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Loki

by Mike Vasich (Goodreads Author)

3.92 of 5 stars 3.92 · rating details · 476 ratings · 126 reviews

God of Mischief.

Father of Lies.

Harbinger of Destruction.

Exiled and tortured by the gods, Loki swears vengeance.

He will summon the mighty Fenris Wolf and the legendary Midgard Serpent, and they will lead an army of giants and all the dead in Niflheim.

Brimming with the power of the most destructive being in the Nine Worlds, he will not rest till Asgard is in ashes.

Paperback, 378 pages

Published February 2nd 2011 by Createspace (first published January 1st 2010)

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Loki: God of Mischief

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The Norse Myths by Kevin Crossley-Holland

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May 06, 2012 Moses Siregar III rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: People interested in Norse Mythology

A brilliant retelling of some of the major events in Norse mythology, and thus an ambitious and worthy--and ultimately significant--literary effort. Vasich brings to life things like the Norns, the gods, and ultimately Ragnarok. He brought to life the wolf Fenrir, the stonemason who offered to rebuild Asgard's wall, and Hel. Vasich has a special ability to imagine and write about mythic events, as you'll see in the final battles between Fenrir and Tyr, Thor and Jörmungandr, Heimdall and Loki.

Vas...more A brilliant retelling of some of the major events in Norse mythology, and thus an ambitious and worthy--and ultimately significant--literary effort. Vasich brings to life things like the Norns, the gods, and ultimately Ragnarok. He brought to life the wolf Fenrir, the stonemason who offered to rebuild Asgard's wall, and Hel. Vasich has a special ability to imagine and write about mythic events, as you'll see in the final battles between Fenrir and Tyr, Thor and Jörmungandr, Heimdall and Loki.

Vasich successfully brought his major characters to life, mainly Loki and Odin. The secondary characters (such as Tyr, Balder, and Freya) weren't drawn as well, but the good news is that Loki and Odin always seem to carry the day whenever either of them were involved with a scene, and they seem to show up in at least half of the book. The book suffers a bit in the second half from Loki's relative absence, but I still enjoyed every new element introduced.

With Loki, we get to experience his ups and downs, his hopes and rejections, his realizations and transformations, and there is a pleasing element of sympathy for the devil here. With Odin, we experience his unique problem, knowing the future while possessing a profoundly passive acceptance of that future (or, at least, that's how he's presented here). This makes Odin a frustrating figure, but Odin's attitude is a perfect representation of the Norse outlook and what makes Norse mythology unique. I found myself wondering what would've happened if Odin hadn't believed so much in Ragnarok, and maybe the author wanted us to think about that, too. Because Odin's vision of the future became self-fulfilling in so many ways.

What didn't I like? The copyediting on a grammatical and sentence level was mostly very good, but also occasionally problematic. I think the author could benefit from a better copyeditor. The proofreading and formatting were great, though. I found very few typos, which is outstanding. The writing was excellent, although a bit distant with a somewhat omniscient style (the book is mostly written in a more current third person limited, though).

Having frequent point of view changes with no conventional protagonist made the reading a bit slow for me. I agree with what Hepius said in his review on this, as well as his comments about skipping the italicized parts (which function as spoilers for Vasich's rendition of the myths). However, I think Vasich still did the right thing here. To retell this mythology requires multiple points of view, and he wrote them well. It's just that this same technique distances the reader from the story a bit. Nonetheless, I'm glad he wrote it in the way that he did. I just read it in daily chunks rather than being swept through the entire story over a short period of time. Your mileage may vary. Even read in chunks, there's plenty to savor here.

My last complaint is that the reader often has to wait, to read about the same event multiple times through multiple points of views. At times this technique was used well; at other times I felt it slowed down the pace too much. The book is written in relatively short scenes, though, so you never have to wait for anything for too long, and it's nice to see things from different angles.

I came into this book knowing very little about Norse mythology, and I feel incredibly thankful to the author for writing these stories as he did. This book allowed me to explore the myths from a tight narrative perspective, to experience the major players and the events in a way that not only brought the tales to life, but which also feels like a modern continuation of the myth. Vasich takes some creative liberties with the mythology (and he favors Loki and Odin as he does so), but I feel this only keeps the stories fresh and alive. People who have read Norse mythology will enjoy his twists on the familiar, and people unfamiliar with Norse mythology will get to experience such a grand tale in a thrilling way. A brilliant effort, and one that deserves to be a classic resting on every bookshelf with space for works on Norse mythology.(less)

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May 17, 2012 Kirstine rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: e-books, mythology

"God of Mischief.
Father of Lies.
Harbinger of Destruction.

