Reviewed by: SingleEyePhotos
Genre: Fantasy/World Mythology
Approximate word count: 105-110,000 words
Availability
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Author:
Mike Vasich teaches English to
gifted and talented students. He is the author of a separate anthology of
stories about Loki, as well as other books. He has a wicked sense of humor and
welcomes feedback from readers. He can be contacted at (mrvasich@att.net).
Description:
Loki. The
Trickster. What would the overarching story of the Aesir and the countdown to
Ragnarok be, told from his viewpoint?
Appraisal:
I am
somewhat familiar with the traditional stories from Norse mythology, so this
book had immediate appeal for me. It starts out with a very brief recap of the
traditional story of Loki and his relationship with the other Norse gods (the
Aesir). It then moves quickly into a retelling of the stories familiar to many
of the Twilight of the Gods, moving towards Ragnarok and the destruction of the
world – only told from Loki’s viewpoint. As a literary device, it’s an
excellent way to make an old story new again. Loki never quite becomes a
sympathetic character, but the reader does realize that there are two sides to
every story. The author obviously knows his Norse mythology frontwards and
backwards. I have a friend who is Norwegian, living in Norway, who read this
along with me, and she agreed that it was true to the stories she heard growing
up, with allowances made for the different point of view.
The author
has an amazing power of characterization. In one battle scene (possibly one of
the best battle scenes I have ever read), he was able to convey to perfection
the personification of thunder and lightning in Thor and his hammer. I knew that, but reading that scene, it
was brought home to me like never before. Thor was thunder and Mjollnar was
lightning, and the concepts were inseparable. It was one of those “Ahhh”
moments when you fully realize and understand something you’ve known all along.
I loved
this book, but I could not help stopping to think how very different the mindset and motivations of the characters are from
what we (meaning Americans, most likely the intended audience) are used to in
our literature. I found Odin to be one of the most frightening figures I have
ever met in a book – and that includes characters such as Lucifer/Satan,
Sauron, Voldemort, and others of that ilk. Interestingly, my Norwegian friend
did not feel the same way at all – she says that Odin is the All-father; he’s
above and beyond mere human emotion and rationalization. Yet, that was exactly
what I felt was so chilling about him – the total apathy, the absolute
unwillingness to lift a finger to change the course of events that were fated.
All in all,
an excellent book, and highly recommended. It’s safe to say that this is
probably the best book I’ve read so far this year. I would say that it would
appeal primarily to readers who have some familiarity with traditional Norse
mythology, since they would be able to appreciate some of the nuances more, but
that certainly isn’t a perquisite.
Format/Typo Issues:
None. Formatting
was perfect.
Rating: ***** Five stars
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