The story begins in 1945 when an American Serviceman recuperating in a convalescence hospital in England begins to recall memories of past and future battles.  Through an enigmatic psychiatrist, John learns about the gods of war, ancient and decrepit beings, who have been battling one another throughout history, by chosing heroes, from amongst mortals to act on their behalf and that John is one of these eternal champions.  Furthermore due to the injuries that have taken his memory, John is now free from their binds and can set about defeating them.  But to do this John will need to find their secret Valhalla.  A journey that will take him through time, where he will be force to confront some of the greatest generals in history and a yet unborn king.  

Realties soon clash however as the line between fact and fiction becomes blurred as the mystery of what happened to him and his life before the war, surface and impact on his present condition.   Leading to the question; whether John is an eternal warrior fighting throughout the ages at the behest of the gods?  Or merely a wounded soldier both physically and mentally, creating fantasies to cope with the cruelty of war? The only bright spark in John’s world is Emma, a nurse who feels a connection to John that goes beyond the ordinary.  Together, they set about uncovering the truth. 

There are many themes throughout the story dealing not only with war, our fascination with it and how it has evolved alongside civlization; but also faith, love and redemption and scenes that really show the horrors of war.  There is of course some really great action sequences but at the heart of it is the love of two people who find themselves crossing paths that forever change their lives...and perhaps the world. 

I feel that if you look at the two excerpts I have put up you will get a good idea of the two different elements that are prominent in the book.