RuneWarriors

By James Jennewein and Tom S. Parker

It's the eve of the Festival of Greatness and Dane has a big problem. He's yet to choose his nickname. Dane the Dangerous? Dane the Despicable? He can't decide. But when Dane sees his proud father shamed by the evil tyrant Thidrek the Terrifying, Dane's indignation earns him a moniker that sticks—Dane the Defiant! And when Thidrek kidnaps Dane's beloved Astrid in hopes of trading her for the ultimate power of the gods, Dane defiantly goes after him like a bat out of Valhalla. Braving treacherous seas, deadly creatures, and a lovestarved Frost Giant, Dane and his rowdy band of Norseboys embark on an epic quest to end Thidrek's reign of terror and take their place among the greatest Viking heroes of all time.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Jun 16, 2009
• ISBN: 9780061957413

James Jennewein

James Jennewein lives in a bloodthirsty, barbaric land filled with evil tyrants, slimy monsters, and comely maidens. It is called Los Angeles.

Reviews for RuneWarriors

[pbadeer · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

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.

[thelexingtonreader · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

It was boring and not exciting at all.

[delenndax7 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

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.

[imperfectionist_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

When Dane stole the invincible Shield of Odin to impress his love interest, Astrid, he never meant to bring death and destruction to his village. Unfortunately, that's exactly what happened. To add onto that, Astrid was also kidnapped, while his father died at the hands of Thidrek the Terrifying, an evil tyrant. In order to redeem himself, Dane must embark on a quest with a chosen group of Viking boys to regain the Shield of Odin, rescue Astrid, and foil Thidrek's diabolical plans to expand his kingdom. This book reads very much like a movie, and I can imagine everything playing out in my head. Not a page is wasted with unnecessary plot fillers; everything was relevant to the plot. This is to be expected, since both writers are screenwriters. The engaging descriptions really do make you feel as if you're alongside the characters, fighting their battles with them. I love the twists and turns throughout the story; even though you know what the outcome is going to be, you don't know how the characters will accomplish their tasks. I had to keep reading in order to see what the characters were going to come up with next. I also love all the dynamics in the plot from escaping a frost giant to fighting with Thidrek's henchmen. There is some violence, but it's kept to a minimal; nothing is overly gruesome. It's interesting enough to capture the interest of teens, but appropriate enough for younger kids to enjoy as well. However, because this book was mostly plot-driven, the characters aren't as developed as they should be. Thidrek acts as an extremely one-sided evil character that I wish there were more background story to explain his brutality. Out of all the characters, I liked Astrid the best for her strength and independence, and her personality makes up for the other characters. Overall, this was a great story, especially for those interested in Norse mythology.

[la_librarian · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

The RuneWarriors is an upcoming book by James Jennewein and Tom S. Parker, screen writers, whose work includes Richie Rich and The Flintstones. RuneWarriors is a the tale of a 13 year old viking boy named Dane who is catapulted into a dangerous quest after an evil tyrant kills his father and kidnaps his love, an ax wielding viking girl named Astrid. Middle schoolers who enjoy the series Percy Jackson and the Olympians will enjoy following the adventures of Dane and his viking friends. It's full of fighting, adventure, and lots of humor as the authors include very clever and quirky descriptive text and dialog. The writers could have developed the characters a bit more. In addition, the age of the characters is distracting because the story oscillates between being a story about thirteen year old boys, who speak and act like thirteen year old boys, and a life or death situation where a young girl will be killed and a kingdom on the verge of death and destruction. It's hard to imagine 13 year old boys in bloody sword fights to the death after you've just read about them laughing about fart jokes. With more consistency this could have been a great book, but it goes from being written for kids, to teens, back to kids. Older readers might get bored but parents of younger readers won't like the violence and gore.Regardless of the slight shortcomings, younger readers should have no problems suspending belief and will enjoy reading about viking warriors, frost giants, deadly sea creatures, and changing ones fate.

[ekanderson_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Jennewein and Parker are not at all in touch with their audience. While the story - a teen Viking on a quest to avenge his father and save his beloved while adventuring in a world full of Norse myths - has promise, it is executed without the slightest insight into the world of children's fiction. At times the narrative attempts to be archaic, using dated forms like 'tis and 'twas and throwing in Norse words and phrases (which are then pedantically explained). At other times the characters speak in modern idioms and engage in fist bumps and fart jokes. The authors seem bent on slipping in little history lessons, but also on seeming witty, and the two voices clash. In addition, for a book aimed at the 8-12 age group, RuneWarriors contains a lot of graphic violence, including graphic, detailed descriptions of torture and beheading. Also inappropriate is the treatment of alcohol. While it is understandable that Vikings would consume mead, grog, and ale, it seems unnecessary for it to be emphasized as a high point of their existence - there is a whole discussion on which brew will get the boys drunker, faster when drinking to get drunk. I'm sure this book will find a niche audience, but that niche is most likely to be small: Kids are smart, and a book that does not acknowledge their intelligence doesn't stand a chance in the big leagues.