Loki: WICKED, VISCERAL, TRANSGRESSIVE: Norse gods as you've never seen them before

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I will finish this book, purely out of my respect to Loki. But I’m also sorry that another piece of pop culture involving him as a main character is such a crap. It’s a proper tear-jerker, this one. I’m a big fan of Barrington Stoker and it’s such a pleasure to do a book with them – my first since Old Bag, many years ago.

There’s a lot of lying bastards about, politically, and Loki seemed a way to explore the nature of lying Loki feels that his time has come. The old gods – Odin, Thor, Tyr – have got away with it for long enough. It’s time to tell his version of the events, long ago, which led to his unjust imprisonment. Waterstones Melvin Burgess revolutionised children's literature with the infamous cult novels Junk and Doing It. In his first adult novel, Loki, he breathes new life into Norse myths.He recounts the Norse creation myths and tales both familiar and unfamiliar. Yet it is clear that despite his inclination towards rebelliousness he still seeks a place among the old guard and willingly negotiating the turbulent politics of Asgard.

The Andersen Award is the most prestigious prize internationally in writing for young people, judged on the whole body of an auther’s work. I’ll be up against some of the very finest writers from around the world, but just to be nominated is a tremendous honour and I’m enormously flattered, delighted and proud. I shall be going round with a big smile on my face for a good while, The winner is announced at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair on 27th March. I’ll be there. Maybe I’ll even win – although the competition is very hot. Fingers crossed. Of course, in Loki’s tale he is always the hero, a Northern Prometheus and champion of humankind, while many of the Norse pantheon are portrayed as baddies or buffoons. However, Odin is treated more kindly as are the Norse goddesses.

That reading was for me a fun and enthralling experience, the Norse myths being dismantled and reassembled with a very modern sensibility. Indeed some of the overtly "religiously" aspects are presented in what was for me, as a Christian, a very suggestive way - clearly, for all his confinement, Loki has a good knowledge of the modern work. Take for example Thor's passion, dying nailed to a tree before descending to the Underworld and arising again, bearing the scars of his experience. This was a very horrifying, but also moving, account, as much so for me as any Easter passion. Other elements touch on the modern understanding of gender fluidity, with one of the gods (I won't say who, because spoilers) challenging the rigid, patriarchal regime of Thor and Odin with their developing understanding of their own identity. Book signing, Forbidden Planet, 179 Shaftesbury Avenue, London; WC2H 8JR. 4pm Sunday 29th July YALC @ Kensington Olympia So we’ve listened and organised our next Retreat on those lines. MORE spare time to write … MORE 1-2-1’s with myself and Lucy, and still plenty of time to ride, to sit in the hot tub with a beer, a daiquiri, Margarita or pina colada. What started as an interesting experiment turns out to be one of the most boring retellings of myths I have ever read. Burgess’s approach is different. He writes from Loki’s perspective, in the first person, which lends the book the air of a young adult novel. Loki, far from being a liar, wants to inform us that he’s been telling the truth all the time. It’s the other gods who have been defaming him.

While the language is crude at times, Burgess’ writing is also very funny, lyrical, thought provoking, and atmospheric. Burgess recounts Loki’s genius . . . with great gusto, pulling together many tales into one sometimes beautifull lyrical masterwork.’ SFX MAGAZINE Alongside the politics of Asgard, the novel charts the course of Loki’s many loves and families, from his mothering of Odin’s famous horse to his intense, turbulent, and, eventually fatal relationship with Baldr the Beautiful—a tender and moving story of a love that goes wrong.Told with wit, verve and some decidedly adolescent scatological humour, it’s a book that exerts a curious charm’

I kept changing my mind about this one, it started strong and finished really strong but some of the middle didn’t keep me as hooked. On the whole it’s a compelling and clever read, even more so the longer I reflect upon it. For anyone planning on going to the Waterstones event in York on the 24th – sorry, it’s been cancelled. Finally, this book is so incredibly nastily misogynistic in its portrayal of women almost exclusively as hysterical sex-crazed harpies. It super grossed me out, as did the completely unnecessary aside about Thor raping Angrboda before murdering her. I'm not sure whether this is meant by Burgess to be a depiction of Loki as a being with a supreme ability to distort the truth, or as a genuinely wronged figure in the narrative that's presented. You will have to read the book and judge. Burgess recounts Loki’s genius with great gusto, pulling together many tales into one beautifully lyrical masterwork.”

The relationships Loki has with his fellow gods and giants is the crux of the story. This is a story about the characters, rather than the plot, and their importance in Loki's life, whether positively or negatively. Especially his relationship with Odin. In recent years, thanks to marvel, Loki has been associated with Odin as his adopted son, and whilst that does make for a compelling dynamic, the relationship between them in the mythology is more like brothers, as shown in this book, being sworn brothers. As a Norse (Dane) I've been wanting to read more books inspired by/retellings of Norse mythology, but they're not as easy to come by as certain other mythologies *cough* Greek *cough*, so I was excited when I came across this one - and it's also told by one of the best Norse gods, Loki (I'm not biased.. you are)! It's always interesting to watch trends change in publishing. For a while, we have been in a big boom of Greek mythology retellings (one that doesn't look like it's going to end soon), but LOKI is a book that comes as the scope is widening to include other mythologies. Burgess frames his gleeful adult debut as Loki, Norse god of mischief, attempting to set his story straight. With a reputation and history to rewrite, the wily, defiant, and prideful Loki chronicles his many contributions to Asgard, home of the gods. Burgess's Loki turns classic Norse legend on its head and doles out heavy doses of sarcasm and contempt at not getting enough recognition for all he has done for Asgard. This will be a treat for any fan of remixed mythology."