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3.65 AVERAGE
3.65 AVERAGE
I haven't read a lot of Mythology books. It is not a lack of interest, it's more that I did not know which books were good. So I came into this book with very little knowledge of Norse Mythology other than what I know from Thor (the movie). And while this book packs in a lot of information in under 300 pages, Loki tells his story with a lot of wit, making it an interesting read.
...a handsome young man named Honor (nicknamed 'The Silent' in the hope tat one day he might take the hint)
"Oww! That was unnecessary." That was the tip of a young poplar, right in the spot where even a god feels it keenly.
The Gospel of Loki, is a new point of view in very old stories. You see why he came to be the way he was, and I even found myself feeling a little bit sorry for him, for as smart and tricky as he is, he seemed to never come out of any situation unscathed.
Each chapter begins with a valuable piece of advice summarizing what Loki learns in his journeys, from which came some of my favorite lines:
One woman; trouble. Two women - Chaos.
Always look on the bright side. And if there is no bright side? Look away.
A bird in the hand will leave you with bird shit on your fingers.
I highly recommend this book for anyone with an interest in Mythology or someone wanting a hilarious book with a fresh perspective.
...a handsome young man named Honor (nicknamed 'The Silent' in the hope tat one day he might take the hint)
"Oww! That was unnecessary." That was the tip of a young poplar, right in the spot where even a god feels it keenly.
The Gospel of Loki, is a new point of view in very old stories. You see why he came to be the way he was, and I even found myself feeling a little bit sorry for him, for as smart and tricky as he is, he seemed to never come out of any situation unscathed.
Each chapter begins with a valuable piece of advice summarizing what Loki learns in his journeys, from which came some of my favorite lines:
One woman; trouble. Two women - Chaos.
Always look on the bright side. And if there is no bright side? Look away.
A bird in the hand will leave you with bird shit on your fingers.
I highly recommend this book for anyone with an interest in Mythology or someone wanting a hilarious book with a fresh perspective.
Pretty funny..very well written and now I want to learn more about Nordic mythology.
Great narrator! This is one that I think I prefer as an audiobook. Fun to hear from Loki's side of things.
I cannot get enough of books based on ancient mythologies or cultures. I’ve devoured countless books on ancient Greece and Rome, the Olympian Gods, the Trojan War… but as you can see, the reading is often focused on one specific area of history. A fascination with the myths and legends of all over the world has followed me all my life; even those cultures of which I know little are endlessly astounding. Norse mythology sits somewhere in the middle. Whilst I know more about it than say, the stories of ancient Babylon, I know a Hel (harhar see what I did there… I’m so sorry) of a lot more about those of ancient Greece or Rome.
So it was with great delight that I spotted The Gospel of Loki on Netgalley. A book narrated by the trickster god of the old Norse pantheon certainly sounds like an incredibly unique premise, and I’m sure the recent releases of Avengers Assemble and the Thor films have piqued people’s interest in this particular deity (but PLEASE don’t go into this book expecting to see Marvel-Loki. I don’t know why you would… one is a comic book character, the other an old god.)
But anyway. If you’re interested in this book but know nothing about Norse mythology, then there is no need to worry – the author (or rather Loki) provides a handy guide to the various characters at the very beginning, as well as setting out the origin story of the religion. From the cover (which is absolutely gorgeous), I was expecting something quite heavy and traditional, but in actual fact Loki’s tone of voice is light and witty, and he even uses frequent colloquialisms and slang. Although I did feel like phrases such as ‘Yours Truly’ and ‘so shoot me’ were used a little too often, I loved Loki’s narration through the various legends of the old Norse religions. He may be arrogant, thoughtless and the ultimate trickster god, but at times I actually felt a little sorry for him. Unlike the other deities, Loki was not born into the family, but adopted as Odin’s brother. From the very beginning the others regard him as untrustworthy, what with him previously being a demon and a bit tricksy, and yes sometimes he deserves their hostility – but actually, there were times where he was treated rather unfairly and the other gods felt more like the demons.
