The Lost Sun

April 29, 2013
The what-if premise of Gratton’s (Blood Magic) first book in the United States of Asgard series has the gods of Norse myth thriving in 21st-century America, not as divinities so much as celebrities: the gods walk openly among humankind, hosting charity events and resurrecting on national television. It may sound like the setup for a spoof, but it isn’t—Gratton’s 17-year-old protagonists are dead serious in their goals. Soren, a destined berserker whose father was a mass killer, wants freedom from his violent heritage; Astrid, a seer, seeks her dead mother, whom Astrid believes is alive. The teens join forces in a road-trip quest à la American Gods when Baldur the Beautiful fails to rise from the dead on schedule, prompting Odin Alfather to offer a boon to any who bring word of Baldur’s whereabouts. Soren is occasionally too noble, Astrid too gnomically lovely, and with so many portents flying around, things can get, well, portentous. But on the whole Gratton avoids the risk of parody to pull off a moving and original romance. Ages 12–up. Agent: Laura Rennert, Andrea Brown Literary Agency.

August 1, 2013

Gr 8 Up-Soren Bearskin and Astrid Glyn meet for the first time at a boarding school in an alternative America with places called Nebrasge and Colorada. Soren is a berserker who wants to resist his destiny to be a fighter. Astrid is a seethkona, a seer, whose famous mother has recently died. Everyone in the country is watching the television when the god of light, Baldur, does not rise from the dead for his yearly renewal. Astrid decides to seek him out, and she enlists Soren for the mission. They find him, and the journey to return him to his father without being followed is where most of the action takes place. The protagonists learn that the gods are manipulating the annual ritual to suit their needs. Soren and Astrid become romantically attached, and many sacrifices have to be made for them to deliver Baldur safely to his home. The mix of contemporary living and technology with mythology and fantasy is jarring at first, but readers will quickly get a hang for the unusual names and attributes of the characters. Hand this to fantasy lovers who might be ready to branch out of their comfort zone.-Elizabeth Kahn, Patrick F. Taylor Science & Technology Academy, Jefferson, LA

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2013
Grades 7-12 Soren, doomed from the start by his berserker lineage, is falling in love with Astrid, whose own lineage carries the dark power of a seer. When Baldur, the god of light, disappears, the world is thrown into chaos. Compelled to find him, Astrid and Soren instead discover a mortal man with no memory, and in an apple orchard that holds the keys of immortality, they are torn between their love for each other and the balance of the entire world. Gratton sets up an alternate universe where Norse gods are juxtaposed with typical American life in this first novel in a new series. Clever word alterations are just familiar enough, and Soren's first-person point of view and single-minded determination to win Odin Alfather's reward for returning his beloved son gives the quest to rescue Baldur a frantic immediacy. While Astrid dreams of apples and Soren battles the berserker rage inside, they forge new alliances and a bond of friendship that puts them squarely in the path of a cat-and-mouse game played by gods.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2013
In this fantasy series opener set in an alternate United States, the beloved sun god Baldur has mysteriously disappeared, and young warrior Soren Bearskin and prophetess Astrid Glyn slip away from school to find him. As the country grieves for Baldur, Astrid and Soren make their road-trip quest through an iconic American landscape made strange with caravans of gypsy-like Lokiskin, troll-haunted mountains, and volcano goblins. Narrator Soren battles his growing feelings for Astrid for fear of waking the raging beserker fever lurking inside him, a curse inherited from (and which claimed the life of) his father. Aided by Astrid's visions, they find Baldur, weakened and amnesiac, and set out to reunite him with his father, Odin, as well as restore his memory and immortality. Soren and Astrid are joined by Vider Lokisdottir, a slight but fierce young woman troubled by her own demons. While dedicated to Baldur's safe return, the three young guides are also following their own threads of fate, leading them inexorably to a moment of both great revelation and formidable choice. Gratton's world is an unexpected blending of the contemporary United States with ancient gods and traditions: disputes are settled by honorable yet bloody sword fights, popular pagan rituals are televised, and Norse gods rule alongside Congress and the president. The climactic final chapters set the scene for further adventure and (somewhat tediously overheated) romance ahead. lauren adams

(Copyright 2013 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)