LitPick Review
This book is neither a modernized mythical tale nor a computer geek/hacker story -- it's both. Ravirn is a mortal with Titan Chaos in his blood and a computer hacker who can get into just about anything in his world ruled by Greek gods, Fates, and Furies. But his Greek familiars don't rule everything, as he finds out when he is very unwillingly transported into a strange new MythOS dominated by Norse gods, and Greek beings are no more than fairy tales. Just like back home, there is a power struggle, this one between Odin, the highest of gods who sacrificed his eye to know everything, and Loki, who believes he must fight to stop what Odin sees will happen in the future. Both sides immediately perceive Ravirn as a potential threat and ally, but he has no desire to be a pawn -- or dead, for that matter, so DOES he has to act. With a dying computer-troll, a Fury girlfriend (as dangerous as some of his enemies), and an artificially intelligent laptop (with a soul and the ability to take shape as a goblin) all at his side, Ravirn must determine whether helping isn't equivalent to hindering in this MythOS, and if Fate really can be avoided, no matter how terrible it may be . . .
Opinion:
Let me get this out of the way -- anyone who is driven crazy by computer lingo should not read this book. McCullough explains most of it very well, as he does with the Norse characters, which is why I never became frustrated, but it can easily be overwhelming if one doesn't read carefully. However, everything else about the book is perfect. Its plot speeds along and plays ruthlessly with suspense, especially at the ends of chapters. The narrators creates memorable scenes and settings in readers' minds, from a castle only a few feet tall to a modern office overlooking a lava-filled volcano. The characters are even better, whose ranks include the Norse trickster/fire god Loki in jeans and glasses and a severed hand with a soul and personality. The ways of the worlds' magic can be strange for people familiar with the "Harry Potter" brand, but this is the fourth book in the series, and McCullough explains it enough to let his readers feel like they aren't completely in the dark. Most importantly, the issues of fate and omniscience is faced head-on, providing a thought- provoking ending. Anyone longing for the existence of strange worlds just beyond their reach, or even just high-tech computers, would enjoy escaping into MythOS, and won't be able to leave until the last page is read.
