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Brisingamen

Brisingamen

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Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 1 stars
Summary: I had to force myself to finish this book.
Review: It was written in the 70's and boy, can you ever tell. The female character is powerless, confused, and lets herself be ruled by any of 3 different men, all of this in SPITE of the fact that she is supposedly the embodiment of the Norse goddess Freyja. Over this weak foundation, Paxson includes overdone political commentary on the Viet Nam war (it felt as if she really wanted to talk about Viet Nam, and wrote the Freyja story as an aside), male characters who are flat and predictable, a storyline that tries, but fails, to sell itself, and superficial exploration of dated stereotypes.

I read the book through, hoping that it would redeem itself. It didn't. For me, the only enjoyable aspect of this book was that it let me flex my critic's muscles long enough to articulate just WHY I hated it. If you like good mythological or fantasy fiction, AVOID this book.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: I had to force myself to finish this book.
Review: It was written in the 70's and boy, can you ever tell. The female character is powerless, confused, and lets herself be ruled by any of 3 different men, all of this in SPITE of the fact that she is supposedly the embodiment of the Norse goddess Freyja. Over this weak foundation, Paxson includes overdone political commentary on the Viet Nam war (it felt as if she really wanted to talk about Viet Nam, and wrote the Freyja story as an aside), male characters who are flat and predictable, a storyline that tries, but fails, to sell itself, and superficial exploration of dated stereotypes.

I read the book through, hoping that it would redeem itself. It didn't. For me, the only enjoyable aspect of this book was that it let me flex my critic's muscles long enough to articulate just WHY I hated it. If you like good mythological or fantasy fiction, AVOID this book.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Modern Norse Pagan fantacy Novel
Review: The Author, Diana Paxon is a respected elder in Asatru and so seeing a modern fantacy by her I had to read it.

As the other reviewers here have noted, it is rather dated, there is a lot about the Vietnam war, including some social commentary on it, but that doesn't interfere with the story, rather gives background to some of the charachters and why they have developed in the way which they have.

It begins as Karen, a shy grad student on the faculty at Berkley has discovered the legendary neclace of Freya, Brisingamen. Not knowing it's power, she wears it and soon the power of Freya, and those enemies and allies of Freya begin to work in her life. Soon, these forces culminate into an epic battle of the gods to stave off Ragnarok.

Another note on the relgion portraied in the book. It was written at the time that the modern Asatru movement was only begining and those of you who are Asatru may be interrested in seeing how someone who is now an elder in the faith percieved things before any orgainisations existed.

A very good book, and one I'll be sure to read again in the future.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Modern Norse Pagan fantacy Novel
Review: The Author, Diana Paxon is a respected elder in Asatru and so seeing a modern fantacy by her I had to read it.

As the other reviewers here have noted, it is rather dated, there is a lot about the Vietnam war, including some social commentary on it, but that doesn't interfere with the story, rather gives background to some of the charachters and why they have developed in the way which they have.

It begins as Karen, a shy grad student on the faculty at Berkley has discovered the legendary neclace of Freya, Brisingamen. Not knowing it's power, she wears it and soon the power of Freya, and those enemies and allies of Freya begin to work in her life. Soon, these forces culminate into an epic battle of the gods to stave off Ragnarok.

Another note on the relgion portraied in the book. It was written at the time that the modern Asatru movement was only begining and those of you who are Asatru may be interrested in seeing how someone who is now an elder in the faith percieved things before any orgainisations existed.

A very good book, and one I'll be sure to read again in the future.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Dated but still a great introduction to Norse mythic fiction
Review: What would happen if Freya showed up in San Francisco in the not so distant past? This is the basis of for a very entertaining work which incorperates Norse Paganism, occultism and other supernatural streams which one might find in San Francisco in this time period. Sword and Sorcery during the Reagan era.

A fun read from a past master of the art.


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