I received this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Gospel of Loki by Joanne Harris Series: Loki #1
Published by Gollancz on February 20, 2014
Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Historical, Mythology
Pages: 302
Format: E-Arc
Source: Netgalley
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The first adult epic fantasy novel from multi-million copy bestselling author of Chocolat, Joanne Harris.
The novel is a brilliant first-person narrative of the rise and fall of the Norse gods - retold from the point of view of the world's ultimate trickster, Loki. It tells the story of Loki's recruitment from the underworld of Chaos, his many exploits on behalf of his one-eyed master, Odin, through to his eventual betrayal of the gods and the fall of Asgard itself. Using her life-long passion for the Norse myths, Joanne Harris has created a vibrant and powerful fantasy novel.
Loki, that’s me.
Loki, the Light-Bringer, the misunderstood, the elusive, the handsome and modest hero of this particular tissue of lies. Take it with a pinch of salt, but it’s at least as true as the official version, and, dare I say it, more entertaining.
So far, history, such as it is, has cast me in a rather unflattering role.
Now it’s my turn to take the stage.
With his notorious reputation for trickery and deception, and an ability to cause as many problems as he solves, Loki is a Norse god like no other. Demon-born, he is viewed with deepest suspicion by his fellow gods who will never accept him as one of their own and for this he vows to take his revenge.
From his recruitment by Odin from the realm of Chaos, through his years as the go-to man of Asgard, to his fall from grace in the build-up to Ragnarok, this is the unofficial history of the world’s ultimate trickster.
I know little about Norse mythology. With the majority of my knowledge coming from ‘The Avengers’ and ‘Thor’ movies… so how reliable my actual knowledge is, is debatable. But I’ve always enjoyed Greek myths and legends both in their original (OK translated!) and retold versions. So I was intrigued by The Gospel of Loki. It also helped that there have been some brilliant reviews from bloggers I trust to have similar tastes.
This was a brilliant and fun book. and was everything that I expected and hoped it would be. Loki is a brilliant narrator, right from the word go, from his descriptions of the other gods, I was hooked. There is so much detail, wit and a sense of self that you help but feel that this is him tell the truth. Or at least the truth in an amusing, light manner and obviously it was never Loki’s fault.
Loki is Chaos incarnate, he is arrogant, selfish and thoughtless, but I couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. And that was despite believing at times the others gods should be hostile towards him! Loki doesn’t have the same background as the other gods, he’s so different that it is not hard to see why the other gods could not care for him.
The Norse myths are woven effortless together. Creating an epic adventure filled with family drama as the Gods vie for top position. There is manipulation on all levels, and sometimes the Trickster God is himself outplayed, to hilarious consequences.
For me only the only thing that annoyed me was how easy it was to stop reading this book. I want a book to sweep me away and make me devour it until there are no more pages to turn. But this didn’t happen. But maybe it was just awesome writing that allowed me this indulgence and therefore should not be considered a bad thing? What do you think?
The Gospel of Loki may appear from the cover to be a daunting novel, but do not be dissuaded! Loki is the ultimate teller of stories and this should leave you wanted more. Anyways it much better than those Avenger films. So if you are a Loki fan read on!
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