Did you finish Rick Riordan‘s Magnus Chase series and you don’t know where to go next? Are Loki and Thor your favorites in the Marvel Universe? Do you have room in your life for a ten-episode miniseries? Of course, you do! Jarnsaxa Rising should be on your radar! 

Plot of Jarnsaxa Rising

Every generation, Jarnsaxa returns. Jarnsaxa (The Giantess consort of Thor) carries his twins, Magni and Modi in her belly, and fights to bring about Ragnarok. Her cousin, Loki, will do anything in his power to help her. In 2094, she’s back, and armed like never before. Will she succeed this time? 

Review of Jarnsaxa Rising 

Jarnsaxa Rising is a totally unique podcast from 6630 Productions. Each episode ends on a perfect cliffhanger, so listeners are left scrambling for the next episode. The plot proceeds at a breakneck pace, sometimes switching between following Jarnsaxa and those trying to stop her. Did I mention there’s a fully sentient wind turbine farm? 

The sound quality of this podcast is soft and adds a mysterious quality to the show. Loki, in particular, has a unique quality in that his voice switches from ear to ear (if you are listening on headphones). This makes it feel like Loki is one, whispering in your ears, and two, all around you. I’ve never listened to a podcast that did that before, or that was so conscious about making sure the listener noticed. The closest thing I can think of is the Welcome To Night Vale episode “All Right”. 

The voice acting is clear, emotional, and concise too. As is the goal, no character sounds like they’re reading from a script. Jarnsaxa (MaryLynn Mennicke) is a powerhouse, and communicates easily through her voice that she could, with no trouble, completely destroy us all. Ethan Bjelland, who plays Loki is equally matched, though his early entrance lends him towards quick fan-favoritism (And Loki’s comic book and movie appearances). 

There is very clear dramaturgy work in each episode. Kit Gordon (the named dramaturg) did extraordinary work to make sure this sci-fi fantasy wouldn’t be too far off from the actual myths. I love Norse mythology, and I researched Jarnsaxa as I listened to the podcast. The only difference between this podcast and Snorri Sturluson’s Prose Edda (The Viking lore authority from the era), is Jarnsaxa only carried one of Thor’s two sons fated to survive Ragnarok (Magni), not two. 

This is definitely a podcast to check out if you are looking for something new this year. Dip your toes into the frosty Baltic sea, and join the two-person crew from the Hei Shui corporation as they try to stop the most recent incarnation of Jarnsaxa from (literally) ending the world with a wind farm!

What You Need to Know

Jarnsaxa Rising is a miniseries. It is ten episodes long and was released in 2015. Jarnsaxa Rising is complete. It has some coarse language. 

Fans of Lesser Gods, Rover Red: Alone in the Apocalypse, and The White Vault will love this romp through Norse Myth! 

Jarnsaxa Rising is written by Lindsay Harris-Friel. It is produced by 6630 Productions. You can listen to episodes of Jarnsaxa Rising on iTunes, Podchaser, Radio Public, Pocket Casts, The Podcast Host, Libsyn, Podcasts.com, Overcast, or at their website, here. 

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