IT LOOKED SO PROMISING.
(I say promising, I mean badass)

So let me start out saying this:
As an introduction into norse mythology, the characters and the universe, or if you just want a good story (and know nothing about the mythology) this book is probably good (even if it is still somewhat poorly written).

That said, I didn't like it a whole lot.
Because it is meant for readers looking for what I mentioned above. Perhaps some with knowledge...more

25 likes · like · see review

Jun 07, 2012 Megan rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

After reading American Gods and watching the movie Thor I wanted to read all I could about Norse mythology. I found a free book on my Kindle of all the classic stories and quickly read through them. I absolutely loved the character of Loki, feeling he was the most dynamic out of all of the Norse Gods. And look at that face ;)

But that is besides the point. From there I found this book and it blew my mind.

This book was beyond incredible as soon as I starting reading it I had a hard time putting i...more After reading American Gods and watching the movie Thor I wanted to read all I could about Norse mythology. I found a free book on my Kindle of all the classic stories and quickly read through them. I absolutely loved the character of Loki, feeling he was the most dynamic out of all of the Norse Gods. And look at that face ;)

But that is besides the point. From there I found this book and it blew my mind.

This book was beyond incredible as soon as I starting reading it I had a hard time putting it down which was difficult because I decided to read this during the time of exams... whoops. I would like to say this book was EPIC but it was much more than that. I have always had a thing for villians in books and Loki is no exception, actually I would go as far as to say he is one of my favorite villians of all time. That is what hooked me to this book because it was from the point of view of Loki. Villians always seem to be more dynamic characters to me which is why I find them so appealing.

Loki is known as the trickster god and he is always playing an angle and keeps his motives hidden from those around him. Mike Vasich really brought the characters of Loki and Odin to life with his brilliant writing. I enjoyed the dark humor in it and getting to understand Loki's desicions even better and his thought process throughout the book.

And his descriptions especially in the battle scenes were brilliant and you honestly feel like you are right in the battle. The writting style made the book intense and like I said before, very hard to put down. The last hundred pages or so I had to stay up into the night to finish. The details of Ragnarok had me white knuckled (view spoiler). Limbs are flying and blood is everywhere as pure adrenaline has your eyes eating up every word as the pages keep turning. Even if you are very familar with Norse mythology, which I can't claim to be but even so, I enjoyed the slight twists in the story that kept it fresh and original and the italicized sections that told the orignal tale.

Overall this book definitely gets 5 out of 5 stars and I am adding my new signed copy (Thanks again Mike!)to my favorites shelf. Even if you aren't totally familiar with Norse mythology or even have no idea I would still recommend reading this book. It is an epic ride! (less)

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Oct 28, 2011 Shirley rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'm not particularly fond of writing reviews, it makes me feel like I'm judging someone, and I hate doing that. But when the work is great and deserves praise, well then, I'm more than happy to raise my voice and say "READ THIS BOOK, ITS AMAZING!" And LOKI, by Mike Vasich deserves all the praise in the nine realms.

Its bloody fantastic. Literally, BLOODY and FANTASTIC.

Having never heard of Norse Mythology before, it should come as no surprise that I found this book after watching the film THOR. L...more

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Feb 15, 2013 Kdawg91 rated it 5 of 5 stars

When I first started reading, I fast became a mythology junkie, I read them all and the world of Gods and monsters sucked my little eager mind in. What red blooded man wouldn't love Norse myths? Gods, hot women, monsters, booze and violence, oh yeah! VIKINGS.

That being said, Mr. Vasich weaved a fine tale placing the actual myths inbetween his telling of Loki's story, the tale of a God seeking revenge and determined to fight fate or meet it headlong, I will leave you to decide that.

The writing i...more

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Aug 11, 2012 Tnguyen19 rated it 5 of 5 stars

All I can say is Astonishing, really bravo. This book is much more than I hoped for. It's thrilling, inspirational, surprising, and lot's more. I have taken intrest in mythology but this takes it to another level. From the first page I was addicted to the book. My hands literally didn't want to put the book down. The author did a remarkably job of painting a picture of Loki as an interesting, sympathetic character. I actually read this book because of the movie Avengers. I understand his charact...more

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Jul 11, 2012 Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars

I finished this book a little while ago, but (I'll admit it) I haven't got round to leaving a review for it yet.

