Review: The Children of Midgard, by Siobhan Clark

Review: 

The Children of Midgard

By Siobhan Clark

Norway: 961 AD.

In a land where war, mysticism, and the Gods themselves hold sway over the course of history, one woman fights to reclaim her stolen past.

There has never been a better time to be a fan of Norse mythology. Whether in popular books, major cinema releases, or award winning videogames, the influence of Thor, Loki and Odin has never been more widespread. My own knowledge of both Nordic history and mythology is, however, pretty minimal (bordering on non-existent), so I went into reading The Children of Midgard with little in the way of preconceptions or expectations.

The Children of Midgard’s story revolves around the journey of Liv: an orphaned young woman who is forced to flee her adopted home after she is falsely accused of causing a deadly fire. She is taken in by a Seer—a psychic magician—who subjects her to a horrific tattooing ritual in which she is drugged and scarred with mysterious runes. 

It is then revealed that Liv has been chosen by the Gods as the protector and guardian of both a newly born boy, Eileifr—who the Seer claims to be the son of Odin himself; and a magical ring, destined to be worn by Eileifr when he comes of age, that grants its owner great power and influence. 

“Clark has created a good lead character in Liv: she is strong in mind and resolve, and brave and willing when it comes to fighting opponents stronger than herself.”

The book begins six years after these events, as Liv is captured by a squad tasked with retrieving the ring for the demented Jarl, Brynjar. Liv is dramatically freed by their gruff and mysterious leader, Gorm, who then smuggles her aboard a ship, bound far away from the Jarl’s grasp. 

Following her successful escape, Liv is reunited with Ari, her partner from the village, who she was forced to abandon after the fire. 

Ari is strong and honourable, but his gentle demeanour has been tainted by his life as a warrior, and he is initially resentful and slow to forgive Liv for leaving they way she did. This makes for some compelling dialogue, especially in matters concerning Liv’s disappearance, her subsequent marriage to another man, who has since died (and is seldom mentioned in the book), and the status of both the ring and the boy in her charge.

Clark has created a good lead character in Liv: she is strong in mind and resolve, and brave and willing when it comes to fighting opponents stronger than herself. As a female character in a culture which is traditionally associated with uncompromising masculinity, Liv is interesting in that she is tough in her own ways— she isn’t made to be the equal of the Jomsviking warriors, but instead occupies her own class entirely. She is physically capable, but prefers to employ more intelligent means of engaging with her enemies— and she knows when it is wiser to run. 


“As the rain hammers down and lightning explodes across the sky (a show of pyrotechnics rightly attributed to Thor), the energy of Clark’s enthusiasm for her world becomes clear.”

We are also introduced to Dag: a loveable rogue and friend of Ari; and Gytha, a healer who would rather run away with Liv, Ari, and Dag, than endure working in her abusive brother’s tavern. Gytha and Dag hit it off immediately and are soon a couple, despite Dag’s steadfast intentions to remain a bachelor. 

Dag’s gradual tempering into domesticism makes for some good humour at his expense, and his unfaltering brotherly devotion to Ari is endearing. Gytha’s character isn’t much explored in the Children of Midgard, but her background leaves lots of potential for exploration and future drama.

Notably, readers are spared of (or deprived of, depending on your preferences) unnecessarily long and descriptive sex scenes, or characters hungrily ogling one another. The Children of Midgard is definitely a historical romance, as well as being an adventure, but it never over-indulges in the passions of its characters to the point of voyeuristic discomfort; Clark knows just when to step out of the room and leave them to it.

“...the topic of fathers becomes a noticeably recurring theme throughout The Children of Midgard—whether adoptive, adoring, negligent, or entirely mysterious or absent, it’s a continual emotive strand that seems to quietly stitch many of the characters together in the narrative”

Liv, Ari, Dag and Gytha go on to pick up a young Fisherman’s son, Thorik, whose aptitude for making ill-judged, if well-intentioned, decisions leads to some exciting, frustrating scenarios, both for the reader, and for his newly adopted guardians.

Because of his impoverished upbringing, Thorik is physically weak, but he is seldom irritating or pathetic in his inadequacies, and he has high ambitions: wanting nothing more than to see the world and participate in the legendary tales he pesters sailors to regale upon him at the local port. He tries hard to fit in with the adults of his world, and he is defiant of those who choose to talk down to him. 

Such qualities make Thorik one of the more grounded characters in Children of Midgard, and I anticipate seeing his character develop in future stories.

