Loki
A Novel
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- $17.99
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- $17.99
Publisher Description
With the trickster, Loki, as your guide, journey to the ancient forests of Scandinavia and bear witness to the legends of Norse mythology.
Starting with the Norse creation myths, the trickster god Loki takes the reader on a wild ride through Norse mythology, from the era when the gods—the founders of Asgard—defeated a race of monsters, and then hurtles through legendary 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.
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, the novel 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 a love that goes wrong.
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.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Young adult author Bergess (Junk) frames his gleeful adult debut as Loki, Norse god of mischief, attempting to set his story straight. With a reputation and history to rewrite, the wily, defiant, and prideful Loki chronicles his many contributions to Asgard, home of the gods. Beginning with his birth (from a lightning-struck ash tree), Loki boasts of his many accomplishments. Upon arriving in Asgard, he claims he found Odin and the other gods living in muddy caves and took it upon himself to civilize them. Most notably, he convinces Odin to steal an eye from the fire god Surtr and use it to illuminate the day ("Yes, I invented the sun.")—but with the unfortunate side effect of Surtr's anger bringing about the Ragnarok prophecy, foretelling the end of days. From weird and whimsical romantic entanglements (Loki becomes a mare to seduce a giant's horse) to the creation of the first humans to ongoing beefs with the thunder god Thor, Burgess's Loki turns classic Norse legend on its head and doles out heavy doses of sarcasm and contempt at not getting enough recognition for all he has done for Asgard. This will be a treat for any fan of remixed mythology.