God of War - The Official Novelization

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Obviously a lot of the side stuff is left out completely, which is understandable as the world in the game is pretty massive for exploration sake, but because this is all left out, when Atreus mentions that Mimir had said something about the Valkyries, as a reader you HAVE to be confused. The Witch's dialogue is slightly different when she revealed to Kratos that she knows him as well as warn him of the intolerance of the Norse Gods who ruled the nine realms. As they were returning home, Atreus spots Odin's two ravens Huginn & Muninn, who are completely absent from the entire game and won't appear until God of War Ragnarök. As Atreus tries to focus on shooting down the deer and not let his emotions cloud his mind, Kratos will become impatient and urges Atreus by saying "Take the shot, boy. Now!" When Atreus first has a visceral reaction to hearing voices in Alfheim, Kratos's response is characterized as being irritated, only becoming concerned when Atreus mentions he's screaming in pain because he's hearing voices. Compare to the game, where Kratos's immediate concerned reaction is a) notably soft for a guy who curb stomps draugr and b) one of many small signs that he truly cares for his son, he's just bad at expressing it.

In my opinion, you can enjoy this book very well without having played any of the God of War games or being a gamer at all. It is a great fantasy taking place in Norway, including the amazing Norse mythology. It has all sorts of mythical creatures, the Norse gods and the nine realms and all of that is written so well, you don't need any knowledge about it before hand. Everything is explained along the way, so everyone can enjoy it. I would recommend this book to everyone who loves a good (fantasy) story, not just to gamers and players of God of War Kratos, the God of War, has left behind Olympus and his vengeance. For years he has been living in the realm of the Norse Gods hidden far away from the world. Believing that his past is well behind him Kratos has married again to a woman named Faye and they have son together, Atreus. Faye is the one who taught Atreus the most like hunting and archery while Kratos mostly went hunting by himself, which meant that he was pretty much absent for most of Atreus' life. God of War as a concept was not something I gave attention to. There were games followed by more games at first headline grabbing then declining into convoluted iteration as the series grew older. Most of all, I did not have a Playstation.The Billionaire God of War novel is a fantasy. It is the story of a boy named Andrew. This heir of one of the country’s richest families finds himself wandering the streets of the city he dwells at the tinder age of fifteen. After the death of his mother from an illness, he is literally at the mercy of Mother Nature. Characterizing Kratos as being uncaring about Freya and Baldur's conflict and only intervening because Atreus cares about her feels sharply contrasted to the fact that he actually seemed really chill with Freya in the game after she saved Atreus and very much read as invested in the conflict SPECIFICALLY because it mirrored his own past. One thing that also stood out to me was how the author made a stylistic choice to have everyone speak the same way - which is to say, the Kratos way, without abbreviations. If you listen closely to the game (ignoring the fact Mimir obviously has a Scottish accent), every character you encounter speaks in a way that flows, very naturally, very compact, using the I've, you're, we're, etc. Of them all, only Kratos stands out because he notably uses I have, you are, we are, and so forth. This sets him apart from others in this Nordic world, highlighting his own heritage and showing us that he's an outsider, far from home. This is jarring in the book because EVERYONE SPEAKS LIKE KRATOS DOES, and it ruins his uniqueness, and makes him the same as the rest. It is a long and arduous trek to the highest mountain peak spanning various realms with plenty of obstacles along the way and many battles against a variety of foes (including Trolls, Hel-walkers, Draugr, Ogres, Elves, Wulver, a Dragon, demi-gods and a god) to overcome.

