Name: Loki
Rating: 4.5 (2 reviews)
ISBN: 9781399701525

Melvin Burgess

Loki

THE FIRST ADULT NOVEL BY THE CARNEGIE PRIZE WINNING AUTHOR OF JUNK Step into the ancient fir-tree forests of Scandinavia and bear witness to legends as epic as those of the Greeks and the Romans. Melvin Burgess revolutionised children's literature with the infamous cult novels Junk and Doing It. In his first adult novel, Loki, he breathes new life into Norse myths. Starting with the Norse creation myths, the trickster god Loki takes the reader on a wild ride through Norse mythology, from the time the gods - the founders of Asgard - defeated races of monsters, and hurtling through famous stories, including Odin hanging himself on the World Tree, the theft of the corrupting gold ring and the murder of Baldr, the god of love and the Sun. This narrative may seem familiar enough at first, but the reader should beware. Born within the heart of a fire in the hollow of a tree-trunk, Loki arrives in Asgard as an outsider. He is a trickster, an unreliable narrator, the god of intelligence and politics. In spite of his cleverness and sparkling wit (or, perhaps, because of this...) Loki struggles to find his place among the old patriarchal gods of supernatural power and is constantly at odds with the god of thunder - Thor. Alongside the politics of Asgard, it charts the course of Loki's many loves and families, from his mothering of Odin's famous horse to his intense, turbulent, and, eventually, fatal relationship with Baldr the Beautiful - a tender and moving story of love that goes wrong, jealousy and a transitioning that is forbidden by society. This is a retelling that is contemporary in tone, at once amusing and relatable. It is a heartfelt plea to overthrow the old gods of power and authority and instigate a new era ruled by love and intelligence.

WICKED, VISCERAL, TRANSGRESSIVE: Norse gods as you've never seen' them before

After having read a lot of Greek and Roman mythology, Norse mythology was a new direction for me. The only knowledge I had came from the Marvel movie Thor. 

The book Loki tells stories of Norse mythology from the point of view of Loki himself. Therefore, there is an unreliable narrator, although I couldn't help but believe Loki. Loki often adresses the readers themselves to make sure you root for his cause. 

I really liked reading the stories about the creation of humans and all the other things Loki has done, although he's done some questionable things as well. 

Overall, it was refreshing to not read about the same Greek myths again and I really enjoyed this book. 

Laura

After having read a lot of Greek and Roman mythology, Norse mythology was a new direction for me. The only knowledge I had came from the Marvel movie Thor. 

The book Loki tells stories of Norse mythology from the point of view of Loki himself. Therefore, there is an unreliable narrator, although I couldn't help but believe Loki. Loki often adresses the readers themselves to make sure you root for his cause. 

I really liked reading the stories about the creation of humans and all the other things Loki has done, although he's done some questionable things as well. 

Overall, it was refreshing to not read about the same Greek myths again and I really enjoyed this book. 

Loki

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