Following Thorik’s introduction to the story, the topic of fathers becomes a noticeably recurring theme throughout The Children of Midgard—whether adoptive, adoring, negligent, or entirely mysterious or absent, it’s a continual emotive strand that seems to quietly stitch many of the characters together in the narrative, and I enjoyed its subtle presence throughout the story. 

The Jarl, Brynjar, is a decent villain, whose sensibilities have been warped from years of accumulated insecurities. His cognitive and physical capabilities are also progressively and painfully succumbing to an unidentified disease (which I assumed to be either Lyme Disease, or Motor Neurone Disease). Brynjar craves power as much as he senses his loss of it, and he sees ownership of the ring as a solution to all of his problems. 


“Axes crunch into ribcages, and skulls are split open, in what makes for satisfyingly grim reading.”

Brynjar’s determined attempts to apprehend Liv and her friends do lead to some good bouts of viking violence, and fights are handled very well for the most part; with fast paced, well described action sequences that portray the battles clearly. 

Clark is good at emphasising little details; there’s plenty of terrible scars, chipped and broken teeth, and grimy beards dribbling with spittle and blood to enjoy. Axes crunch into ribcages, and skulls are split open, in what makes for satisfyingly grim reading. 

Atmospheric effects are also employed effectively; a good example being the tension and anticipation leading up to a battle later in the book. As the rain hammers down and lightning explodes across the sky (a show of pyrotechnics rightly attributed to Thor), the energy of Clark’s enthusiasm for her world becomes clear. 

A highlight of the book is the Samurai-esque tale of Ari’s travels with Raki and Munnin: a vengeful, ageing warrior and his sinister raven companion, who both meet a sticky end worthy of George R.R Martin. As a self-contained story it really enriched the narrative’s world, and had my imagination firing. I hope the author considers including more such stories in her future work. 


“Physical features, especially eyes, and hair, are also given too much time on the page: Liv’s eyes, for example, are too often described as ‘opal’. The description is lavish, and using it more than once dulls its initially striking effect.”

Siobhan Clark has a talent for pacing and plotting. The majority of scenes were well structured and placed in terms of the overarching story; the pace rarely dragged, and I was pulled smoothly most of the way through the book, with little narrative fatigue. This sense of structure was the most impressive element to me, from a technical perspective, as I’m aware that it’s not an easy effect to achieve, especially for a new author. 

There were however too many paragraph breaks on the page— I imagine this was intended to make the reading experience more approachable, but it is an unnecessary formatting choice that pulls the reader out of the story.

The Children of Midgard has a few other niggles, namely in character’s mannerisms, which don’t always ring true, or seem superfluous. Physical features, especially eyes, and hair, are also given too much time on the page: Liv’s eyes, for example, are too often described as ‘opal’. The description is lavish, and using it more than once dulls its initially striking effect. 

There were a couple of plot points which I found  confusing, and needed to re-read, such as Liv’s explanation of where she has been since the fire, and the history and nature of her relationship with Harvardr, the Seer; but overall I enjoyed the adventure as it unfolded, and the plot was, for the most part, clear and concise.

+

• Siobhan Clark’s enthusiasm and passion for the world she has researched and created.

• The fighting scenes, the brutality; the blood and gore. 

• A well structured, well paced, and well plotted story.

• The careful merging between reality and belief. Despite their religion and practices, the characters still live in a dangerous, unforgiving world. It doesn’t trip over into outright fantasy, which helps to keep the stakes high. 

• Thorik, and his potential to develop as a character. 

• The tale of Raki and Muninn. There was great character and imagination in their story, and it really enriched the world of Children of Midgard. 

• A good conclusion, and a satisfying epilogue which entices readers with future instalments.

-

• Some grammatical niggles, such as placement of commas. Though largely clean, Clark’s writing and prose style is still in the development stage of a new writer. 

• Too many paragraph breaks on the page.

• I would like more detail of the environments, and the landscape of Norway.

• Liv is in danger of becoming a Mary-Sue. I’d like to see more of her faults, and more consequences of her trauma.

• Characters need more, or less idiosyncrasies. Some mannerisms are overused, such as slapping backs and shoulders, wiping mouths, and biting lips. I’d like to see more of their character from what they say to one another, and how they interact as personalities.

• I’d like to see more conflict between characters, and more exploration of their feelings towards the Gods, especially from Liv and Ari.  

The Children of Midgard is an exciting adventure that strikes a good balance between escapist fantasy and the high stake realities of surviving in a brutal period of history. Its engaging, likeable characters pull the reader through a well realised landscape of war, magic, and drama that is impressively paced and plotted. The Children of Midgard is an enjoyable read, and I look forward to returning to Siobhan Clark’s thoroughly researched, well constructed historical world. 

Recommended.