The Gospel of Loki (5 points)

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    When I went into The Gospel of Loki, I was extremely excited by the forward. I’ve read and listened to my fair share of myths and legends through everything from video games to podcasts, so the prospect of having a catalogue of Norse myths through the eyes of Loki sounded extremely entertaining. The gravitas seeping through every word of the foreword made me super excited to see these classic tales, told from the “right” perspective. Yet, as I read, I became less and less entranced by Joanne Harris’s writing. I guess maybe I was expecting something more unique, but when I realized that the book was just going to be Norse myths I’ve heard before almost verbatim with the occasional snark, I lost interest pretty fast. There are some really interesting themes and motifs about how winners are the ones who write the stories and how outsiders will, by nature, never be fully accepted by the majority and were interesting to explore. Loki’s personality was another big factor for my declining interest

    I definitely mentioned before how I have an extreme soft spot for well-written villains. Loki is no different. The archetype of the trickster is one of my favorites in all of storytelling because no matter what, chaos always follows their step, even when unwanted. That foreword really hyped up Loki as a reliable narrator in the manner of “come on guys, trust me this time”, which was extremely charming. As the book went on, however, his character changed from one consigned to his fate of the inevitable to something akin to a highschool boy’s edgy DnD rogue character. Now, I do find brats entertaining from time to time, but if pettiness and nonchalance are your two driving personality traits, it is hard to find anything you do to be vindicating or inspiring. Loki’s character coupled with a pretty cut-and-dry retelling of major Norse myths made for a pretty disinteresting book for me. I still do want to finish it fully in the future, but these stories are definitely meant to be read in small chunks over a longer period of time.

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