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Loki #2
The Testament of Loki
Ragnarok was the End of Worlds.
Asgard fell, centuries ago, and the old gods have been defeated. Some are dead, while others have been consigned to eternal torment in the netherworld - among them, the legendary trickster, Loki. A god who betrayed every side and still lost everything, who has lain forgotten as time passed and the world of humans moved on to new beliefs, new idol and new deities . . .
But now mankind dreams of the Norse Gods once again, the river Dream is but a stone's throw from their dark prison, and Loki is the first to escape into a new reality.
The first, but not the only one to. Other, darker, things have escaped with him, who seek to destroy everything that he covets. If he is to reclaim what has been lost, Loki will need allies, a plan, and plenty of tricks . . .
Asgard fell, centuries ago, and the old gods have been defeated. Some are dead, while others have been consigned to eternal torment in the netherworld - among them, the legendary trickster, Loki. A god who betrayed every side and still lost everything, who has lain forgotten as time passed and the world of humans moved on to new beliefs, new idol and new deities . . .
But now mankind dreams of the Norse Gods once again, the river Dream is but a stone's throw from their dark prison, and Loki is the first to escape into a new reality.
The first, but not the only one to. Other, darker, things have escaped with him, who seek to destroy everything that he covets. If he is to reclaim what has been lost, Loki will need allies, a plan, and plenty of tricks . . .
295 pages, Paperback
First published March 20, 2018
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5409 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 411 reviews
January 10, 2024
Everything about this book is just excellent, starting with the cover art which is beautiful. Then the book is about Loki who is one of the smartest, baddest and funniest characters around. Add to this the setting being in modern times and I knew I was on to a winner.
The story takes place centuries after the fall of Asgard and Loki has been in his own personal prison all that time. In our world by this time the Norse gods are well known and followed by teenagers in movies and games. Loki finds an escape route via a teenage girl playing one of these games. He is not happy to discover she prefers Thor, but beggars can't be choosers.
Joanne Harris is of course a well known and very talented author and she uses all her skills in this rather quirky story. Loki comes across as a very charming individual who has certain difficulties with telling the truth. His conversations with Jumps, his host, are very entertaining. Other gods turn up in due course including Odin and of course Thor, and Harris puts a different spin into the characters of each.
I have read many of this author's books and I always enjoy the touches of magic and fantasy she puts into them. The Testament of Loki is all fantasy and it is perfect.
The story takes place centuries after the fall of Asgard and Loki has been in his own personal prison all that time. In our world by this time the Norse gods are well known and followed by teenagers in movies and games. Loki finds an escape route via a teenage girl playing one of these games. He is not happy to discover she prefers Thor, but beggars can't be choosers.
Joanne Harris is of course a well known and very talented author and she uses all her skills in this rather quirky story. Loki comes across as a very charming individual who has certain difficulties with telling the truth. His conversations with Jumps, his host, are very entertaining. Other gods turn up in due course including Odin and of course Thor, and Harris puts a different spin into the characters of each.
I have read many of this author's books and I always enjoy the touches of magic and fantasy she puts into them. The Testament of Loki is all fantasy and it is perfect.
August 3, 2021
⭐️⭐️
I’m so sorry I gave only two stars. I really wanted to like this book as much as I liked The Gospel of Loki. Even more! But unfortunately it was a huge disappointment. First of all, the characters, teenagers. Second, not a trace of mythology. And the most important of all, the lack of genuine Loki. His humor, his ruthlessness, his charm, his wit, it was all just a shade. So disappointed… 😔
I’m so sorry I gave only two stars. I really wanted to like this book as much as I liked The Gospel of Loki. Even more! But unfortunately it was a huge disappointment. First of all, the characters, teenagers. Second, not a trace of mythology. And the most important of all, the lack of genuine Loki. His humor, his ruthlessness, his charm, his wit, it was all just a shade. So disappointed… 😔
July 27, 2021
"Once more the Wolf at Hel's gate greets Asgard's heroes, one by one. Battle rages, Worlds collide. Stars fall. Once more, Death has won." pg 5
Ragnarok has come and gone. It didn't end well for any of the gods, goddesses or, everyone's favorite Chaos demon, Loki. He begins this story in the same place we left him in the last one — a dungeon in the world of Chaos, wishing and dreaming for light.
What happens next is surprising and told in a style that only Joanne Harris can manage.
"Stories can do so many things. Build empires, topple kings. They can even raise the dead. I should know; they raised me." pg 10
This wholly unique tale is more along the lines of what I had expected from The Gospel of Loki, but didn't get. In the previous book, Harris rewrites Norse mythology in much the same way as it has always been told. I get it, she was giving us context. But, it wasn't very much fun to read... just rehashing old stories.
In this entry, we see Loki in a whole new light with modern characters and his typical problems. It makes for a more cohesive and, in my opinion, entertaining story.
"You know, 'crazy' is such a negative word. I prefer 'disordered.' Order's so dull. Chaos is where the party is." pg 25
What has an immortal trickster god learned over his long lifetime? In The Gospel of Loki, he learned the only person he could trust in the world is himself. He learned what it was to be hated for what you were, rather than any actions that one may take. (Though, perhaps, he didn't always behave in a way to endear himself to others. Not that Loki would ever admit that, of course.)
He learned that prophecies are tricky things and can be bent to be of use to those who deliver them.
"The Prophecy promised us new runes, new gods, a new beginning. And I mean to find those new runes with whatever resources this World can provide." pg 68
Is it too late for Loki to learn new tricks?
It's been awhile since I read Harris' other fantasy series Runemarks, but from what little I can remember of it, I think this book leads perfectly into that one. Which is a curious thing, because Runemarks was published years before this.
