Rick Riordan is an accomplished author of several book series, often based on differnt mythologies (Greek, Roman, Egyptian, Norse). His most famous hero is Percy Jackson, but his most recent works feature Magnus Chase and Norse mythology. Hotel Valhalla is a companion book to this series.
In Hotel Valhalla, we're given a guide to the Norse mythological universe. We learn about the Yggdrasil and the nine worlds it holds, the main gods and goddesses (like Odin, Thor and Loki), races (like giants and elves), creatures of interest, some history, and other things relevant to the universe. It's written in a fun style- as a guidebook placed in each room of Hotel Valhalla, to acquaint the guests with things they might see or experience in the region.
I've never read Riordan's other stuff, but the subtitle ('guide to the norse worlds') caught my eye, so I picked up the audiobook. It was short (just 2 discs or 176 pages), but I loved it. Riordan writes well: his account is humorous, concise, informative, and compelling. There are probably more complete guides to Norse mythology out there, but this is very well done and makes me want to read more of his books. The only caveat: he mentions characters that appear in his works, so I'm sure there were references I didn't catch or understand. But even then I was able to enjoy it, and you will be, too.
Rating: A
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