As the title suggests, this is a story about what happens after Ragnarok. The end of the world arrives as it was foretold, bringing the death of the Norse gods. Among the survivors are Magni and Modi, sons of Thor, whose duty is to stop Loki and his wicked plan to be the sole ruler of Earth.

The book starts with John Madison, aka Loki, releasing a virus to end most of Earth’s population with the help of a cult he’s been building for decades.

He was considering renaming New York City as Loki City.

What troubled me from the beginning is that it’s based on Norse mythology. I won’t claim to be an expert, but I’m moderately familiar, and the depiction of these legendary characters was Marvel-esque. Odin is a noble man who sacrifices himself for the greater good. Loki, as a villain is simplistic and his motivations don’t go beyond greed. He’s an evil maniac fixated on power and recognition.

I found the characters 2-dimensional. Modi, our MC, is strong, honourable, and selfless. The women are tools to exalt him or connect him to other men who will help him on his quest.

“I just know the way you make me feel is unlike how any man has ever made me feel before.“

(Actual line from Modi’s love interest.)

I’ll concede contemporary isn’t my first choice when reading fantasy, so take that as you will while reading this review. This book got into my hands because the author reached out directly to me. He had previously offered a horror book (I believe that’s his primary genre) for review, and I declined; he came to me again, now with this fantasy book. I know I don’t have the highest credentials, so that fact is significant to me.

In the style of a Marvel movie, this story is quick and action-packed. I believe it would have worked better as a generic superhero novel rather than claiming to be Norse-related.