by Matt Larkin
The Volsung Saga proved a difficult narrative to adapt. While the connections to Odin’s tale—the overall focus of the whole series—required me to incorporate Sigurd and his father, the nature of the generations-long saga also required me to gloss over some parts and create a trilogy spanning decades. Among the parts that simply did not fit: Gudrun’s eventual fate. Odin hints at what lies ahead for her after she leaves our tale. What remains of her tragedy lies outside the scope of this main narrative, though I do hope to someday write a standalone to bring her tale to a final conclusion.
Regarding Narfi, in the traditional myth he is a biological son of Sigyn and Loki. I changed this for obvious reasons. As with some of the other strange genealogies for the Norse pantheon, Loki’s offspring required a bit of streamlining.
As far as the rest of the tale plays out, we see Thor for the first time from his own perspective. Compared to many of the other characters, he’s more direct. Kind of an oaf, in fact, and belligerent, though I have sympathy for him given the constant migraines. Through Thor, we see the effective wrap-up of the jotunn plot line involving Jotunheim, Skadi, and Thrym. Thor, despite his failings, ultimately creates a tenuous peace that keeps the jotunnar from swarming over Midgard. For now.
With the second trilogy complete, we must now hurtle headlong into Ragnarok. The end is here.
And for that … Thanks to my wife for helping me reach this point. Thanks to Clark for helping me work out some of these tricky plot points. Also, special thanks to my cover designer and to my Arch Skalds (in no particular order): Al, Tanya, Kimberly, Jackie, Dale, Missy, Grant, Lisa Marie, Bill, Rachel, Barbara, Bob, Kaye, Mike, and Regina.
Thank you for reading,
Matt
P.S. Now that you’ve read The Radiance of Alfheim I would really appreciate it if you’d leave a review! Reviews help new readers find my work, so they’re very helpful. Thank you in advance for helping me build and grow my author career!
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The Saga Continues …
Dear Reader,
Thanks for reading!
Odin has reached Alfheim.
And the alfar have held him prisoner.
For centuries.
What could be worse than a prison of light?
When Odin escapes into the shadows of Svartalfheim, he’ll find out.
Can he survive the horrors of the dark world?
The final arc of the Gods of the Ragnarok Era begins.
Get it now.
The Saga continues with The Shadows of Svartalfheim:
books2read.com/shadowsofsvartalfheimbook
Thanks,
Matt
THE RAGNAROK ERA: OMNIBUS TWO
Books 4-6
MATT LARKIN
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
Copyright © 2018 Matt Larkin.
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book, or portions thereof, in any form.
Edited by Clark Chamberlain and Fred Roth
Published by Incandescent Phoenix Books
mattlarkinbooks.com