I liked this book quite a lot. It did a remarkably good job of painting Loki as an interesting, sympathetic character, although there was less of the mischief I've come to associate with the character when reading about him. This was definitely a more serious book than the previous Loki book I read.

Another good thing about the book was the way most of the characters came across as thre...more

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Mar 19, 2012 Tahni rated it 3 of 5 stars

I give this a three star rating largely because I recognize that the author of this book is a teacher and may have written it by way of sparking people's interest in the mythology. However, already pretty familiar with the mythology, I was really pretty disappointed. The story telling itself wasn't bad, but I felt as though key elements of the mythology were left out, while others that were included could have or should have been elaborated upon and more thoroughly explored. Among those left out...more

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May 17, 2012 Dinah rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: best-loved-books

While it's true that the author plays merry havoc with a few of the classic Norse myths, this novel ties together the rise and fall of the Aesir like no other book before it. Odin is not simple a wiseman. He is a tormented manipulator actively setting up the events of the impending Ragnarok. The other gods, such as Tyr, Frey and Frejya, get equal treatment with dynamic personalities that make the progression of the story refreshing, believable and, at times, surprising. For instance, Baldar, bea...more

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Feb 19, 2012 Carry-Atlinder rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: own

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I have yet to come across a version of Loki that I haven’t liked. Whether he be the giant, unstable God of Everworld, who trapped Odin in the same fate he had been trapped in; the original trickster God from mythology; or the hurt, heartthrob from the movie ‘Thor.’

Vasich’s Loki is no exception. He’s a combination of Vasich’s own interpretation, and the mythical Loki from legend. He’s powerful, manipulative, intelligent, with a twisted sense of humor. But he has a human side, and a painful past....more I have yet to come across a version of Loki that I haven’t liked. Whether he be the giant, unstable God of Everworld, who trapped Odin in the same fate he had been trapped in; the original trickster God from mythology; or the hurt, heartthrob from the movie ‘Thor.’

Vasich’s Loki is no exception. He’s a combination of Vasich’s own interpretation, and the mythical Loki from legend. He’s powerful, manipulative, intelligent, with a twisted sense of humor. But he has a human side, and a painful past. He’s different enough to be intriguing, but relatable enough to understand where he’s coming from and what he’s doing.

Sigyn tends to get looked over when Loki comes around. She wasn’t even in Everworld (K.A. Applegate) at all, and she wasn’t brought up much (if at all) In Blood Brothers. But Vasich has her by Loki’s side throughout. She accepts Loki for who he is, mistakes and flaws in all, and never wavers in her feelings. She is easily the strongest character in this book.

The alternating POVs were something I enjoyed as well. As irksome as it sometimes was to hear about the same situation four or five times, it was pretty neat to see how everyone all viewed it. Every God had their own, unique perspective and it was just…neat to get in their heads and see what they saw. I especially like how strong each character was. There was no blurring the lines, or vague, weak viewpoints.

I don’t know why I like that the book starts before Loki has kids (sans the prologue). Maybe it’s because his children are, literally, monsters, so there’s a lot of word-play about that when Loki visits the Norn. Or maybe because it allows us to see the relationships develop more, instead of just going “Oh, here, here are his kids.”

However, I know it’s very hard to have a third person book with a shifting focus on so many characters, and still have the reader be surprised about certain information. Loki may be exceptionally intelligent, but that’s only because the other God’s are exceptionally dim-witted. Even Odin, whose supposed to be all-knowing (with his ability to see into the future, and all that), tends to miss very obvious clues. There weren’t very many times where something that was meant to be profound was actually profound. I do blame a part of that on the constant POV shifts. There’s only so many times you can see the same scene before you can start to pick up on little tidbits.