Oh, that Joanne Harris. She's so sneaky. I wonder if she planned that or was embracing a bit of chaos in her writing career. If there's anything I've learned from this book and the last one, it's that a little chaos can be a good thing.
Ragnarok has come and gone. It didn't end well for any of the gods, goddesses or, everyone's favorite Chaos demon, Loki. He begins this story in the same place we left him in the last one — a dungeon in the world of Chaos, wishing and dreaming for light.
What happens next is surprising and told in a style that only Joanne Harris can manage.
"Stories can do so many things. Build empires, topple kings. They can even raise the dead. I should know; they raised me." pg 10
This wholly unique tale is more along the lines of what I had expected from The Gospel of Loki, but didn't get. In the previous book, Harris rewrites Norse mythology in much the same way as it has always been told. I get it, she was giving us context. But, it wasn't very much fun to read... just rehashing old stories.
In this entry, we see Loki in a whole new light with modern characters and his typical problems. It makes for a more cohesive and, in my opinion, entertaining story.
"You know, 'crazy' is such a negative word. I prefer 'disordered.' Order's so dull. Chaos is where the party is." pg 25
What has an immortal trickster god learned over his long lifetime? In The Gospel of Loki, he learned the only person he could trust in the world is himself. He learned what it was to be hated for what you were, rather than any actions that one may take. (Though, perhaps, he didn't always behave in a way to endear himself to others. Not that Loki would ever admit that, of course.)
He learned that prophecies are tricky things and can be bent to be of use to those who deliver them.
"The Prophecy promised us new runes, new gods, a new beginning. And I mean to find those new runes with whatever resources this World can provide." pg 68
Is it too late for Loki to learn new tricks?
It's been awhile since I read Harris' other fantasy series Runemarks, but from what little I can remember of it, I think this book leads perfectly into that one. Which is a curious thing, because Runemarks was published years before this.
Oh, that Joanne Harris. She's so sneaky. I wonder if she planned that or was embracing a bit of chaos in her writing career. If there's anything I've learned from this book and the last one, it's that a little chaos can be a good thing.
December 3, 2018
3.5 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum https://bibliosanctum.com/2018/12/02/...
The Testament of Loki is the sequel to The Gospel of Loki, shifting the eponymous trickster’s story in a new and unique direction that I honestly wasn’t expecting. Granted, it’s been a while since I read the first book, but I don’t recall things being quite so outlandish and kooky. I will say that I missed some of the grander, more sublime and solemn mythological aspects, though I still enjoyed this book because as luck would have it, I was in the perfect mood for a more cheerful, lighthearted read.
Following Ragnarok and the fall of Asgard, Loki has survived but finds himself trapped in a kind of purgatory, though of course, no prison can hold the wily god for long. Discovering a gateway to Earth through a mysterious link in a Norse mythology-themed video game, Loki escapes the netherworld by entering the mind of one the game’s players, a teenage girl named Jumps.
Confused at this turn of events but not about to let it spoil his good mood, Loki is delighted in the prospect of enjoying everything our modern world has to offer. However, his host has other plans. Almost immediately, Jumps rains on his parade, saying no to junk food or any kind of fun, driving him insane with stressful thoughts of school exams, body issues, social drama and romance—all things about which a Norse god would have very little understanding. Soon though, Loki discovers that he was not the only one to have escaped the netherworld. If he’d managed to hitch a ride in the mind of an earthly host, it means other Asgardians could have done so too.
This book was a quick read, and a lot of fun to boot. That said, I don’t know that everyone will feel the same way, especially if you had anticipated a novel similar in tone and style to The Gospel of Loki, which I felt was a more literary endeavor and even its humor was a little more sophisticated. This one almost feels juvenile, superficial and mainstream in comparison, appealing more to pop culture and the current obsession with Loki thanks to Marvel and Hollywood. Still, the result is a very innovative blend of mythology and urban fantasy, reimagining the Norse gods in a modern setting. Also, putting Loki in the body of a teenage girl might just be the greatest stroke of genius, as it presented so many opportunities for comic relief and other hijinks.
Fortunately, one thing that did not change too much from the first book was the voice of Loki, who’s as self-indulgent and vain as ever. Our protagonist’s relationship with Jumps is off to a hilarious start with his scandalized reaction to the fact that Thor is her favorite Norse god. Next comes the embarrassing dinner with the grandmother, and the disastrous English exam at school. However, there’s more to this book than simply throwing our unlikely partners into as many compromising scenarios as possible; as Loki gets to learn more about his host, he realizes Jumps is a troubled girl dealing with a lot of personal issues. To his credit, he does try to help—insofar as a trickster like him can offer any kind of useful assistance. Nevertheless, it’s interesting how the story deals with some of the more serious and emotional coming-of-age subjects that touch the lives of many young adults today.
The second half of the novel moves into a more abstract and metaphysical territory, and regrettably, I think this is where the plot started to lose me a bit. On the positive side, these sections greatly expanded the world-building, not to mention it also linked Loki and Jumps’ tale to the overarching epic storyline underlying the series, involving the ancient mysteries and powers tying everything together. Those revelations alone kept me reading even when the dream-like sequences went into high gear and threatened to overwhelm, mainly because they offered so much insight into the connections between the mythological world to our mortal realm.
All in all, The Testament of Loki was a decent sequel, entertaining and quirky enough to qualify for light reading, though occasionally there would be a few nuggets of wisdom to chew on. I think it’s worth picking up this if you enjoyed The Gospel of Loki or have any interest at all in the author’s Runemarks sequence.
The Testament of Loki is the sequel to The Gospel of Loki, shifting the eponymous trickster’s story in a new and unique direction that I honestly wasn’t expecting. Granted, it’s been a while since I read the first book, but I don’t recall things being quite so outlandish and kooky. I will say that I missed some of the grander, more sublime and solemn mythological aspects, though I still enjoyed this book because as luck would have it, I was in the perfect mood for a more cheerful, lighthearted read.
