Austin Wyrd by Steve Curry

December 18th, 2020 Kimberly Review 8 Comments

18th Dec
Austin Wyrd by Steve Curry
Austin Wyrd
by Steve Curry
Series: Valhalla AWOL #1
Narrator: Gary Bennett
Length: 7 hours and 46 minutes
Genres: Urban Fantasy
Source: Publisher
Purchase*: Amazon | Audible *affiliate
Goodreads
Rating: One StarOne StarOne StarOne Star
Narration: 4 cups Speed: 1.3x

Being a bouncer at a heavy metal/goth bar sounds pretty exciting...unless you're one of Odin's Chosen Warriors hiding out from Valhalla and your past. So Magnus a.k.a. Mouse is less than thrilled when Fate drops a supernatural murder at his feet. Is there any way he can stop the killer without tripping over his own secrets? Or will the cops, the feds, or his Valkyrie find him first? And can someone explain how his pet raven is learning to speak Norse?

urban Mythology UNIQUE Humor

I am always looking for new urban fantasy series on audio and was drawn to Austin Wyrd by Steve Curry, for the promise of Norse mythology. This is the first audio in the Valhalla AWOL narrated by Gary Bennett. The tale offered a modern-day Norse tale with humor and intriguing characters.

Curry delivered a fresh tale, steering clear of familiar tropes and infusing Norse mythology into this urban fantasy. Our protagonist Magnus Gustav a.k.a. Mouse is a bouncer at a heavy metal bad in downtown Austin, Texas. Trouble begins when he finds a mutilated body by the dumpsters.

There is a lot to like about this first in series. We learn Magnus is one of Odin’s Chosen Warriors hiding out from Valhalla. When we first meet him, he is feeling off. His senses, balance and intuition seem for lack of a better word sluggish. All of which causes him to get his head pummeled more than once.

The secondary characters are intriguing. I loved the dog, the raven, and the fox. The fox is a bit of a mystery, and I hope we learn more. The Professor, Drew and Maureen all had aspects I liked and I am keen to learn more.

The world-building was loose, particularly with the Norse mythology. While I have read numerous fiction novels surrounding these lores not much was explained for those unfamiliar to the mythology.

The book has been likened to Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files, and I can see that from the humor to the sexualized females. In one scene he is battling a female and his eye wonder to her breasts and the smoothness of her skin. You get the point. Since this didn’t bother me in Butcher’s books, I rolled with it here.

Gary Bennett narrates and brought these characters to life. I enjoyed his pacing and different accents. I felt he captured the characters and added an extra layer of enjoyment.

Austin Wyrd was a solid start to the series and Curry set listeners up nicely for book two, Wyrd Gere.

Austin Wyrd by Steve Curry narrated by Gary Bennett delivered an enjoyable start to the Valhalla AWOL #urbanfantasy series #audiobook #NorseMythology Share on X
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About Kimberly
Kimberly is a coffee loving book addict who reads and listens to fictional stories in all genres. Whovian, Ravenclaw, Howler and proud Nonna. She owns and manages Caffeinated PR. The coffee is always on and she is ready to chat. BlueSky | Facebook | Instagram

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8 Responses to “Austin Wyrd by Steve Curry”

  2. Debbie S Haupt

    I’m like you Kim always looking for good books in this genre and it looks like I might really like this. It’s been such a tough month, trying to keep the spirit high when I also want to hide under my covers. I need something to look forward to and books have always been there for me.

    Debbie S Haupt recently posted: Happy Holidays from my house to yours

  4. Lover of Romance

    I do love seeing how authors capture the characters so well, I do love Norse mythology but don’t see it too often in books and would love to see more of it.

    Great review.