Book excerpt: Dive into this FREE epic Norse mythology series starter in the Eschaton Cycle historical fantasy universe. Driven to become king. Fated to be a god. In the cold winters of an ice age, Odin was born to be a warrior jarl. But Fate has staked a claim upon him. When his brother falls under a ghostly curse, a goddess offers Odin a chance to save him. If Odin can make himself king—and promise an unspecified favour—she will make him and his family immortal. With his blood brother Loki by his side, Odin begins a quest to become king of all the Aesir. But his journey exposes him to forces more powerful than even the goddess: the Norns who foretell Fate. They warn of a terrible burden he will bear, and of the coming end times, Ragnarok. Tormented by his prophetic dreams, Odin must soon choose between those he loves and a fragile chance to avert Ragnarok. The Apples of Idunn is the first novel in the Gods of the Ragnarok Era series. It begins an epic melding of Norse myths, horror, and dark fantasy set in an ice age. For fans of Rob J. Hayes, Ryan Cahill, and Zamil Akhtar, this is a dark mythological retelling filled with gods and monsters from the Viking Age and beyond.