‘Thunder Road’ by Chadwick Ginther

Reviewed by Ian Goodwillie

Ancient mythologies are one of the most popular sources for modern media, be it movies, TV, comic books or novels. These ancient stories are filled with larger-than-life characters, fantastic quests, and powers beyond imagining. But given the number of times these mythologies have been adapted, it is a true achievement to do something new, something interesting with them. Thunder Road achieves that in spades.

Chadwick Ginther’s debut novel follows Ted Callan as he leaves behind his life in the oil sands of Alberta for greener pastures in Manitoba, a trend that has often flowed in the reverse. His marriage has fallen apart, his life is in shambles. All he has in the world is in the trunk of his GTO as he plows across the prairies towards whatever is next in his life. But why did all of this happen? What ruined his marriage? What drove him away from a lucrative career in the oil sands?

A fiery demon ripping from the ground in the middle of the patch in the opening pages of the book is the crux of what toppled Ted’s world. Then, after an encounter on the road with a fortune-teller named Tilda hitchhiking on the highway, Ted is accosted in a bar by a strange man and assaulted in his hotel room by a group of bearded men who shave and forcibly tattoo him. The road to Winnipeg is harder than I remember…

Thunder Road is a well-paced, well-crafted book that keeps the reader hooked from the first page, though it does set a couple of big hurdles for itself right off the bat. The first of those hurdles is the incorporation of Norse mythology, which is key to the story. As often as these myths do get used in popular media, most people are unfamiliar with their more traditional forms of them that Ginther has chosen to adapt for this contemporary story.

The danger of trying to get readers up to speed on these myths while moving the narrative along is to become blatantly expository, a pitfall Ginther deftly avoids. In one scene, he uses a conversation with a tattoo artist to provide information on Ted’s tattoos while explaining a bit about Norse mythology to the reader. By doling out tidbits of information in such creative scenes, Thunder Road maintains its narrative flow while making sure you understand what is going on and who is involved.

And, just to help the reader along, Ginther has included an appendix where Loki guides you through the cast of godly characters in Loki’s own unique voice. If you’re not familiar with Odin’s messy family tree, this appendix is a helpful little treat, not to mention being a lot of fun to read.

The second hurdle is the location, specifically setting this story on the prairies, mostly in Manitoba. Whether we are talking about science fiction, mystery or fantasy, the prairies are not a traditional setting for genre fiction of any type though that has been steadily changing in recent years. What Thunder Road does well is explain the location to an unfamiliar reader without feeling like the story is constantly trying to justify that narrative choice. It is reminiscent of mystery authors like Anthony Bidulka and Gail Bowen who have made international names for themselves by writing stories centred on the prairies. And, as both of those authors did in their respective series, Ginther has effectively incorporated his home into his newly-born trilogy. When you are done reading this book, you simply cannot imagine it being set anywhere else.

As you read, the mystery of what Ted has walked into grows, revealing information at an engaging pace by allowing the reader to learn about the rules of Ted’s new world as organically as possible. Characters are interesting, unique and fit the world they are placed in well. The story hooks you early into Ted’s life when the demon bursts forth from the rig he is working on:

It was too big to be real. Shaped like a man, but the height of a building, it stepped out of the inferno grinning like the devil himself. Ted dropped his phone as the creature tore a length of metal from the ground and held it aloft, brandishing it like a club. The challenge the creature bellowed at the sky somehow cut through Ted’s deafness, reaching some primal part of him. It was louder and more terrifying than anything he’d ever experienced. He wanted to scream, but no human cry could scare away what towered over the wreckage.

Thunder Road is a gripping read that opens with a powerful scene that immediately drags you into the story. From there, Ted’s path leads him through the upheaval of being a man trying to rebuild his life after a messy divorce, to that of a man trying to figure out his place in Norse mythology. Unique and brilliantly crafted, Thunder Road leaves the reader salivating for the next book in this trilogy and the next instalment in the life of Ted Callan.

Ravenstone | 344 pages |  $16.00 | paper | ISBN #978-0888014009