Fimbulwinter – E. William Brown

Daniel Black is a well-read programmer and gamer who is transported to a world where magic works - and Ragnarok is starting early. The goddess who transports him gives him access to magic and tells him “I’m counting on you to munchkin the hell out of it.” Which he does, for three books and counting.

On the weak side, the premise is overworked - a protagonist who becomes a super-wizard by applying his understanding of our world’s science and technology - and has been done much better. This book and series lacks narrative tension, because the protagonist is always able to pull whatever rabbit the plot needs from his hat. (He keeps coming up with bigger explosives. I’m waiting for him to start using his magic to turn large boulders into antimatter.)

On the plus side, it’s a page turner. As the protagonist steadily becomes more powerful, the scope of the story and the strength of the opposition keeps pace. (Fimbulwinter is the prelude to Ragnarok, so the opposition will eventually include disgruntled gods.) It’s fun to see what happens next.

There’s a bit much wish-fulfillment-fantasy sex. As everything else grows steadily, so does the number of women who are in bed with the protagonist, and with each other. Naturally, magic is good for that…