Joanne M. Harris, The Gospel of Loki

I've given myself the challenge of learning more about Norse mythology, as I think I'm fairly clued up about Greek and Roman god and goddess but my knowledge of the Norse pantheon is sadly lacking. So I was very excited to find out that Joanne Harris' (author of Chocolate) new book was going to be The Gospel of Loki, feels like I've had to wait for ever for my library to get it in.

Joanne Harris, The Gospel of Loki. ISBN:9781473202351

The Plot: Loki, the trickster and Father of Lies, feels like he has been hard done by in the official record of events and wants to put across his own story. Ostracised by Odin, Thor and the other gods (aka the Popular Crowd) like a high-school misfit, Loki is out for revenge. He aligns himself with Gullveig-Heid, the Sorceress, and ushers in  Ragnarok, the end of the world and the death of the gods.

Rating: ««««¶ (4/5)

For my full review, see after the jump:

A.S Byatt, Ragnarok

I'm not sure this review of Ragnarok can do it justice, it's simply marvellous book and possibly the best novel I've read so far this year. It's slim, at a skimpy 154 pages, but it's made to be savoured, plenty of times I'd read a sentence, paragraph or even a whole chapter, then immediately turnaround and re-read it.

 I'm disappointed that I only have Ragnarok on loan from the library, as I can easily see myself wanting to go back to this periodically.

It's part of the canongate myth series, which I've only newly discovered.

ISBN: 9781847672971

The Plot: Taken from Nordic mythology, Ragnarok is the tale of the predestined apocalypse, an epic battle cumulating in the destruction of the gods.

Rating:««««« (5/5)

Hel, daughter of Loki

'Her form was uncompromising, straight-spined, with long legs, strong, capable hands firm feet [...] Half of her was black, and half blue. Half of her, those who saw her also reported, was living flesh, and half was dead. Sometimes the line between black an blue split her cleanly [...] but sometimes the black and blue floated on and in each other. They were beautiful, like the last blue of the sky meeting the dark of the coming night. They were hideous, the colour of bruises on battered or moribund flesh'

-A.S Byatt, Ragnarok, The End of the Gods