One other thing I didn't like was Odin. I think we’re supposed to like Odin. Every time Odin does something exceptionally fucked up, it’s always followed by “how hard” and “heavy” his burden was, and “it was meant to be, because I saw it happen”. Basically, Odin ripped out Loki’s heart, stomped on it, spit on, pushed and pulled and twisted, until Loki couldn’t take it anymore and en-massed an army to kill everyone and destroy everything. Which he does. But, oh, poor Odin. No one knows how hard it was to decide he wanted everyone dead. Seeing the future is a tricky business, and Vasich handles it as well as anyone. But it’s still very frustrating to watch babies get slaughtered, men be betrayed, and all these other horrible things, only to have this “all powerful” being refuse to do anything because, well.

Lastly, the epilogue just seemed very unneeded. The entire universe except for about three characters died. Unless there was supposed to be an implication that they were going to re-populated the universe, the point of “there is life!” really didn’t need to be driven home.

The only other purpose the epilogue served was to show that Balder had forgiven Loki, and that Odin had planned all this all along so that he could come to this point. And while that’s a great reason on the surface, when you actually think about it, this means that Odin killed everyone in the entire universe so that Balder could see that Loki actually really wasn’t a bad guy.

Overall, I liked it. The language and descriptions were stunning, and Vasich has a very, very good grasp of the characters. I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in mythology, but isn’t bugged by creative licensing.(less)

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Dec 02, 2012 Nanish Koneti rated it 3 of 5 stars

To be honest, I won't be writing a scathingly negative review about this book as it doesn't deserve it, despite my major disappointment regarding the book.
It starts off well describing Loki's imprisonment underground complete with the drooling venomous snake.Then it began to dissolve my expectations in concentrated acid.I thought the book would be fictional account of Loki's (mis)deeds.Boy,how wrong was I.

For a guy who is skull deep into mythology, re-re-reading all those stories only made it wo...more

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Dec 25, 2011 Patrick rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is a great retelling of the later parts of the Norse myths. While I'm not as well read in that mythos as I'd like to be, this provides a very entertaining and through version of the stories. I say the "later parts" as it skips the awkward and somewhat boring (in my opinion) early formation of the story's cosmos.

It takes the reader from some of the god's adventures up to and then through Ragnarok itself. The characterization of all of the Aesir, Vanir and Giants is great. I especially liked...more

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Nov 24, 2012 Reed Raab rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Hiddlestoners

Shelves: owned, reviewed

For awhile there, I was teetering on whether I should rate this a 4 or 5: Five because it really is a great way to tell the stories of Loki (reading like a novel with dialogue and everyone’s feelings about him) but also four because some things are left out and leave me guessing…yeah, how would a giant serpent that encircles Migard get himself into the other realms? Fly? And what about Loki’s mouth being sewn shut? And how on earth did he convince Black Surt to merge with him, what did Loki give...more

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Jun 16, 2012 Loki rated it 5 of 5 stars

I cannot begin to say how much I love this book. Mike Vasich is a genius. His descriptions and his imagination is so vivid. I could read this book over and over. While he doesn't paint Loki as a hero, for those of us who are on Team Loki, the stories are far kinder and more sympathetic to Loki than is usually seen. This is a must-read book for Loki lovers! Now I'm waiting for the graphic novel version!!!! :-D

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Nov 21, 2012 Klytia rated it 3 of 5 stars

Miti e leggende mi sono sempre piaciuti e le saghe norrene hanno sempre avuto un notevole fascino, ispiratrici di quel fantasy classico fatto di divinità, nani, giganti, eroi e battaglie epiche. Non volendo però leggere un saggio o una di quelle raccolte dove le note sono più lunghe dei racconti mi sono lasciata incuriosire da questo romanzo.

Stilisticamente mi ha lasciata un po' perplessa. Mike Vasich mi è sembrato poco abile nel gestire i diversi punti di vista dei personaggi sicchè la stessa v...more

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Jun 28, 2012 Marizabeth rated it 3 of 5 stars

This was my first foray into the realm of Norse mythology, and it was very interesting.

I kept finding that Loki is almost a peripheral character in this novel, though. There are several chapters that do follow him exclusively, but for the most part, I felt he wasn't very prominent. Others may disagree. I also was really irritated with Odin. He plays to the fates, which I understand, but he also keeps pertinent information to himself and frequently deduces that nobody else could understand the bu...more

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Feb 01, 2013 Cj Tremlett rated it 2 of 5 stars

Picked this up from the author at a con. The spiel was that it was Norse Mythology from Loki's perspective. It isn't. It's got a number of chapters from Loki's point of view, and all the myths told and retold connect to Loki and his schemes in one way or another, but there are multiple other points of view, and it doesn't dig very deeply into Loki's mindset. It's more of a Loki-centric version of Norse Mythology. It doesn't make Loki sympathetic at all, but it also takes a pretty harsh hand to m...more

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Jan 17, 2013 John Nestor rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book is all about characterization. How else could it be; after all the stories retold here are thousands of years old. Certainly, if Tacitus was talking about the ritual of casting runes, and Julius Caesar was telling of human sacrifices hanging from trees, then these tales had one form or another before Christ.