Following Ragnarok and the fall of Asgard, Loki has survived but finds himself trapped in a kind of purgatory, though of course, no prison can hold the wily god for long. Discovering a gateway to Earth through a mysterious link in a Norse mythology-themed video game, Loki escapes the netherworld by entering the mind of one the game’s players, a teenage girl named Jumps.
Confused at this turn of events but not about to let it spoil his good mood, Loki is delighted in the prospect of enjoying everything our modern world has to offer. However, his host has other plans. Almost immediately, Jumps rains on his parade, saying no to junk food or any kind of fun, driving him insane with stressful thoughts of school exams, body issues, social drama and romance—all things about which a Norse god would have very little understanding. Soon though, Loki discovers that he was not the only one to have escaped the netherworld. If he’d managed to hitch a ride in the mind of an earthly host, it means other Asgardians could have done so too.
This book was a quick read, and a lot of fun to boot. That said, I don’t know that everyone will feel the same way, especially if you had anticipated a novel similar in tone and style to The Gospel of Loki, which I felt was a more literary endeavor and even its humor was a little more sophisticated. This one almost feels juvenile, superficial and mainstream in comparison, appealing more to pop culture and the current obsession with Loki thanks to Marvel and Hollywood. Still, the result is a very innovative blend of mythology and urban fantasy, reimagining the Norse gods in a modern setting. Also, putting Loki in the body of a teenage girl might just be the greatest stroke of genius, as it presented so many opportunities for comic relief and other hijinks.
Fortunately, one thing that did not change too much from the first book was the voice of Loki, who’s as self-indulgent and vain as ever. Our protagonist’s relationship with Jumps is off to a hilarious start with his scandalized reaction to the fact that Thor is her favorite Norse god. Next comes the embarrassing dinner with the grandmother, and the disastrous English exam at school. However, there’s more to this book than simply throwing our unlikely partners into as many compromising scenarios as possible; as Loki gets to learn more about his host, he realizes Jumps is a troubled girl dealing with a lot of personal issues. To his credit, he does try to help—insofar as a trickster like him can offer any kind of useful assistance. Nevertheless, it’s interesting how the story deals with some of the more serious and emotional coming-of-age subjects that touch the lives of many young adults today.
The second half of the novel moves into a more abstract and metaphysical territory, and regrettably, I think this is where the plot started to lose me a bit. On the positive side, these sections greatly expanded the world-building, not to mention it also linked Loki and Jumps’ tale to the overarching epic storyline underlying the series, involving the ancient mysteries and powers tying everything together. Those revelations alone kept me reading even when the dream-like sequences went into high gear and threatened to overwhelm, mainly because they offered so much insight into the connections between the mythological world to our mortal realm.
All in all, The Testament of Loki was a decent sequel, entertaining and quirky enough to qualify for light reading, though occasionally there would be a few nuggets of wisdom to chew on. I think it’s worth picking up this if you enjoyed The Gospel of Loki or have any interest at all in the author’s Runemarks sequence.
June 26, 2018
2,5*
"Didn’t I tell you once that god and dog are only a revolution apart?"
Θα ξεκινήσω λέγοντας πως ήμουν σίγουρη πως θα μου αρέσει αυτό το βιβλίο. Πολύ σίγουρη! Τόσο σίγουρη που δεν έψαξα καμία κριτική (λάθος!). Τόσο σίγουρη που παίζεται αν είχα διαβάσει έστω και μισή φορά την περίληψη από το οπισθόφυλλο (αυτό κι αν ήταν λάθος!).
Ε λοιπόν αυτή η σιγουριά ήταν που με έφαγε!
Η απογοήτευση, της απογοήτευσης, ω απογοήτευση!
Και θα εξηγηθώ ευθύς αμέσως!
Το Testament διαδραματίζεται μεταξύ του Gospel of Loki (το οποίο μου άρεσε) και του Runemarks (το οποίο μου άρεσε πάρα πολύ). Εγώ νόμιζα ότι θα βλέπαμε και τα 500 χρόνια που χωρίζουν τα δύο βιβλία αλλά στην πραγματικότητα βλέπουμε ένα μικρό τμήμα μόνο! Αλλά όχι, δεν ήταν αυτό που με ενόχλησε!
Για το διάστημα αυτών των 500 χρόνων ξέραμε πολύ λίγα πράγματα και αυτά ήταν κυρίως μισόλογα, σπόντες, λόγια του αέρα κτλ από το Runemarks και το Runelight.
Και ήρθε αυτό το βιβλίο για να μας διαφωτίσει!
Και δεν μου άρεσε!
Θεωρώ απλά ότι δεν έστεκε!
Θεωρώ ότι αυτά που έγραψε η συγγραφέας σε αυτό το βιβλίο δεν στέκουν σύμφωνα με τα υπόλοιπα βιβλία!
Και το θεωρώ αυτό γιατί ξέρω τι συμβαίνει στη συνέχεια! Έχω διαβάσει τα βιβλία που χρονικά διαδραματίζονται μετά το Testament και πιστεύω πως αυτό το βιβλίο είναι άκυρο, εκτός τόπου και χρόνου (και μεταφορικά και κυριολεκτικά!) και...τι να πω! Δεν στέκει! Τρύπες παντού! Νιώθω ότι αναιρεί όλη τη βάση πάνω στην οποία γράφτηκε το Runemarks.
Ώρες ώρες πιο πολύ για funfiction μου έκανε παρά για κανονικό βιβλίο της σειράς! Ήταν λες και διάβαζα άλλο βιβλίο! Λες και δεν ήταν από αυτή τη σειρά, από αυτή τη συγγραφέα. Κι αυτό είναι που με εκνευρίζει πιο πολύ!