The book needs you to have played the game. I know few people are going to read it without having played it, because let’s face it, this book is for fans of the franchise – or for people who love Kratos but can’t afford the game/console. And that enrages me so, because this book is insulting to the game and to fans. Some characterization changes also baffle me, in the sense that at one point, Mimir is mentioned to make a snarling face or something knowing Kratos can't see him (him being a head dangling at his belt), implying that he REALLY doesn't like Kratos at all, and only comes to respect him towards the very end of the book. In-game, this NEVER seems to be the case, as Mimir is honestly grateful for Kratos rescuing him from Odin and his torture, and helps the pair along in any way he can. It also doesn't make sense character-wise, because if Mimir doesn't like Kratos, why would he offer himself up to Baldur to spare him and the kid? All dialogue is removed from the scene where Atreus and Kratos spread Faye's ashes, instead replaced by Atreus thinking about how he shouldn't cry because that wouldn't be godlike and he wants his father to respect him as a fellow god, which turns an emotionally touching scene that's the culmination of their quest and shows how they've actually become closer as individuals into "Toxic masculinity and the kind of mentality that's gotten Kratos where he is...is good, actually."Como siempre las adaptaciones de videojuego decepcionan tanto que, a esta altura, al no esperar nada de ellas, no me decepcionan. El problema es que el juego es tan bueno, tan excelente, tan majestuosamente escrito, que el libro es un insulto a la fuente original. Jueguen God of War. Laufey is revealed to have a pet gyrfalcon called Jöphie, who is believed by Atreus to have left. When the latter tried to make her to come to him, Jöphie ignores him as she only goes to Laufey and not anyone else. The story mixes Greek and Norse mythology. While it was fun to begin with, I ended up disliking it towards the end. Think of it this way - you have a song you've grown up with and you know the words and tune of it. Then someone decides to record the song, but while most of the words are the same, they change some, and rearrange the rest, and to top it off, they change the music entirely. It felt like that. While at first I enjoyed hearing about these characters famous in Greek and Norse mythology, the changes to their storylines didn't gel with me. Atreus, my precious sugar muffin, is determined to proof his father wrong and to show him that he's perfectly capable to come along and that he can fight alongside him. Now that he has lost his mother Atreus feels the strong need to develop a bond with his father since he barely knows the man who has been mostly absent during his life. He just wants to be accepted and appreciated. In general, the action in God of War is decent enough but there’s a couple of occasions where more description and detail would have been welcomed in the encounters and fights. It’s a tough one though as the action in the game is very visceral. Subsequently, if Barlog had taken that gaming action and written it in the same visceral way then the God of War book would have been very dark and it wouldn’t have been as accessible as it ultimately is.

The book starts on the hunting expedition and not Faye's funeral. This was probably for time constraints, but it does kind of remove the somber, contemplative game start that made the GoW opening so emotionally impactful (especially compared to the other games). There is a story in God of War. The story has twists, poignant moments, and most of all: creates a framework on which to hang a masterful game. Even the banal video-game-y moments of the game (paddling a canoe to your next location) are made charming by incidental dialogue between the characters. You've never heard a fable until you've heard Kratos mangle it. No. We are not men. We are far more, which makes our responsibilities far greater," his father corrected. Could this boy even comprehend what that meant? "And you must be better than me. Understand?" Atreus stared at the knife, then at his father. He nodded absently. "Say it," Kratos demanded. Then, with the latest release, the setting changed. Kratos had quenched his thirst for vengeance and ancient Greece was no more. Instead, the series moved on, forward in time to a new Norse setting and something strange happened to Kratos. He was always a great character but he was also rather one-dimensional and then with this instalment of God of War he changed. A giant snake, so huge it consumed the entire sky before them, rose up out of the water, then lowered its head, tilting it to one side to eye Kratos and the boy suspiciously.Dauði Kaupmaðr, in the novel, is shown to have additional dialogue than in the game, with his first word being "Kjöt", which Atreus thinks he meant "meat". Unlike in the book, the Death Merchant's first dialogue in the game is "þú tilherya ekki hér!" ("You don't belong here!" in Icelandic). This book will probably be loved by someone who has played the game. For someone who hasn't, maybe not as much.

With the passage of time Kratos had aged, he had traded in the Blades of Chaos for a single axe, the Leviathan axe, his anger whilst still there was now more measured, he was more reflective, thoughtful and as a character, he was far more complex than ever before. Týr's Temple is said to be covered in barnacles, though in the game much of the structure isn't, save for a few areas. His vengeance against the Gods of Olympus years behind him, Kratos now lives as a man in the realm of Norse gods and monsters. It is in this harsh, unforgiving world that he must fight to survive... and teach his son to do the same. This startling reimagining of God of War deconstructs the core elements that defined the series-- satisfying combat; breathtaking scale; and a powerful narrative--and fuses them anew. The little man slid from his hiding place, stopping beside Atreus. "Ya see what my touch brung!" Brok boasted with a broad smile.

Success!

When Atreus surprisingly spoke the dwarves' native language with Sindri, Kratos will ask on what it means and the two would translate it as " The man that walks his own road walks alone". They also remove the part where Atreus yells at Sindri for not doing anything about his relationship with Brok, which makes Sindri's eventual reunion with him abrupt and unexplained. Atreus has never ventured further than besides the forest that surrounds his house and this is the first time that he sees what Midgard has to offer, which surprises him. Atreus becomes the one who translates all of the ruins that they encounter since Kratos has never learned how to describer Norse ruins. Apparently languages come easy to Atreus and all of his mother's lessons proof useful on the road. Kratos begins to rely on him. The videogame is subtle, mature, creates world building without spitting words at the player, makes use of ellipsis and expressions on character’s faces to tell what they’re really going through. It’s a perfect example of what Hemingway wished for with his ice-berg theory. This also goes with Kratos when he first encounters, as his warnings were changed. Example are " You do not wish this fight, whoever you are," and " Leave my home now,".