I'm not sure the tales weave that well into a novel, however. The Eddas themselves are a fairly disjointed lot; they are more a collection of events than a nice, streaming plot.

But...more

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Jul 19, 2012 Tom rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review is probably more of a two-and-a-half star rating. Vasich knows the Norse myths very well, and he retold them with some modern ideas, but the execution left a lot to be desired. For all the book is titled "Loki", Loki himself disappears for long stretches and he's never given a particularly sympathetic point of view. Then again, neither are any of the other gods. There isn't much depth of character, which may have more to do with trying to make mythological beings into a narrative bas...more

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Jan 04, 2012 H.R. rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: absolute-favorites

I picked this up on a whim because it sounded interesting and I've always loved the Norse myths and stories. I am so glad I did.

This story is a brilliantly crafted interpretation of some of the Eddas, and completely captivated me from the first paragraph. The pacing is fantastic and I found myself having a hard time putting it down because it was so engaging.

I am not one to normally write reviews, but felt it was absolutely necessary for me to voice my opinion on how incredible this novel is!

Mr...more

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Dec 20, 2011 Wayne rated it 4 of 5 stars

Since childhood, I have been interested in Norse mythology and Thor has been a hero of mine. As a result, Loki has not been a character I've been particularly fond of. Last year I read Kelly McCullough's excellent "MythOS", which gave me an understanding and some sympathy for Loki.

Mike Vasich's "Loki" is a retelling of many of the Norse myths, ending shortly after Ragnarok. This book is mostly from Loki's point of view and it gives a good explanation for why Loki would turn against the gods in A...more Since childhood, I have been interested in Norse mythology and Thor has been a hero of mine. As a result, Loki has not been a character I've been particularly fond of. Last year I read Kelly McCullough's excellent "MythOS", which gave me an understanding and some sympathy for Loki.

Mike Vasich's "Loki" is a retelling of many of the Norse myths, ending shortly after Ragnarok. This book is mostly from Loki's point of view and it gives a good explanation for why Loki would turn against the gods in Asgard. It shows how Loki's loyalty to Asgard could change into the complete hatred that brought him to instigate Ragnarok.

I thought this book was very good and did some really interesting things. There were interesting, imaginative twists to the myths. Knowing the myths, I recognized the connection between the myths and the twists, and I really appreciated how well the twists fit into the story.

Vasich also framed the book's sections with the myths. This structure was a nice framing throughout the book.

There were some very good descriptions and two in particular stood out. The description of Loki changing into a bird was quite effective. Also, great imagery was used for Yggsdrasil, the world tree, with it giving a powerful feeling of it being much more than just a big tree.

As a fan of Thor, I was a bit disappointed that he didn't have a very big part in the book. However, this let the other gods have a much larger focus than I'm used to them having. Consequently, this isn't really a complaint as I think it worked well in the book.

Another non-complaint is the depiction of Odin. Odin was passive, ineffectual, complacent, and complicit in Ragnarok taking place and with the various deaths and problems that set the stage for it to happen. This passivity and fatalistic acceptance was rather annoying and frustrating for me. However, this made sense given the character concept of Odin in the book and it worked for the book.

Overall, I really liked "Loki" and will be looking for more books by Vasich.

(Minor complaint: Throughout the book, there were a number of word uses that didn't feel quite right and tripped up my reading. These were things like "into" being used instead of "in", and "shrunken" instead of "shrunk". The words used may have been the actually grammatically correct words, but they weren't correct for the common usage to my East Coast ears. Take this complaint with a grain of salt because Mike Vasich is an English teacher and I'm not.)
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Jul 04, 2012 Sofia Andersson rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

This is one of the best books I've ever read; not exaggerating. It had complex characters, vivid battles and an interesting story. The best part is that I knew all of the myths as a fan of Norse mythology and it was wonderful to see them "come to life". Also, it doesn't hurt that I visualized Loki to look like the movie-version of him ;)

Anyway, before I start fangirling, I must say that the battle scenes were AWESOME. They were gory, bloody and freaking amazing. I found myself holding my breath...more

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Jun 30, 2012 Betsy James rated it 3 of 5 stars

Admittedly, I didn't know a thing about Norse mythology until Thor was released just last year. Not surprisingly, I fell in love with Loki, and went on a rampant search for whatever I could find relating to Loki.