“A friend? Oh dear. Are you sure this is Loki? The Trickster I once knew was too smart to have friends.”
Αυτό ακριβώς αναρωτιόμουν κι εγώ σε όλο το βιβλίο! Πέραν της εξέλιξης που δεν μου άρεσε, όλοι οι χαρακτήρες που ξέραμε από τα άλλα βιβλία ήταν λες και είχαν πάθει μετάλλαξη! Πραγματικά δεν τους αναγνώριζα!
Ειλικρινά λες και διάβαζα άλλο βιβλίο!
Στα υπόλοιπα της σειράς οι εξελίξεις έτρεχαν και δεν τις προλάβαινα! Δράση, αγωνία, αποκαλύψεις, πολύπλοκα σχέδια και έξυπνοι χαρακτήρες! Εδώ τίποτα, χλιαρά πράγματα!
Αντί για ένα βιβλίο περιπέτειας/φαντασίας βρήκα κάτι σε young-adult με πρωταγωνίστρια μια έφηβη με προβλήματα που ψάχνει τη θέση της στον κόσμο κτλ και λίγο fantasy. Ένα mix που στην προκειμένη περίπτωση δεν ταίριαξε.
Το χειρότερο ποιο είναι; Πως αν ήταν όντως ένα άλλο βιβλίο με την παραπάνω έφηβη πρωταγ��νίστρια με τα προβλήματα δεν θα ήταν κακό. Κατά πάσα πιθανότητα θα μου άρεσε! Ήταν διασκεδαστικό, κάποιες φορές αστείο και διαβάζονταν γρήγορα και ευχάριστα!
Αλλά όχι! Έπρεπε να είναι από αυτή τη σειρά με αυτούς τους χαρακτήρες!
Όχι λοιπόν, δεν μου άρεσε!
"You see, no faith can truly die until the last of the faithful are gone."
"Always have a plan, I say. Always have a backup plan. Always have another plan for when the backup plan fails. And always plan an exit route for when you abandon the plan and flee."
Τόσο καιρό περίμενα για ένα σίκουελ, αλλά τελικά η συγγραφέας πάλι πρίκουελ μας έδωσε.
Παρά την απογοήτευση του εν λόγω πρίκουελ εγώ θα συνεχίσω να περιμένω υπομονετικά το σίκουελ!
Το +0,5 γιατί η συγγραφέας στις τελευταίες σελίδες θυμήθηκε για ποια σειρά γράφει βιβλίο.
B.R.A.CE. 2018: Ένα βιβλίο που εκδόθηκε το 2018
"Didn’t I tell you once that god and dog are only a revolution apart?"
Θα ξεκινήσω λέγοντας πως ήμουν σίγουρη πως θα μου αρέσει αυτό το βιβλίο. Πολύ σίγουρη! Τόσο σίγουρη που δεν έψαξα καμία κριτική (λάθος!). Τόσο σίγουρη που παίζεται αν είχα διαβάσει έστω και μισή φορά την περίληψη από το οπισθόφυλλο (αυτό κι αν ήταν λάθος!).
Ε λοιπόν αυτή η σιγουριά ήταν που με έφαγε!
Η απογοήτευση, της απογοήτευσης, ω απογοήτευση!
Και θα εξηγηθώ ευθύς αμέσως!
Το Testament διαδραματίζεται μεταξύ του Gospel of Loki (το οποίο μου άρεσε) και του Runemarks (το οποίο μου άρεσε πάρα πολύ). Εγώ νόμιζα ότι θα βλέπαμε και τα 500 χρόνια που χωρίζουν τα δύο βιβλία αλλά στην πραγματικότητα βλέπουμε ένα μικρό τμήμα μόνο! Αλλά όχι, δεν ήταν αυτό που με ενόχλησε!
Για το διάστημα αυτών των 500 χρόνων ξέραμε πολύ λίγα πράγματα και αυτά ήταν κυρίως μισόλογα, σπόντες, λόγια του αέρα κτλ από το Runemarks και το Runelight.
Και ήρθε αυτό το βιβλίο για να μας διαφωτίσει!
Και δεν μου άρεσε!
Θεωρώ απλά ότι δεν έστεκε!
Θεωρώ ότι αυτά που έγραψε η συγγραφέας σε αυτό το βιβλίο δεν στέκουν σύμφωνα με τα υπόλοιπα βιβλία!
Και το θεωρώ αυτό γιατί ξέρω τι συμβαίνει στη συνέχεια! Έχω διαβάσει τα βιβλία που χρονικά διαδραματίζονται μετά το Testament και πιστεύω πως αυτό το βιβλίο είναι άκυρο, εκτός τόπου και χρόνου (και μεταφορικά και κυριολεκτικά!) και...τι να πω! Δεν στέκει! Τρύπες παντού! Νιώθω ότι αναιρεί όλη τη βάση πάνω στην οποία γράφτηκε το Runemarks.
Ώρες ώρες πιο πολύ για funfiction μου έκανε παρά για κανονικό βιβλίο της σειράς! Ήταν λες και διάβαζα άλλο βιβλίο! Λες και δεν ήταν από αυτή τη σειρά, από αυτή τη συγγραφέα. Κι αυτό είναι που με εκνευρίζει πιο πολύ!
“A friend? Oh dear. Are you sure this is Loki? The Trickster I once knew was too smart to have friends.”
Αυτό ακριβώς αναρωτιόμουν κι εγώ σε όλο το βιβλίο! Πέραν της εξέλιξης που δεν μου άρεσε, όλοι οι χαρακτήρες που ξέραμε από τα άλλα βιβλία ήταν λες και είχαν πάθει μετάλλαξη! Πραγματικά δεν τους αναγνώριζα!
