This book was a bit disconcerting and didn't quite work for me, although it could work for the right reader. I realize I'm not in the target audience, but I have enjoyed other Middle Grade fantasies (like Ranger's Apprentice).

It is a coming of age/quest fantasy story, set in Viking culture with Norse mythology elements. However, it's a deliberately "disneyfied" setting. The story is constantly attempting humor with anachronistic concepts and scatological situations. The whole thing becomes childish, even for a children's book. At its best, it can have somewhat charming moments and interesting discussions about destiny vs free will, but it's difficult to take it seriously enough to care about what's happening. ( )

I would have to say that books about "vikings" are hardly my first choice of literature, but this title was about "vikings" as much as SpongeBob is about aquatic life. It's an easy book, clearly targeting the pre-teen male audience, and tells the tale of Dane the Defiant who must make up for a fairly serious error in judgment by taking on a quest with his friends. While a completely unbelievable plot, there are a lot of concepts from Norse Mythology and viking "living" which made it an entertaining read. ( )

It was boring and not exciting at all. ( )

Rune Warriors is an exciting adventure into the past that encompasses both ancient cultures and mythology. It does a great job of mixing both humor & drama. You can actually smell, see, & hear the boisterous ancient Vikings....from their hearty meals to their colorful language to their warrior pride. I wouldn't recommend it to really young kids because of some of the violence, but, it would be fine for teens. The mix of reality and Norse Mythology are well blended and believable. Surely, frost giants DO exisit? Who could doubt it! The story of one young Viking boy growing into manhood pulls at your heartstrings as well as sets your pulse to racing to the very exciting end. ( )

Boys that like fart jokes will probably like “RuneWarriors.” Come, on, I mean one of the characters is named “Fulnir the Stinking.” However, although the story really picks up and becomes fairly engaging towards the end, this book has a lot of issues. One incredibly frustrating thing was the frequent use of anachronism. I would expect a book for ages 8-12 to attempt to connect with the readers in some way, but not the blatantly modern terminology used here. The characters would have been more believable as 15 than they were at 13, which might have allowed the writers to bump up their targeted ages to 10-15, which would have allowed for the style to flow much more smoothly.

For the full review:
http://www.devourerofbooks.com/2008/09/rune-warriors-book-review/ ( )