As someone who doesn't like horror media at all, I still have to give Rick Riordan props. He makes the scenes in Alfheim with Mr. Alderman and his disgusted, deformed dragon self so ominous. The world where it's bright 24/7 now has a decaying manor with trees blocking out the light. A giant dragon with a ring stuck to It's foot like a tourniquet (killing and blackening the skin on said toe) prowls the woods, eating all those who come close to it's treasure mound. It's truly disturbing, but since we discussed subtext in class recently, I actually can find the subtext here.
Rick Riordan's subtext isn't that subtle, honestly. At one point, he does have Magnus literally say the message: "Light doesn't always equal Good." But for the most part, he leaves the reader to draw their own conclusions. And it's not hard to do. Alfheim is a brightly lit suburbia populated by people who talk in transatlantic accents and all live in mansions and keep house slaves. It's not a good place, but the lighting is astounding.
This section finally makes it explicitly clear that light doesn't mean good. Mr. Alderman lived in the light of Alfheim all his life. He was probably raised from childhood to adore conformity. He became a collector of rare artifacts. Presumably he loved his wife. But he hated his disabled son. And when his abled son and his wife both die, his heart loses all warmth. He becomes a man blackened by pure hatred and anger. Andvari's ring preys on his greed and hate. It whispers to him, probably sends him visions and delusions, and suddenly he's mutated into a massive dragon who talks to himself in the third person.
It's sad and also incredibly disturbing. But it does convey a message very well. Because Nidavellir (a world with no sun) is home to a bunch of dwarfs who handcraft and name all their possessions, hoping to ensure they all last a lifetime. The dwarfs live in darkness, but they're more kind and welcoming than the elves who live under the harsh light of alfheim's sun. I feel like rick riordan actually makes a really insightful point here, but I don't really know how to explain what it is.
In any case, I just have to give Rick Riordan props for these scenes. They're the best part of the book. The rest of the ship of the dead is very iffy in quality. But the alfheim scenes all maintain this strong theme of darkness and greed and recovering from trauma. Hearth finally lays his family curse to rest. Him, Blitzen and Magnus put Mr. Alderman to death. The family curse is ended, with Hearth the last of his family. It's creepy and yet incredibly clever. And I will admit rick still works in some great comedy, which i am immensely thankful for. Some levity really helps with a dark story like this.
