You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.65 AVERAGE
3.65 AVERAGE
It was interesting to find out that this is actually a spin off and a prequel to the authors Runemark series, which I hadn't heard of, but can be read as it's own thing.
Early on, I wasn't feeling this as much as I had hoped and unfortunately I found that feeling lasted pretty much until the end, when Ragnarok commenced.
Although a shorter read, it felt slow and dragged and this interpretation of Loki annoyed me in a way that wasn't enjoyable. It kind of just felt a bit forced. It was irritating with the constant "Yours Truly" and "Your Humble Narrator". I get that is his annoying, trickstor personality but it was way over kill.
It felt like a lot of short stories, which usually I wouldn't mind, but it made this feel dull and more like I was being told rather than seeing the full story flow and unfold, although I liked the way it delivered the cautionary tales of Loki's ancedotes.
I have the sequel, also from the library, so I will read that, but I'm so gutted this wasn't as an enjoyable a read as I had gone in expecting, especially as I love mythology, but this just felt like it was diminishing the magic and fun.
Pick it up, give it a go and enjoy! >(^_^)<
Gén
Early on, I wasn't feeling this as much as I had hoped and unfortunately I found that feeling lasted pretty much until the end, when Ragnarok commenced.
Although a shorter read, it felt slow and dragged and this interpretation of Loki annoyed me in a way that wasn't enjoyable. It kind of just felt a bit forced. It was irritating with the constant "Yours Truly" and "Your Humble Narrator". I get that is his annoying, trickstor personality but it was way over kill.
It felt like a lot of short stories, which usually I wouldn't mind, but it made this feel dull and more like I was being told rather than seeing the full story flow and unfold, although I liked the way it delivered the cautionary tales of Loki's ancedotes.
I have the sequel, also from the library, so I will read that, but I'm so gutted this wasn't as an enjoyable a read as I had gone in expecting, especially as I love mythology, but this just felt like it was diminishing the magic and fun.
Pick it up, give it a go and enjoy! >(^_^)<
Gén
La storia ci ha messo un po' a coinvolgermi, ma lo stile mi ha presa da subito. La Harris si cala perfettamente nei panni di Loki, e sebbene alcuni dettagli della mitologia norrena vengano stravolti, questo romanzo riesce a intrattenere e strappare qualche risata.
Del narratore non ci si può fidare - lo ammette lui stesso - eppure una volta giunti alla fine, non si può fare a meno di provare empatia per lui.
Consigliato a chi ama le storie irriverenti e una scrittura tagliente.
Del narratore non ci si può fidare - lo ammette lui stesso - eppure una volta giunti alla fine, non si può fare a meno di provare empatia per lui.
Consigliato a chi ama le storie irriverenti e una scrittura tagliente.
funny
funny
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Not bad.
It was a little slow paced and the narrative didn't grab me. The characters seemed a little out of character in comparison to most Nordic mythology books I've read but I enjoyed the sarcastic comments.
It was a little slow paced and the narrative didn't grab me. The characters seemed a little out of character in comparison to most Nordic mythology books I've read but I enjoyed the sarcastic comments.
I don't know when i started this book but i can't bring myself to finish it. I really love the story of Loki but i find it pretty boring to read it. Maybe I'm going to finish this book next year
It's good, but I've read Neil Gaiman's Norse Mythology in the last couple of years, and I enjoyed that one a lot more. It's hard to say why. Maybe because the narrator isn't a narcissist? LOL
It's a great book. A fun and easy reading, full of Loki's well known sarcasm and it was also an interesting way to know a little bit more about the Nordic Gods. I think it's a great prequel to the Runemarks series that takes place 500 years later. I totally recommend starting with this book, it makes it a lot easier to understand what is going on in Runemarks. I've already started Runemarks and I'm loving it :) I didn't know Joanne Harris was this good! I couldn't put The Gospel of Loki down and with Runemarks its the same ;)
My knowledge of Norse mythology is pretty limited and even then its mostly from the Marvel universe. So I was drawn to this book by the image of Tom Hiddleston as Loki. Although this Loki is rather different from his Marvel counter part, Harris has demonstrated how the Norse mythology has influenced so many different mediums and managed to create a novel that is fascinating in chronicling the rise and fall of Loki, the Trickster.
More to come in full review
More to come in full review
Incredibly fun! Tore though it in 3 days!
Loki always has this big potential, and seeing him in first person was incredible.
The book isn't faultless - most of the gods are very over-simplified and others even done dirty, and not because of any unreliable narrator style. Some others are changed pretty drastically - now Loki and Angrboda are demons, thought they were Jotunn? Surtr is now a shadow dragon instead of a fire giant, and I couldn't not think he was just Deathwing now.
It also makes use of modern terms that for the most part weren't a problem... until you come across Loki pretty much mentioning the Premier League, heavy metal, his celebrity status and so on... sometimes it did make you stop dead on your tracks.
The golden part is definitely the first ~40%.
The middle part flows with some highs and lows. The author did make a good job of making this part, which mostly consists of the more episodic tales of the myth, greatly interweaved and serving as points of progression, but their very nature from the myths does make some much better than others.
Specially when a lot of it consisted of "some time later, X happened, some time later, they travelled to Y", while the beginning is very tight and with a very clear and natural progression line.
The final parts were a bit strange. It did take quite a dark, serious turn, but the take on the "main villain" was a new one for me.
Also, Sigyn. She was done dirty for most of the book, but her scene of undying loyalty being attributed to a combination of madness through grief, love and possessiveness was actually pretty bold, and I admit I actually liked it. Pretty much explains how one would be holding a bowl of poison for so much time... if only her character had been better in the rest of the story too...
But I just had too much FUN reading this, and it greatly outweighed any cons I might have had with it, and I'm not that petty to take points from that.
Loki always has this big potential, and seeing him in first person was incredible.
The book isn't faultless - most of the gods are very over-simplified and others even done dirty, and not because of any unreliable narrator style. Some others are changed pretty drastically - now Loki and Angrboda are demons, thought they were Jotunn? Surtr is now a shadow dragon instead of a fire giant, and I couldn't not think he was just Deathwing now.
It also makes use of modern terms that for the most part weren't a problem... until you come across Loki pretty much mentioning the Premier League, heavy metal, his celebrity status and so on... sometimes it did make you stop dead on your tracks.
The golden part is definitely the first ~40%.
The middle part flows with some highs and lows. The author did make a good job of making this part, which mostly consists of the more episodic tales of the myth, greatly interweaved and serving as points of progression, but their very nature from the myths does make some much better than others.
Specially when a lot of it consisted of "some time later, X happened, some time later, they travelled to Y", while the beginning is very tight and with a very clear and natural progression line.
The final parts were a bit strange. It did take quite a dark, serious turn, but the take on the "main villain" was a new one for me.
Also, Sigyn. She was done dirty for most of the book, but her scene of undying loyalty being attributed to a combination of madness through grief, love and possessiveness was actually pretty bold, and I admit I actually liked it. Pretty much explains how one would be holding a bowl of poison for so much time... if only her character had been better in the rest of the story too...
But I just had too much FUN reading this, and it greatly outweighed any cons I might have had with it, and I'm not that petty to take points from that.