Ειλικρινά λες και διάβαζα άλλο βιβλίο!
Στα υπόλοιπα της σειράς οι εξελίξεις έτρεχαν και δεν τις προλάβαινα! Δράση, αγωνία, αποκαλύψεις, πολύπλοκα σχέδια και έξυπνοι χαρακτήρες! Εδώ τίποτα, χλιαρά πράγματα!
Αντί για ένα βιβλίο περιπέτειας/φαντασίας βρήκα κάτι σε young-adult με πρωταγωνίστρια μια έφηβη με προβλήματα που ψάχνει τη θέση της στον κόσμο κτλ και λίγο fantasy. Ένα mix που στην προκειμένη περίπτωση δεν ταίριαξε.
Το χειρότερο ποιο είναι; Πως αν ήταν όντως ένα άλλο βιβλίο με την παραπάνω έφηβη πρωταγ��νίστρια με τα προβλήματα δεν θα ήταν κακό. Κατά πάσα πιθανότητα θα μου άρεσε! Ήταν διασκεδαστικό, κάποιες φορές αστείο και διαβάζονταν γρήγορα και ευχάριστα!
Αλλά όχι! Έπρεπε να είναι από αυτή τη σειρά με αυτούς τους χαρακτήρες!
Όχι λοιπόν, δεν μου άρεσε!
"You see, no faith can truly die until the last of the faithful are gone."
"Always have a plan, I say. Always have a backup plan. Always have another plan for when the backup plan fails. And always plan an exit route for when you abandon the plan and flee."
Τόσο καιρό περίμενα για ένα σίκουελ, αλλά τελικά η συγγραφέας πάλι πρίκουελ μας έδωσε.
Παρά την απογοήτευση του εν λόγω πρίκουελ εγώ θα συνεχίσω να περιμένω υπομονετικά το σίκουελ!
Το +0,5 γιατί η συγγραφέας στις τελευταίες σελίδες θυμήθηκε για ποια σειρά γράφει βιβλίο.
B.R.A.CE. 2018: Ένα βιβλίο που εκδόθηκε το 2018
March 7, 2019
Having read and absolutely loved The Gosple of Loki, I ordered this book with the same expectation of quality. Simply put, do not read this book.
Slight spoiler warning! It's like a bad fan fiction, involving Loki being transported into the real world through a video game into some random girl's body called Jumps, where he remains trapped. First off, who is Jumps? Why is she there and why should i care about her? I came to read a book about the Trickster God, not some moody, angsty teen. Jumps reaaallly took the enjoyment out of the book for me, I found her character to be extremely dry and annoying.
The Testament Of Loki damn well could have been amazing, The Gospel Of Loki sure was- but this book, it was honestly a huge disappointment. I understand I'm being harsh on the book, but I was just so looking forward to the story- the back of the book made the plot sound incredibly interesting. Then we get Norse Gods coming to the real world through video games. And Jumps. And Sally or whatever her name is. Sally really sucked.
I feel ripped off for having bought this book, save your money and buy the Gospel of Loki (Also by Johanne M. Harris) or literally any of her other books, unless of course what I mentioned above sounds appealing.
Slight spoiler warning! It's like a bad fan fiction, involving Loki being transported into the real world through a video game into some random girl's body called Jumps, where he remains trapped. First off, who is Jumps? Why is she there and why should i care about her? I came to read a book about the Trickster God, not some moody, angsty teen. Jumps reaaallly took the enjoyment out of the book for me, I found her character to be extremely dry and annoying.
The Testament Of Loki damn well could have been amazing, The Gospel Of Loki sure was- but this book, it was honestly a huge disappointment. I understand I'm being harsh on the book, but I was just so looking forward to the story- the back of the book made the plot sound incredibly interesting. Then we get Norse Gods coming to the real world through video games. And Jumps. And Sally or whatever her name is. Sally really sucked.
I feel ripped off for having bought this book, save your money and buy the Gospel of Loki (Also by Johanne M. Harris) or literally any of her other books, unless of course what I mentioned above sounds appealing.
June 23, 2018
This wasnt for me. I didnt really love the 1st but was given this as a present. Just never seemed to get into the story. I feel like Marvel with their graphic novels does this story much better.
September 16, 2021
Apesar de ter gostado mais do primeiro livro, este livro continua sendo uma narrativa leve e engraçada dos mitos nórdicos. Não deve-se esperar uma narração complexa, afinal trata-se de uma obra juvenil. Também não me incomodou as inseguranças de Jumps ou dos outros hospedeiros. Muito original a parte do Oráculo. E achei ainda mais interessante de o fim dar mote para o início de uma nova história.
Em geral, " O rio do sonho" mostra-nos um Loki com um pouco de empatia e permite-nos um novo olhar sob Asgard.
Em geral, " O rio do sonho" mostra-nos um Loki com um pouco de empatia e permite-nos um novo olhar sob Asgard.
April 11, 2019
Well, now I remember why I was disappointed in the first of Harris' Loki books and why I can barely remember it. I've literally just finished this and it's just as forgettable. I'd love to have loved it, I mean, a genderfluid, omnisexual Loki is right up my alley, unfortunately Ms Harris writes like a 14 year old fangirl (no offence to the 14 year old fangirls who can *actually* write), there is no depth, the humor is flat and awkward - at least I *think* it's supposed to be funny but I'm not sure. Honestly, I've read far better Loki fan fiction on AO3, just go there instead.
