The Northworld Trilogy is a really weird retelling of ancient
Norse myth, mostly drawn from the Elder Eddas. Though I’m not familiar
with the Elder Eddas myself–it sounds like something from the pages of
H.P. Lovecraft–I’m savvy enough to recognize the most
obvious elements (Chief God with one eye, Valhalla, Valkyries, and so on
and so forth). And indeed, I spotted the Valkyries and a few other
things. But I didn’t really catch on that it was a
retelling of Norse myth until I read the afterword at the end of the first
of the three tales.

The trick is, the trilogy bills itself as science fiction rather than
fantasy. The framing story is straightforward: Northworld is a potential
colony world. A number of expeditions have been sent to explore it and
tame it; all have disappeared. The last expedition reported that the
planet itself had disappeared; and then that expedition disappeared. So
the Powers That Be tapped one Nils Hansen, top cop and extremely
successful troubleshooter, to go to where Northworld is supposed to be
and found out what happened to it. The trilogy is ostensibly about his
mission.

Except that it isn’t, of course; it’s about the various myths that
Drake’s trying to retell, and that’s the problem. He’s bent over
backward to cloak the world of Norse myth with science-fictional
garments, and while the result is interesting, it’s predictably contorted.

It’s an ambitious and valiant effort, but Drake doesn’t quite bring it
off.

The battle suits are cool, though. And I’d sure like to have Nils Hansen
at my back during a fight.