Sunday, December 4, 2022

Book Review: The Prisoner of Tartarus


A hero has fallen: Deprived of the mystical Gjallarhorn, his enchanted sword Holfund, his winged steed, and even his memory, Heimdall flees across the underworld of Tartarus with the minions of the dark god Pluto in pursuit. Aided only by his friend Kamorr, Heimdall must piece together the mystery of his memory loss and escape the realm of the dead. For his amnesia masks a far greater threat: The dark elf Malekith’s infernal machinations have corrupted the newly created Bifrost. Racing against the clock and his own memories, Heimdall must defeat Malekith and his allies before they can use the Rainbow Bridge to destroy both Midgard and Asgard.

The Prisoner of Tartarus, by Richard Lee Byers, was published by Aconyte Books on October 18, 2022.

This is another entry in the Marvel Legends of Asgard series to which Byers is no stranger (I previously reviewed his The Rebels of Vanaheim title in the series). Just like that novel, once again Heimdall, the keeper of the Bifrost, is the focus hero. However, at this point, the Bifrost has not yet completed construction which is a key element of the plot.

The story also features Amora - she who would eventually be known as as the Enchantress. She has always been a favorite of mine, so I am glad to see her here and playing a very important role. In fact, on this story, I felt more engaged by the scenes involving the villains rather than I did the heroes. I just tend to find villains to be more interesting, especially when they have layers of deception in play.

Byers again is in top form, using his strong fantasy and world-building experience to craft an engaging tale of intrigue and mystery. He clearly is very comfortable in this high-fantasy world filled with gods, goddesses and epic heroes.


About Marvel Entertainment

Marvel Entertainment, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company, is one of the world’s most prominent character-based entertainment companies, built on a proven library of more than 8,000 characters featured in a variety of media for over eighty years. Marvel utilizes its character franchises in entertainment, licensing, publishing, games, and digital media.

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