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BookBrowse Reviews Runemarks: An epic of Norse mythology by the author of Chocolat for readers aged 12+

Runemarks
by Joanne Harris
Paperback, Oct 2009,
544 pages.
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Joanne Harris has already proved her versatility with her books for adults such as Chocolat (1999), Five Quarters of the Orange (2001), Holy Fools (2004) and Gentlemen and Players (2006); now she breaks new territory with a novel for teens - and what a great read it is!

500 years after Ragnarok (the end of the world according to Norse mythology), Maddy Smith lives a quiet life in a sleepy village a long way from the center of power at World's End. So far away that even the Examiners of "The Order" rarely visit; so while the "ruinmark" on Maddy's hand and her inquisitive nature have caused her to be set apart from the others in the village, who believe imagination to be a sin, with some even mumbling "witch" behind her back, at least she has been saved from the Cleansing which would definitely have resulted...
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Norse mythology
Norse mythology is the best preserved version of Germanic paganism, sharing the same essential pantheon with Anglo-Saxon mythology. Both have their roots in a hypothetical Indo-European mythology that is believed to be at the root of most pre-Christian religions in Europe and India (including Hinduism, Jainism and Zoroastrianism) because they all share significant commonalities. For example, Zeus, Jupiter, Thor and Indra are all thunder-gods and all are associated with the same day of the week - Thursday: English derives Thursday from Thor, while the French Jeudi and Italian Goivedi come from the Latin Jovis (or Iovis) Dies meaning Jupiter Day.

Norse mythology is a collection of believes, not...
This review was originally published in February 2008, and has been updated for the October 2009 paperback release. Click here to go to this issue.
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