What I most enjoyed about this book was the humour – and I think that is what it will make it so accessible to many different types of readers. It could have been a stuffy book about the myths and legends of Scandinavia, but with a brilliantly clever twist of Loki as the narrator, and his wonderful sense of wit, it both teachers and entertains. The casual weaving of modern day slang with these ancient epics gives it a timeless feeling. At some times it feels like a big family drama, with all the little (and not so little) arguments between the various gods!
Taking most of its inspiration from the legends of the Poetic Edda and Prose Edda, The Gospel of Loki is a gorgeous ‘retelling’ of ancient myths, that feels both timeless and modern, with a brilliantly unique viewpoint.
Like me, Ron is impressed. I told myself I wouldn’t use a Marvel-Loki gif so… err… yeah. This seemed appropriate.
I received a copy of this book for free from Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review. Originally posted on my former blog, Rinn Reads.
So it was with great delight that I spotted The Gospel of Loki on Netgalley. A book narrated by the trickster god of the old Norse pantheon certainly sounds like an incredibly unique premise, and I’m sure the recent releases of Avengers Assemble and the Thor films have piqued people’s interest in this particular deity (but PLEASE don’t go into this book expecting to see Marvel-Loki. I don’t know why you would… one is a comic book character, the other an old god.)
But anyway. If you’re interested in this book but know nothing about Norse mythology, then there is no need to worry – the author (or rather Loki) provides a handy guide to the various characters at the very beginning, as well as setting out the origin story of the religion. From the cover (which is absolutely gorgeous), I was expecting something quite heavy and traditional, but in actual fact Loki’s tone of voice is light and witty, and he even uses frequent colloquialisms and slang. Although I did feel like phrases such as ‘Yours Truly’ and ‘so shoot me’ were used a little too often, I loved Loki’s narration through the various legends of the old Norse religions. He may be arrogant, thoughtless and the ultimate trickster god, but at times I actually felt a little sorry for him. Unlike the other deities, Loki was not born into the family, but adopted as Odin’s brother. From the very beginning the others regard him as untrustworthy, what with him previously being a demon and a bit tricksy, and yes sometimes he deserves their hostility – but actually, there were times where he was treated rather unfairly and the other gods felt more like the demons.
What I most enjoyed about this book was the humour – and I think that is what it will make it so accessible to many different types of readers. It could have been a stuffy book about the myths and legends of Scandinavia, but with a brilliantly clever twist of Loki as the narrator, and his wonderful sense of wit, it both teachers and entertains. The casual weaving of modern day slang with these ancient epics gives it a timeless feeling. At some times it feels like a big family drama, with all the little (and not so little) arguments between the various gods!
Taking most of its inspiration from the legends of the Poetic Edda and Prose Edda, The Gospel of Loki is a gorgeous ‘retelling’ of ancient myths, that feels both timeless and modern, with a brilliantly unique viewpoint.
Like me, Ron is impressed. I told myself I wouldn’t use a Marvel-Loki gif so… err… yeah. This seemed appropriate.
I received a copy of this book for free from Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review. Originally posted on my former blog, Rinn Reads.
Loki, my favourite trickster and "romantic writer" Joanne Harris? It worked. My idea of Loki is more darker and complex but this was subtle, complex enough. Enjoyed this lot. I recommend also JOanne Harris's young adult book Runes. Also Asgard related.
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Apparently Norse mythology is all the rage these days, NOT just because of the inclusion of Asgardian Marvel hero Thor (and his overly celebrated rival Loki) in recent films. In the Gospel of Loki Harris proves her scholarship of the topic by presenting a piece both seeped in originality and authentic mythology.
I hope it is relatively obvious this is Legend from the perspective of Loki the Trickster God, all the way from creation to Ragnarok. What impressed me most about this novel is that despite a fast pace and comedy focused prose, one felt a certain degree of authenticity around the story. Harris does intriguing work in making Loki the ultimate underdog hero, without loosing sight of his treacherous ways.
Despite being a strong piece there were some flaws however, the first I must confront is the humor. The gags rely heavily on apparent anachronisms, mostly in the form of the characters using modern (or slightly 90's) language. While a daring choice of joke to fill an entire novel with, I felt it was hit and miss, mostly miss. I feel it is important to point out that like a Disney movie there were layers of humor to keep the adults entertained, and some good laughs throughout Gospel of Loki. The constant stream of sarky, cheap jibes from 'Ours Truly.' did get old very quickly.
