Product Description

Odin, Loki and the other Norse gods come to life in this hugely imaginative and very funny fantasy novel from the bestselling writer of the adult bestsellers Chocolat and The Lollipop Shoes.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #14158 in Books
• Published on: 2007-08-02
• Binding: Hardcover
• 500 pages

Synopsis
Seven o'clock, on a Monday morning, five hundred years after the end of the world, and goblins had been at the cellar again...Maddy Smith was born with a rusty-coloured ruinmark on her hand - a symbol of the old gods and definitely cause for suspicion. For magic is dangerous. Or so everyone thinks. But Maddy enjoys working magic. Even if it is just to control some pesky goblins. And every time her friend, One-Eye - a good-for-nowt Outlander - comes by, he teaches her more and more about the gods and the runes. Now he wants Maddy to open Red Horse Hill and descend into World Below to retrieve a relic of the old gods. Otherwise it is likely to be the End of Everything. Again...An epic romp into the heart of the old Norse tales: wild, dangerous, richly inventive and superbly imaginative.

From the Inside Flap
They call it a ruinmark . . .

Maddy Smith - born with a rusty-coloured rune shape on her hand - has always been an outsider in her village. For the good folk of Malbry believe a ruinmark to be a symbol of the old gods, a mark of magic.And that, as everyone knows, is the road to Chaos. Dangerous.

But Maddy enjoys working magic, even if it is just to control some pesky goblins. And every time he visits, her best friend - a good-for-nowt Outlander known as One-Eye - has been teaching her more and more about the old ways: about gods and glamours, runes and cantrips.

Now One-Eye is back again, and he wants her to open Red Horse Hill and descend into World Below to retrieve a relic of the old gods.

Otherwise - apparently - it could be the End of Everything. Again . .

An epic runic romp into the heart of the old Norse tales: wild, dangerous, richlyinventive and superbly imaginative.

From the Back Cover
'If Joanne Harris didn't exist, someone would have to invent her' Jenni Murray, Sunday Express

'She is so terrific, she can write about anywhere, anything, anyone' Daily Telegraph

Customer Reviews

runemark reveiw
I think the book was great at the start but as i got into it, it became less interesting and more fairytale. i would sugest this book to someone that likes magical worlds.

disappointed
Big disappointment to me as I am not a fan of this genre. However, I liked her style of writing as much as before. I never got round to finishing the book!

okay - but not sure who the audience is
There is no doubt that Joanne Harris has a strong writing pedigree but this is a strange diversion. I think it is aimed at 'young adults' and also the Pratchett and fantasy crowd, but the problem is that it never really hits the mark in any of these areas. My lack of Norse knowledge didn't help and I did not find it clever, witty or engaging enough. A real shame, I liked the cover and the cover tag and quality writing in the fantasy arena is a good thing - but sadly I think the author tried to spread this over too many potential audiences and ended up missing most of them.