Titles: 1 – The Gospel of Loki, 2 – The Testament of Loki
Author: Joanne M. Harris
Genre: Fantasy, Mythology
Plot: 1 – Loki is a demon from Chaos. He is called from Chaos to Asgard by Odin. Odin promised Loki to be treated as an equal, as a brother to the Aesir and Vanir of Asgard. At every turn, Loki greeted with suspicion and disgust. Even when his deeds save everyone, there will always be those who refuse to trust him. Hiemdall and Freyja are chief among them. For the most part, Loki is able to talk himself and others out of trouble. Finally, when Loki brings peace with the ice people, the others start to trust him. He is riding high, when he and Thor start on a voyage to the Worlds Beyond. They meet some of the Folk who join them on their voyage. They meet some of the giants of the north. In the giant’s village, Loki and Thor are faced with challenges. Both of them lose badly. They are allowed to return to Asgard, their head hanging low. Loki is returned to his lowly state. Everyone loses their trust in him. Loki starts to plan his revenge. He is caught and punished. A Vanir, Gullvieg-Heid rescues him and asks him to help attack Asgard. Loki accepts wholeheartedly, desperately wanting revenge against Odin and Asgard. As the battle rages on, Surt, the lord of Chaos, covers Asgard in shadows, Heimdall attacks Loki and they fall of the Rainbow Bridge. But will Loki survive? Will anyone in Asgard survive.
2 – Loki has survived. He and the others are trapped in Dream. During his time in Dream, Loki searches for a way to escape. Suddenly, he finds a way to escape through a computer game. In arrives on Earth, trapped in a human’s body, called Jumps. Loki enjoys his new body, but his host, Jumps, is enraged. She (Jumps) searches for ways to get Loki out of her body. Her friend, Evan, can help. When they get there, they realize that Odin is occupying Evan’s body. Odin has a bargain for Loki. But Loki doesn’t trust Odin, not after the events of Ragnarok. Though, Loki helps in order to help himself escape from this situation. He retrieves Thor for Odin, though he traps Thor in a little dog’s body. Odin asks two more things of Loki. After introducing him to Frejya, who’s not all that she appears, Loki agrees to help, if only to save his own skin. Odin asks Loki to find the Oracle, and the new runes that are appearing. Loki reluctantly helps. As he searches, Loki finds ways to help his host, Jumps. They become unlikely allies. Soon, they find a ride through Dream to go through Dream. But where is the Oracle? Can Loki escape his host and Odin? Will Odin betray him again? Can Loki ever be free?
Rating: 4.3 – a great telling of the classic Norse Mythology
Opinion: I found this book in a local bookstore. I was skeptical, but curious. I haven’t heard much of Norse mythology, except for the occasional story outside what Marvel has put in movies. I’ve also never had much of an opportunity to learn about mythology outside of the occasional English class. This story was very entertaining. It’s very easy to relate to Loki. I found it easy to see why Loki did the things he did. It made you feel bad for him. Though he’s often the villain, this series made him more likable. I highly enjoyed Loki’s snark and how he out thought circles around everyone in and out of Asgard. In the second book, the author made a great combination of Norse Legend and modern times. The story kind of ends early but Loki has to finish with the Oracle and his proficies first. I was curious to see how Loki would break free of the profecy and Odin. It was wrapped up nicely, but still left me wondering if there would be another book in the series. Overall, this was a great series. I was curious to see how the author would tell the tales of Loki from his perspective. These books are shorter and quick reads. They are great for learning about Norse mythology and seem to be accurate from the other things I’ve read about that mythology outside of Marvel. If you’re looking for some great reads about mythology, then I highly recommend these books.
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