My other worry of Gospel was that while mostly exciting and fun, the shallow fast paced prose made it hard to attach to anyone or anything. The majority of the word-count was devoted to jokes, I rarely had a strong sense of the particular scenes, nor did many of the scenes 'stick' so to speak in my memory. Other than a particularly brilliant end to the first part, and the final conclusion of the novel which I must add was brilliant, most the scenes could be taken or leaven.
Despite the annoyances, Gospel of Loki is definitely a worthwhile read, the good parts made the in your face humor just bearable, and the talent of Harris in using a mythological villain as a narrator without making the reader hate him or twisting the original material too far cannot be denied.
I hope it is relatively obvious this is Legend from the perspective of Loki the Trickster God, all the way from creation to Ragnarok. What impressed me most about this novel is that despite a fast pace and comedy focused prose, one felt a certain degree of authenticity around the story. Harris does intriguing work in making Loki the ultimate underdog hero, without loosing sight of his treacherous ways.
Despite being a strong piece there were some flaws however, the first I must confront is the humor. The gags rely heavily on apparent anachronisms, mostly in the form of the characters using modern (or slightly 90's) language. While a daring choice of joke to fill an entire novel with, I felt it was hit and miss, mostly miss. I feel it is important to point out that like a Disney movie there were layers of humor to keep the adults entertained, and some good laughs throughout Gospel of Loki. The constant stream of sarky, cheap jibes from 'Ours Truly.' did get old very quickly.
My other worry of Gospel was that while mostly exciting and fun, the shallow fast paced prose made it hard to attach to anyone or anything. The majority of the word-count was devoted to jokes, I rarely had a strong sense of the particular scenes, nor did many of the scenes 'stick' so to speak in my memory. Other than a particularly brilliant end to the first part, and the final conclusion of the novel which I must add was brilliant, most the scenes could be taken or leaven.
Despite the annoyances, Gospel of Loki is definitely a worthwhile read, the good parts made the in your face humor just bearable, and the talent of Harris in using a mythological villain as a narrator without making the reader hate him or twisting the original material too far cannot be denied.
I enjoyed this book so thoroughly that I started and finished it in one sitting. I will admit I totally read it in Tom Hiddleston’s voice and adored seeing the character of Loki in different material than MCU films and shows. Through reading other reviews I’ve come to understand the author heavily deviated from Norse mythology and kind of made her own myths in some spots. I think if one read it with a blindness to Norse mythology (as I did), it could be a very enjoyable book. I do understand the frustration though.
A story about Loki the trickster god told from his point of view seems like a great book. I was excited to read it because who doesn't love Loki? However, I just couldn't get into it. This book has a choppy format that has little stories within the chapters. But I just didn't think it worked. Perhaps Marvel tainted my knowledge of the gods, because I kept thinking about the characters from the MCU and their relationships to each other are so much different in the Gospel of Loki. And maybe I was just in the wrong mood for this particular type of book.
"The Gospel of Loki" is witty, sarcastic and wonderful. In this world seemingly ruled by Marvel's (bungled) retelling of Norse myths, Gospel of Loki is refreshing and on point. Joanne Harris provides a wonderful first person view as to what "really" went on in the Poetic Eddas and Ragnarok through the eyes of the Trickster Himself.
If not familiar with the Norse myths, be familiar with this- Loki is simply as he was created to be- -chaos and change- which can always get messy. Loki is not "evil", Loki simply is his nature- which many in Gospel of Loki just can't deal with.
Reading Gospel of Loki made me laugh and kept me entertained and interested to the last page, wishing that the story was longer. It makes you wonder if Loki himself had a hand in writing this!
If not familiar with the Norse myths, be familiar with this- Loki is simply as he was created to be- -chaos and change- which can always get messy. Loki is not "evil", Loki simply is his nature- which many in Gospel of Loki just can't deal with.
Reading Gospel of Loki made me laugh and kept me entertained and interested to the last page, wishing that the story was longer. It makes you wonder if Loki himself had a hand in writing this!