Sometime not too long ago, I came across this novel.

I WAS SO EXCITED TO READ THIS.

It looked to promising. It sounded fantastic, and customer reviews everywhere from goodreads to amazon told me that it was nothing less. Unfortunately, although I wanted to love this book so bad, I just...more

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Feb 20, 2013 Ian Anderson rated it 4 of 5 stars

As an author who writes stories based on mythology, I felt obligated to read this. I am always curious to get another take on a subject so dear to my heart. When you do that though, you always take the risk of being disappointed because somebody else’s spin on your favorite stories could be too far from your own interpretation to enjoy it.

I can tell you right now; this author does know his stuff. At no point in the story did I feel like tearing my hair out thinking: “where did this guy get his...more As an author who writes stories based on mythology, I felt obligated to read this. I am always curious to get another take on a subject so dear to my heart. When you do that though, you always take the risk of being disappointed because somebody else’s spin on your favorite stories could be too far from your own interpretation to enjoy it.

I can tell you right now; this author does know his stuff. At no point in the story did I feel like tearing my hair out thinking: “where did this guy get his facts?” After I read the story, I saw on my kindle that the author is a schoolteacher that teaches Norse Mythology to his students, so it does make sense.

I was also a bit worried at first that the story would completely take Loki’s side in this story and turn him into a victim that was betrayed by his people and was coerced into taking revenge on them. To an extent, that is the way the story went, but it did show his villainous side.
The story tells a few keys myths that are central to Loki’s story and events that lead to Ragnarök. I thought that Ragnarök was going to be predominant in this story but it is only the last 20% of the story.

One thing I found odd about this story was the inclusion of the actual myths with the author’s rewrite. He would tell the brief synopsis of a myth that you would find in the actual Prose Eda in italics. Then he would continue with his own story that would rehash what you just read, but with different facts. I personally have no problems with authors taking some creative liberties with mythology. If you read enough source material, you find a few different versions of the same story anyway.

What I find peculiar is the thought process behind this. Was the author afraid people were going to think he was not credible if he did not include the actual myths with his own interpretation? Did he think the audience needed more background? I prefer it when authors do not feel a need to justify their stories.

Would I recommend this? If you are into mythology and you want a story based on it, yes. If you were new to Norse mythology, would this be a good starting point? Well, if you are the kind of person that does not like tragedy and is squeamish about characters you like being killed, then maybe not. You have to keep in mind that there is much more to Norse mythology than Ragnarök.

If you are just curious, download it to you e-reader. This one is a good read.
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Jan 27, 2013 Avalon rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed

I have mixed feelings with this book. I mean it's an alright book and fun to read. But then again I know the stories, I have a Mythology Encyclopedia at home and my daughter has been taught all about the Edda in the past year. We both love Loki - he is a tricky one and even though he spends his time tricking gods and people to do things his way he mostly means good, even if it is for self gain.

With this book I hoped Vasich would go deeper into the psyche of Loki, since he is a teacher and knows...more

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Sep 24, 2012 Nikki rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-reads, kindle, favorites

