'Fenris & Mott' Book Club: Day 2

“It’s not your job to finish the work of protecting the world, but neither can you stop trying.”

Welcome to day two of our book club read-along for OwlCrate Jr's November book, Fenris & Mott by Greg Van Eekhout! This month’s recap and discussion questions are written by the one and only Cheryl of And Other Tales, a fantastic book and lifestyle blog.

Just a reminder that this will be a SPOILER FILLED discussion for Chapters 7-12 of Fenris & Mott. Discussion questions are listed below, and anyone who participates in the comments will be entered to win a free OwlCrate Jr box per post!

Take it away, Cheryl!

The Story Begins . . .

 So Fenris has swallowed the dead man’s hand, he has swallowed Bev from the wolf rescue organization, and is once again on the loose! Following a massive trail of destruction and consumption - truly Fenris’s ability to consume is limitless! - the girls arrive at a movie set where Star Hammer: The Motion Picture! is being filmed. They find Fenris and convince the stage hands that they are Fenris’ handlers for another film, but they aren’t the only ones chasing Fenris. Tew, a god of war, is hot on their heels! An altercation takes place on set between the girls, Fenris, Tew and the lead actor Chris Hevans - and Fenris swallows the movie star!! 

Racing out of the studio with Fenris, the girls make a trade with a man for his scooter in exchange for some Viking gold coins, and ride off to meet with another god - Hermod. They ask Hermod how they can stop Fenris from eating the moon and bringing about Ragnarok, but he tells them it is hopeless for there are “other promises older than they can imagine” at play. He then tells them the story of how Fenris came to this fate, how he was force fed an Annihilation Rune by Tew, that would install an insatiable appetite within him for devastation, wreckage, and death. 

Mott has an idea! If they can remove the Annihilation Rune from Fenris’ stomach, maybe they can stop Ragnarok, and off they race to a veterinarian. On the way Mott realizes more and more of the 9 events of Ragnarok are happening but she still remains hopeful that she can fulfill her promise to protect Fenris. Unfortunately more problems arise at the vet. When the veterinarian scans Fenris with an ultrasound machine, she finds … nothing. No esophagus, no stomach, no intestines! 

Unsure what to do next, the girls leave the veterinary office, and encounter yet another God! Vidar is also after Fenris! Now being chased by Vidar, Thrudi uses Mott’s NeighborScoop app to locate any mentions of Tew and race in that direction. When Vidar spots Tew, the enemy gods start battling each other. With the gods distracted, Mott and Thrudi return to Mott’s home to spend the night, regroup, and share some much needed hot chocolate.

While the girls are chatting, Thrudi explains that she thinks Ragnarok is unavoidable and they will fail, but that they shouldn’t give up trying. She has an idea … tomorrow they will visit Fenris’ mother, the legendary witch, Angrboda. 

 All the gods are converging at the same place as Ragnarok approaches so, luckily, Angrboda is also nearby - at the Ironwood Nursery. With hair as white as ice and skin so pale it is almost blue, it isn’t just her appearance that is cold … she refuses to help Fenris and then disappears in a cloud of thick fog. 

Now separated by the disorienting fog, Mott stumbles around trying to locate Thrudi, but instead meets the trickster god Loki, Fenris’ father. He also doesn’t believe there is any stopping Ragnarok or helping Fenris, but he does give Mott a stick of mistletoe. Among its many properties, apparently mistletoe is a known god-killer! His advice is to kill Fenris to prevent Ragnarok and save the world … Now Mott has the impossibly difficult decision: will she kill Fenris in order to save the billions of people on Earth??

QUESTIONS:

1. Do you think Mott and Thrudi will be successful in saving the world from Ragnarok? If so, what are you theories on how? 
2. Are you familiar with the Asgardian gods introduced in Fenris & Mott? Do you have a favourite? (Either from this story or other stories you’ve read … I have a soft spot for the trickster god Loki!)