Release Date: May 2nd 2023
Publisher: Coronet
Pages: 288
Find it on: Goodreads. Waterstones.
Source: The publisher kindly sent me a copy of this book to review
Rating: 2.75/5 stars

Synopsis

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.

This retelling 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. 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.

Review

Melvin Burgess’s Bloodtide was one of my favourite books growing up so I was really intrigued to read his newest release – Loki. Here Burgess tackles the Norse myths, taking the reader through all the adventures and mischief that Loki gets wrapped up in. From his birth to his inevitable demise, Loki recounts the stories you think you know, but with a fresh perspective.

I usually really enjoy Norse myth retellings and this sounded like exactly the kind of thing I would enjoy. The story is quick paced and Loki has a really strong narrative voice. He really comes to life in the story and you can’t help but get wrapped up in his tale. Loki is such a trickster and such a mischievous character and that really shines through in the story. There were some tales I wasn’t familiar with so I really liked seeing how Loki was going to get himself out of those sticky situations. All the characters in the story are well developed and I loved that all the gods are a bit unreliable and untruthworthy.

The one thing I found difficult with this book was the vulgar language. It felt very unnecessary to the story and this alongside the reader being regularly insulted really pulled me out of the story. This really lessened my enjoyment and meant the story didn’t captivate me as much as I was expecting it to. Overall this is an interesting and unique take on the Norse myths and if you’re looking for a story was a main character who really leaps off the page, this could be just what you’re looking for.