There are two things that I really love; classical literature and bad boys. This book is the best of both worlds and Loki has the bad boy thing in spades!
Also visualising Tom Hiddleston in the guise of Loki is perfectly good fun!
The only things I previously knew about Norse Mythology was that Thor is the God of Thunder and that Odin was in charge and was someone you didn’t want to mess with. The two recent movies Thor and Avengers Assemble completely sparked my interest regarding the lives of th...more There are two things that I really love; classical literature and bad boys. This book is the best of both worlds and Loki has the bad boy thing in spades!
Also visualising Tom Hiddleston in the guise of Loki is perfectly good fun!
The only things I previously knew about Norse Mythology was that Thor is the God of Thunder and that Odin was in charge and was someone you didn’t want to mess with. The two recent movies Thor and Avengers Assemble completely sparked my interest regarding the lives of the Asagrdians but this book takes things far beyond that.
The thing I love most about Loki is how smart he is, yes he’s completely devious but OMG I’d want his quick wit and intellect on my side!! I immensely enjoyed it whenever any of the Asgardians would wonder just what Loki would do when faced with a problem that required cunning and skill!
There are many characters that I really like. I greatly feel for Sigyn and really liked her relationship with Loki and the fact that she was really the only person that could bring out any sympathy in him about his actions, the phrase stand by your man has never been more apparent!!
Freyja is great and it’s interesting seeing her point of view as an outsider who is caught up amongst Odin’s plans and everything concerning Idun was fascinating. Heimdall is one of my favourites and his contempt for Loki is quite brilliant! I also really like both Balder and Tyr and especially Tyr’s interaction with Fenrir!
Thor is awesome! Hands down he just totally rocks! I don’t care how arrogant or greedy he is as soon as he starts kicking ass with lightning he steals the action!
I can’t get enough of the love/hate relationship between Loki and Odin. The thing is Odin’s quite a likable guy but nearly every mischievous thing Loki has a hand in is as a direct result of Odin’s will so it’s no wonder Loki has an identity crisis. Understanding why Odin is so stern and slightly removed from everyone else as he struggles with his burden is very intriguing, but I can’t help feeling sympathy towards Loki as it’s ultimately Odin himself that sets all these events into motion which is basically infuriating!
I love the dynamic between Asgard and Jotunheim and that their quarrels are like tit for tat that builds and builds to apocalyptic proportions and I couldn’t help thinking if the Asgardians had just left Loki with his kids… and speaking of said children, damn, they are some of the most horrifyingly brilliant characters I’ve ever read about!!
I found this book utterly fascinating and especially liked that the myths are interspersed amongst the authors expanded version of events! I can’t wait to get my hands on more about the Norse myths!
Epic brilliance!!(less)

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Jan 20, 2012 Doug Roberts rated it 4 of 5 stars

At the end of this book, in the "About the Author" section, it reads: "This book was inspired by the teachings of Norse mythology in his class, and is dedicated to all the students who have ever said. "Mr. V, you should write a book!"

I would like to add: Mr. V, please keep writing books.

Most of what I know about Norse mythology was deeply instilled by a childhood of engrossed in the Marvel Universe, so I was prepared for this book to pale by comparison to the comics (yes, I still read comics, sh...more

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Jul 10, 2011 Kristi rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy-scifi, important-characters-die, reviewed-by-me

From the first unforgettable scene straight out of Norse mythology, this fantastic book just keeps getting better. It follows the story of the trickster god Loki, including many of the favorite Norse myths while following an engaging plot that fills in many of the holes the original mythology had left. The pantheon of gods, each with their own distinct personality, inhabit a rich and colorful world that is easy to become completely absorbed in. Mike Vasich brings new light to the hammer-toting T...more

3 likes · like · see review

Jan 10, 2012 Mel rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: e-book

This book was a fun read and a great take on Norse mythology. I loved it.

2 likes · like · see review

Apr 24, 2013 Sueij rated it 3 of 5 stars

Another one of those moments when I wish GR had a 3.5 stars!

This is a novelized telling of the old Norse legends, and does it in fun and interesting ways. I enjoyed reading it, and if you like legends or Norwegian gods, this is definitely worth your time.

But for me, personally, I am usually looking for stories that give depth to *relationships* (and I don't mean romances, I mean connections between characters, in any way), and this is much more about causes and effects, and actions and their re...more

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About Mike Vasich

Mike Vasich teaches English to gifted and talented students in suburban Michigan. He continues to write novels in his spare time so that he can avoid any real work around the house.

He likes stories where bad guys win and goody-two-shoes get crumpled into the dust. His hobbies include taking naps, sowing disrespect for revered institutions, and making children cry (especially his own).

He is current...more

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Loki: Nine Naughty Tales of the Trickster

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Quotes from Loki

“He was unique among the Aesir in this respect; while all were powerful warriors, he alone wielded death as a weapon.” — 6 people liked it

“As the venom streamed down once more, he heard the unmistakable sound of a wolf howling. It would not be long now. Ragnarok had come, and he would see Asgard crushed and burned till he trod on the ashes of all of those who had wronged him.” — 3 people liked it

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