The Gospel of Loki Author: Joanne M. Harris | Language: English | ISBN:
1473202361 | Format: EPUB
The Gospel of Loki Description
Review
A chatty, cheeky style that works a treat SFX Moves at a cracking pace and it's a lot of fun -- Jonathan Hatfull SciFiNow A beautifully written darkly fun fairy tale which breathes new life into the Trickster GEEK PLANET ONLINE An ingeniously skewed retelling of Norse mythology. It's fun and you'll keep going to the end. -- Callum Shephard Starbust magazine 20140115 A surprise from the author of Chocolat, this pacy adult fantasy is narrated by Loki, the Norse god of fire and mischief. -- Violet Henderson Vogue 20140301 quirky, amusing throughout, with an undercurrent of darkness and menace. This is a lot of fun...A must-read for all fans of Norse legends, fantasy and great writing. -- Stefan Fergus Civilian Reader 20140206 The type of book where you've gone through fifty pages and are still hungry for more...a joyous, terrifying, tumulutuous ride. And there's undoubtedly more to come. -- Chris Nickson Chris Nickson 20140207 Harris has turned one of mythology's greatest villains into a misunderstood rebel...and all can do is lap it up. -- Jayne Nelson SFX Magazine 20140401 Harris is an expert of Norse mythology...she makes it into a compelling subject matter that encourages the revisiting of these historic tales. -- Joe Warren Fantasy Book Review 20140209 Loki's unique narration brings the myths to life with a grounded and modern take on the traits of the gods of Asgard -- Daniel Liscombe Utter Biblio 20140211 Fun, witty and wholly entertaining, this is a neat retelling of classic legends which maintains their ancient roots without diminishing them in any way through the use of a modern filter -- Matt Adams Herts Advertiser 20140207 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 teaches and entertains Rinn Reads 20140208 Harris narrative is witty and nicely-paced...The book will appeal to fans of folklore and mythology, but also, I'm sure, to fans of Loki from the marvels movies Nicki J Markus Blog Loki's voice is engaging, witty and likeable...Loki's famous exploits are conveyed with humour and verve Lucy Hounsom Blog It has the right amount of epic fantasy and tongue-in-cheek humour...Harris skillfully weaves the stereotypical evil Loki into a self-aware but misunderstood antihero...a wonderful piece by a wonderful author, Well worth your time. The Tempered Pen Joanne is a natural storyteller who knows a few things about comedy timing...I was snorting with laughter in a most unladylike manner before even emerging from the cast list -- Ani Johnson The Bookbag 20140212
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
About the Author
Joanne Harris is the author of the Whitbread-shortlisted CHOCOLAT (made into an Oscar-nominated film starring Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp) and many other bestselling novels. Her hobbies are listed in Who's Who as 'mooching, lounging, strutting, strumming, priest-baiting and quiet subversion'. She plays bass guitar in a band first formed when she was 16, is currently studying Old Norse, and lives with her husband and daughter in Yorkshire, about 15 miles from the place she was born.
- Paperback: 320 pages
- Publisher: Gollancz (February 13, 2014)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1473202361
- ISBN-13: 978-1473202368
- Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1.1 inches
- Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces
Any author who sets out to tackle the Norse mythology in the current climate of Marvel blockbusters has an interesting task on their hands. Some readers will come to the story knowing only the tales as told through the prism of otherworldly superheros. There will be certain expectations, a certain idea of what makes a good Loki, for example. Then there are those who draw their experience of Asgard from tradition or folk lore, from the many fantasy interpretations that have come about during the many periods of resurgent interest. That’s not to say that these groups won’t mingle nor indeed that a single person can’t enjoy both interpretations but there exists in the public conscience some strong ideas.
So what has Harris done with The Gospel of Loki? Well I think she has trod a middle path. While her Loki lacks the gravitas that drips from Tom Hiddleston’s portrayal of Loki, there’s a definite likeable rogue in her Loki, a misunderstood soul - who will tell you as much with a twinkle in his eye. There is much to like in Harris’ Loki, he feels more honest and real, the other gods are too saccharin for my taste to be likable. With Loki you know you can never trust him, but you will like having him around.
Oh he’s a bastard for sure, don’t get me wrong.
The Gospel of Loki walks the middle path by having a protagonist with a very modern register but still structuring the work as if it were a folk tale. The novel is split into a number of books, which are then split into a number of small lessons or chapters each headed with an epigram from Loki’s own sayings, for example :
Lesson Two
Angie
One woman; trouble. Two women - Chaos.
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