May 11, 2018
Why not just keep it simple? There were enough pleasures in this world to fill every hour of a human's life. Why waste so much precious time with doubt, and pain, and loneliness?2.5 stars, rounded up Ragnarok came and went centuries ago, and after Asgard fell the old gods were either dead of stuck in the Netherworld for eternal torment. That is until Loki found a way to escape the Netherworld and into ours... but is he the only god to have found his way to freedom? And will Loki be yet again the pawn in the plans of other gods?
sigh I feel like 2018 is shoring up to be the year of disappointing mythology stories for me. When I saw this title available for request on NetGalley, I screamed to the Valkyries in hopes of being accepted for this arc. I love mythology, and Norse mythology in particular has been deeply interesting to me since childhood.
This is a story with an incredibly interesting premise, but unfortunately this is another book that I struggled with nearly from the beginning. I initially was hooked with the sarcastic voice of our narrator Loki and enjoyed the folding of mythology and Oracle prophesy; however, for some inexplicable reason I never connected with the story and found myself dragging on this book. It took me ten days to read the 320 pages, and the fact that I finished this at all rather than a DNF speaks to the overall premise and my wanting to see how things ended.
Sadly I was not aware that this book was part of a series until I received the mobi file (I really with NetGalley would list series information as this isn't the first time this has happened), but since it appears to be a prequel of sorts I didn't think it would be an issue -- I admit that may be a reason for my having issues connecting with the story. I found the writing a bit difficult to understand at times and I felt like I was being told a lot of information rather than being shown it. Due to Loki's trickster nature, as the narrator he kept things from the reader without really saying so until later. I didn't really enjoy this writing device as I found myself confused quite often thinking that I missed something... and I did... it was just not revealed to the reader. It may be more successful if Loki simply said something like "but I'll tell you more when you need to know." Then again, others may very well enjoy this writing style!
There are themes of acceptance, self-love, and coming of age that will resonate well with a young adult audience, and I think a lot of readers will relate to Jumps. I wish that was more developed, I feel like there was more there to be discovered with Jumps and her friends.
cw: eating disorder, body image issues
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Orion Publishing Group, for providing me a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review. While I recognize that I was provided an unedited proof that I trust will be corrected prior to publication, the typesetting issues (every single word with a double-t in it looked like this 'be er') made it difficult to read.
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July 15, 2018
Review originally posted on The Bibliophile Chronicles.
This is the second of Joanne Harris’s books featuring the trickster God Loki. I absolutely loved The Gospel of Loki so I was really excited to return to this series. In this instalment Ragnarok has occurred, Asgard has fallen and Loki has very few options. By chance he escapes eternal torment only to end up sharing the body of a young teenage girl.
One of the things I really adored about this book is the way that Joanne Harris writes this series. Loki is of course a trickster, he’s mischievous and scheming and that really comes across in the narrative. It’s very much like you’re sitting down with Loki and he’s regaling you with his greatest feats. I loved seeing things from his perspective and watching as he managed to worm his way out of every situation.
The Testament of Loki really was an emotional read. There were bits I was laughing (Loki attempting to understand the modern world of mobile phones and pizza) to the sadder moments as Loki grows as a person and learns to care about people other than himself. I really liked Jumps, (Loki’s host) she was a fascinating character and she had a terrific amount of character development as she dealt with her problems and became who she wanted to be.
The story is fun and fast paced, with plenty of Loki’s schemes leaving you wondering what on Earth he’s going to do next. These books are such a fun and accessible way to learn about Norse mythology and I can’t recommend them highly enough.
This is the second of Joanne Harris’s books featuring the trickster God Loki. I absolutely loved The Gospel of Loki so I was really excited to return to this series. In this instalment Ragnarok has occurred, Asgard has fallen and Loki has very few options. By chance he escapes eternal torment only to end up sharing the body of a young teenage girl.
One of the things I really adored about this book is the way that Joanne Harris writes this series. Loki is of course a trickster, he’s mischievous and scheming and that really comes across in the narrative. It’s very much like you’re sitting down with Loki and he’s regaling you with his greatest feats. I loved seeing things from his perspective and watching as he managed to worm his way out of every situation.
The Testament of Loki really was an emotional read. There were bits I was laughing (Loki attempting to understand the modern world of mobile phones and pizza) to the sadder moments as Loki grows as a person and learns to care about people other than himself. I really liked Jumps, (Loki’s host) she was a fascinating character and she had a terrific amount of character development as she dealt with her problems and became who she wanted to be.
The story is fun and fast paced, with plenty of Loki’s schemes leaving you wondering what on Earth he’s going to do next. These books are such a fun and accessible way to learn about Norse mythology and I can’t recommend them highly enough.
Want to read
November 8, 2017HELLO NO ONE TOLD ME THIS WAS A THING WHAT
runemarks was, like, my childhood and now there's MORE of it??!!!
runemarks was, like, my childhood and now there's MORE of it??!!!
May 19, 2018
Oh man, in my mind this is a 2.5 and though I know it would only be fair, I can't find it in my heart to round it up to a three star.
There will be spoilers ahead and a lot of personal opinions.
Also some sensitive subjects.
I had this book pre-ordered for months at work and I was beyond excited when I learned it was coming.
Gospel of Loki was amazing, I loved that book to pieces and was quite surprised when I learned that there was a second book. Granted it felt a little unneeded, but I was excited nonetheless to sink my teeth into more Loki.
He had an amazing narrative voice in GoL, he was charming, funny, snarky but still selfish and flawed, yet you couldn't help but want to be on his side.
However, I didn't feel like this book had the same charm the previous one had.
Loki's voice just seemed to fluctuate to whatever was needed at the time and sure we could pass it off as the infection of the human feels, but he was back to his GoL-self when the other human characters weren't around.
The last segment 'Game Over' was my favourite part from the whole book.
In actual fact for the most part it felt, to me, like a paint by numbers young adult novel with some Norse Gods thrown into the mix and it just didn't live up at all to its predecessor.
Most of the characters were stereotypical, even when ticking off the list of representation, and none stood out beyond Jumps and that's only because she was so damned annoying to me.
