UF Review: FENRIR by MD Lachlan--and Get a Copy for Yourself

Some books call me by their clever blurbs, some by the reputation of their authors. And sometimes, I see a book cover and just know I have to read it. Such was the case with M.D. Lachlan’s Fenrir, which has one of my favorite opening lines in recent memory: He had never seen a sight so beautiful as Paris under flame.

Read on for more on today’s featured book, as well as a chance to win a copy.

Okay, first, it has a cool trailer:

THE OFFICIAL BLURB: The Vikings are laying siege to Paris. They want the Count's sister, in return they will spare the rest of the city. As houses on the banks of the Seine burn, a debate rages in the Cathedral on the walled island of the city proper. Can the Count really have ambitions to be Emperor of the Franks if he doesn't do everything he can to save his people? Can he call himself a man if he doesn t do everything he can to save his sister? His conscience demands one thing, the state demands another. The Count and the church are relying on the living saint, the blind and crippled Jehan of St. Germain, to enlist the aid of God and resolve the situation for them. But the Vikings have their own gods, and outside their camp, a terrifying brother and sister, priests of Odin, have their own agenda. An agenda of darkness and madness. And in the shadows a wolfman lurks. M. D. Lachlan's stunning epic of mad Gods, Vikings, and the myth of Fenrir, the wolf destined to kill Odin at Ragnarok, is a compelling mix of bloody horror, unlikely heroism, dangerous religion, and breathtaking action.

MY THOUGHTS: I can get impatient with historical paranormals—too often, they load down the beginning with backstory—but Lachlan slips into the meat of the story pretty quickly, just in case the opening sentence didn’t give it away. And how many blind, kind of unattractive, crippled saints have narrative voices? This is a fascinating blend of Norse mythology, religious faith and fanaticism, and Vikings with a dark medieval feel. Not a fast read, but a fascinating one.

THE GIVEAWAY: Want to win a copy of Fenrir? Who’s your favorite werewolf that isn’t in a Charlaine Harris novel or TV spinoff? I think I have to go with Adam from Patricia Briggs’ Mercy Thompson series. Although Charles from her Alpha and Omega series is pretty nice stuff as well. You know the routine: +1 for comment, +1 for blog follow, +1 for Twitter follow @Suzanne_Johnson, and +1 for Tweet or Retweet. Go!