilogy closer, which is translated from Danish, will appeal to readers who don’t mind an unhurried plot so long as they can be immersed in a richly imagined universe. This volume sends the fiery teen on quests for her twin sister, with whom she hopes to head off Ragnarök, and for the golden Gjallarhorn which, if blown, will force the gods to meet their fates. As it turns out, Odin, the wild and mercurial shape-shifter Loki, and others have plans of their own. Set in a modern Midgard (that’s been cut off from the rest of the world) and several adjacent realms along the great tree Yggdrasil, the tale features a mixed cast of ordinary mortals and ghosts of those killed in previous episodes, plus gods, demigods, giants, witches (including a Yoruba family), clairvoyant völvas like Anna, a dinosaur, and a scene-stealing talking head. Happily, considering this crowd, there are lists of people and places at the end. The level of explicit violence is low, and the book contains lighter moments. By the end, there are definite changes at the highest levels and richly deserved rewards for those who brought them about.

A long trail that leads to proper deserts and a satisfying resolution.