Especially when she was going up against the 'big bad', ugh.
In fact, I enjoyed the book more when it was Loki being left to himself without her input.
I guess I just don't find characters who have to stubbornly insist on going on quests that could possibly lead to their death appealing, to me it's obnoxious and not in the charming way.
Then there are the other characters who should play a big enough part seeing as they even get an introduction by our oh so humble narrator, but who barely feel there at all, let alone enough to make an impact.
We have:
Loki: only felt like the Loki we got to know and love when he wasn't interacting with humans (you can blame Jumps' feelings rubbing off on you all you want, I still missed Gospel of Loki you.)
Jumps: Whiny, obnoxious and at times even felt unneeded in situations she was forcibly written in to.
Evan: The wheelchair guy who is there and is a vessel.
Stella: There to be the pretty girl Jumps hates for reasons barely discussed and a vessel.
Meg: The love interest (we'll get to her.)
Odin: He's there.
Thor: He's there at least in spirit.
The dog (Tinkle or Twinkle or whatever): He's there, being a yappy little shit.
Gullveig-Heid: Is there to be antagonistic.
Some things were brushed over so quickly whilst others were drawn out in such a way that made the plot feel like it was constantly stopping and starting at a pace that at times felt like a chore to read, even though this book took me less than 30-odd hours collectively to read (inbetween work hours and playing Sims Medieval.)
It was an odd combination really, I was zooming through the book but at times I felt tired of reading at the same time.
There were some things I just felt weren't handled well, I guess my main example will be the self confidence issues Jumps faced.
She had body issues accompanied with an eating disorder, the self-confidence problem is something I can sympathise with when delved into properly, and it's not an easy thing to live with sometimes, but you quite literally get to halfway through the book and after a few chapters where Loki is in complete control (after a total overreaction on her part no less) and gives her a full-blown makeover, gets a date with a girl called Margaret (or Meg) and tells some bullies where to shove it, we're jumped back into her being in control and self-harming after Loki 'ruined her life'.
Now, all Loki does is show her the strength he had whilst using her body, how she looked with her new stlye, the confidence she exuded with it and against the bullies and suddenly she's a completely different person herself in personality, which isn't how that would work in the grand scheme of things.
Heck if it were that easy to do a 180 on your self worth then all the years my friends and family have told me that I'm pretty and strong despite how I see myself and such would have made me a total narcissist.
But it's anything to push the plot forward I guess.
Now let's talk about Meg...oh Meg...what a beyond useless character you were.
Yet another plot device who was ultimately used poorly to push things along and be a crutch to our heroes.
Her 'romance' with Loki felt disingenuous and her romance with Jumps felt rushed and a little forced, all of this happening in a time span that makes the first Thor film, with its romance blooming over a wet weekend, blush with embarrassment.
Loki's obsession with her just felt really awkward, we didn't get to see what made her so amazing, we were just told she was despite 'not usually being his type', but maybe that was because she wasn't built as a character beyond us being told what she looked like and a few personality traits.
It would have been kind of nice to see a bit deeper about why Loki, and thusly later on Jumps, was so infatuated with her.
There are a load of other things I could delve into that made me either groan, roll my eyes or even swear at the book in questioning, such as convenient rune summoning at the perfect time, but I'll leave this here before this gets too long.
I have the Runemarks series in my long 'to read' list, but honestly if it's anything like this book then I feel that I will no get along with it.
I'm not angry, I'm just disappointed after the first amazing book and if you liked it then fair enough, I'm glad someone got the enjoyment I didn't.
There will be spoilers ahead and a lot of personal opinions.
Also some sensitive subjects.
I had this book pre-ordered for months at work and I was beyond excited when I learned it was coming.
Gospel of Loki was amazing, I loved that book to pieces and was quite surprised when I learned that there was a second book. Granted it felt a little unneeded, but I was excited nonetheless to sink my teeth into more Loki.
He had an amazing narrative voice in GoL, he was charming, funny, snarky but still selfish and flawed, yet you couldn't help but want to be on his side.
However, I didn't feel like this book had the same charm the previous one had.
Loki's voice just seemed to fluctuate to whatever was needed at the time and sure we could pass it off as the infection of the human feels, but he was back to his GoL-self when the other human characters weren't around.
The last segment 'Game Over' was my favourite part from the whole book.
In actual fact for the most part it felt, to me, like a paint by numbers young adult novel with some Norse Gods thrown into the mix and it just didn't live up at all to its predecessor.
Most of the characters were stereotypical, even when ticking off the list of representation, and none stood out beyond Jumps and that's only because she was so damned annoying to me.
Especially when she was going up against the 'big bad', ugh.
In fact, I enjoyed the book more when it was Loki being left to himself without her input.
I guess I just don't find characters who have to stubbornly insist on going on quests that could possibly lead to their death appealing, to me it's obnoxious and not in the charming way.
Then there are the other characters who should play a big enough part seeing as they even get an introduction by our oh so humble narrator, but who barely feel there at all, let alone enough to make an impact.
We have:
Loki: only felt like the Loki we got to know and love when he wasn't interacting with humans (you can blame Jumps' feelings rubbing off on you all you want, I still missed Gospel of Loki you.)
Jumps: Whiny, obnoxious and at times even felt unneeded in situations she was forcibly written in to.
Evan: The wheelchair guy who is there and is a vessel.
Stella: There to be the pretty girl Jumps hates for reasons barely discussed and a vessel.
Meg: The love interest (we'll get to her.)
Odin: He's there.
Thor: He's there at least in spirit.
The dog (Tinkle or Twinkle or whatever): He's there, being a yappy little shit.
Gullveig-Heid: Is there to be antagonistic.
