The God of War Official Novelization was released in August 2018 by Titan Books Ltd. and written by J.M. Barlog. It consists of 351 pages, 56 chapters split between the realms, Midgard, Alfheim, Helheim and Jotunheim as Kratos and Atreus (Mimir joins later) travel from one to the next using the Bifrost.
The story summarized with as little spoilers as possible: Kratos and Atreus, set out on a journey to spread his wife's (mother to Atreus) ashes on the highest peak in all the nine realms. They find out that the highest peak is not in Midgard but in Jotunheim, realm of the giants. Along the way there are some unexpected bumps and let's just say things get serious and Kratos must wrestle with the grief of losing his wife, keeping his past a secret from his son, protecting his son on their treacherous path and becoming a father to Atreus. Things aren't made any easier when Baldur, a god from Asgard, shows up and kind of challenges Kratos.
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| My copy of the God of War novel |
The novel follows the events of the main story in the 2018 God of War video game. But it also gives us some insight into what the main characters in the story think and how they feel. That is the first thing that I loved about the book. For example, instead of Kratos replying to Atreus asking if he could carry his mother's ashes with a simple no, we read and understand that he is saying no because it is almost like letting go of what remains of his wife. In reply, Atreus might not say anything but in his mind, the author captures that he thinks that his father might be selfish for wanting to keep his mother to himself when Atreus knows that he was with her most of the time while Kratos was away. He believes Kratos shouldn't be mourning as seriously as he is.
And that type of sadness pops up in several chapters where Kratos and Atreus think about their grief, while both keep it to themselves, it is revealed to the reader. It makes me, as a reader, feel the emotions written only with words on pages. I give high praise to any book that makes me feel what fictional characters feel.
The second thing I LOVED was the fighting scenes. They were perfect. If you use your mind's eye, it is easy to imagine. This is a good example:
"Baldur bobbed and weaved to dodge the lad's attack, launching his own counterattack with a fist slamming squarely into the boy's chest.
Atreus left the ground, tumbling backward into Kratos' arms."
In a few words, you can picture exactly what took place. In a few words, you can imagine everything. That theme runs throughout the book, from fights to the characters admiring scenery and other characters.
The novel stays true to the game and doesn't really change anything, besides maybe one or two revealing things that can only be interpreted by seeing them in the actual game. Plus, I believe if the author outright told us, it would give the whole 'thing' away. And I think that 'thing' could be key events in a future game. It's a sort of 'Easter Egg' for gamers.
J.M. Barlog also captured how and in what way Kratos called his son. It is well-known that
Kratos hardly ever uses his son's name in the video game. It is a way of Atreus knowing when Kratos is serious. "Boy" is informal, its unimportant. Whereas if Atreus is in trouble or out from under Kratos' watchful eye, he refers and will call out his true name. The name Atreus is used for important situations, Kratos does not use his name unnecessarily.
Like I said, I could hardly put the book down. I read in the afternoon when I could, I read every evening on my bed. I needed to know what was going to happen next and how it was going to play out. I felt many emotions throughout the book, when Kratos felt angry, I was angry, if Atreus was sad, I was sad. In a way, I felt like I grieved with Kratos and Atreus over the loss of the female figure in their lives. It emanated off the pages.
And with that said, I commend J.M. Barlog for the beautiful, captivating and enchanting story he was able to bring forward from an amazing video game. He has my utmost respect as an author. I proudly walked over and placed my God of War book on my favourite shelf, on show, in my lounge for everyone who visits to see.
If you'd like to see some of J.M. Barlog's other works, his website is: jmbarlog.com
J.M. Barlog also captured how and in what way Kratos called his son. It is well-known that
Kratos hardly ever uses his son's name in the video game. It is a way of Atreus knowing when Kratos is serious. "Boy" is informal, its unimportant. Whereas if Atreus is in trouble or out from under Kratos' watchful eye, he refers and will call out his true name. The name Atreus is used for important situations, Kratos does not use his name unnecessarily.
Like I said, I could hardly put the book down. I read in the afternoon when I could, I read every evening on my bed. I needed to know what was going to happen next and how it was going to play out. I felt many emotions throughout the book, when Kratos felt angry, I was angry, if Atreus was sad, I was sad. In a way, I felt like I grieved with Kratos and Atreus over the loss of the female figure in their lives. It emanated off the pages.
And with that said, I commend J.M. Barlog for the beautiful, captivating and enchanting story he was able to bring forward from an amazing video game. He has my utmost respect as an author. I proudly walked over and placed my God of War book on my favourite shelf, on show, in my lounge for everyone who visits to see.
If you'd like to see some of J.M. Barlog's other works, his website is: jmbarlog.com