Some things were brushed over so quickly whilst others were drawn out in such a way that made the plot feel like it was constantly stopping and starting at a pace that at times felt like a chore to read, even though this book took me less than 30-odd hours collectively to read (inbetween work hours and playing Sims Medieval.)
It was an odd combination really, I was zooming through the book but at times I felt tired of reading at the same time.
There were some things I just felt weren't handled well, I guess my main example will be the self confidence issues Jumps faced.
She had body issues accompanied with an eating disorder, the self-confidence problem is something I can sympathise with when delved into properly, and it's not an easy thing to live with sometimes, but you quite literally get to halfway through the book and after a few chapters where Loki is in complete control (after a total overreaction on her part no less) and gives her a full-blown makeover, gets a date with a girl called Margaret (or Meg) and tells some bullies where to shove it, we're jumped back into her being in control and self-harming after Loki 'ruined her life'.
Now, all Loki does is show her the strength he had whilst using her body, how she looked with her new stlye, the confidence she exuded with it and against the bullies and suddenly she's a completely different person herself in personality, which isn't how that would work in the grand scheme of things.
Heck if it were that easy to do a 180 on your self worth then all the years my friends and family have told me that I'm pretty and strong despite how I see myself and such would have made me a total narcissist.
But it's anything to push the plot forward I guess.
Now let's talk about Meg...oh Meg...what a beyond useless character you were.
Yet another plot device who was ultimately used poorly to push things along and be a crutch to our heroes.
Her 'romance' with Loki felt disingenuous and her romance with Jumps felt rushed and a little forced, all of this happening in a time span that makes the first Thor film, with its romance blooming over a wet weekend, blush with embarrassment.
Loki's obsession with her just felt really awkward, we didn't get to see what made her so amazing, we were just told she was despite 'not usually being his type', but maybe that was because she wasn't built as a character beyond us being told what she looked like and a few personality traits.
It would have been kind of nice to see a bit deeper about why Loki, and thusly later on Jumps, was so infatuated with her.
There are a load of other things I could delve into that made me either groan, roll my eyes or even swear at the book in questioning, such as convenient rune summoning at the perfect time, but I'll leave this here before this gets too long.
I have the Runemarks series in my long 'to read' list, but honestly if it's anything like this book then I feel that I will no get along with it.
I'm not angry, I'm just disappointed after the first amazing book and if you liked it then fair enough, I'm glad someone got the enjoyment I didn't.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 9, 2018
Another fun-filled romp for Loki. Yes, you've guessed it, even Ragnarok couldn't stop the trickster.
May 9, 2018
Originally posted to I Should Read That
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This review is spoiler-free.
I read The Gospel of Loki a couple of years ago and it was one of those books that really grew on me. It stuck with me long after I finished the last page and I really think that it ignited my interest in Norse mythology. I had assumed it would be a standalone novel, so you can imagine my delight when I saw it was getting a sequel.
So the first thing of note is that this can easily be read as a standalone. I suppose you don’t really need to read the first if you have a good knowledge of Norse mythology (the Thor films don’t count, y’all). However I’d highly recommend you do read The Gospel of Loki first because 1) it is fantastic and 2) you’ll have a better grasp on the voices Harris gives to her characters and the various backgrounds and events that come into play in The Testament of Loki. The second thing to note is that Testament is a very different book from its predecessor. Rather than a more traditional setting for Norse mythology, this book is takes place in our modern world. Harris pulls this off incredibly well, however it might come as a bit of a surprise for the unprepared.
Harris has a gift for writing witty, humorous dialogue, so what better character to channel her creativity than Loki? I absolutely adored her portrayal of him in Gospel and was pleased to see that he was just as witty, ridiculous, and fabulous in Testament. The only difference in his character is a good one: he actually gets to interact with mortals in Testament. I loved his interactions with Jumps and the other mortals he meets.
Is this review short and vague? You bet it is! But I think that one of the reasons I enjoyed this book so much is that I didn’t know much going in. So what can you expect in The Testament of Loki? Pizza, cake, self-care, a fluffy white dog, f/f relationships, gods and monsters, chocolate, and a whole lot of fabulousness. Fun and silly, yet heartwarming and meaningful, this is the kind of book that you can tell the author had so much fun writing. I devoured The Testament of Loki in a few sittings and absolutely adored it.
Popping in a quick content warning for self-harm and a couple brief mentions about eating disorders.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This review is spoiler-free.
I read The Gospel of Loki a couple of years ago and it was one of those books that really grew on me. It stuck with me long after I finished the last page and I really think that it ignited my interest in Norse mythology. I had assumed it would be a standalone novel, so you can imagine my delight when I saw it was getting a sequel.
So the first thing of note is that this can easily be read as a standalone. I suppose you don’t really need to read the first if you have a good knowledge of Norse mythology (the Thor films don’t count, y’all). However I’d highly recommend you do read The Gospel of Loki first because 1) it is fantastic and 2) you’ll have a better grasp on the voices Harris gives to her characters and the various backgrounds and events that come into play in The Testament of Loki. The second thing to note is that Testament is a very different book from its predecessor. Rather than a more traditional setting for Norse mythology, this book is takes place in our modern world. Harris pulls this off incredibly well, however it might come as a bit of a surprise for the unprepared.
Harris has a gift for writing witty, humorous dialogue, so what better character to channel her creativity than Loki? I absolutely adored her portrayal of him in Gospel and was pleased to see that he was just as witty, ridiculous, and fabulous in Testament. The only difference in his character is a good one: he actually gets to interact with mortals in Testament. I loved his interactions with Jumps and the other mortals he meets.
Is this review short and vague? You bet it is! But I think that one of the reasons I enjoyed this book so much is that I didn’t know much going in. So what can you expect in The Testament of Loki? Pizza, cake, self-care, a fluffy white dog, f/f relationships, gods and monsters, chocolate, and a whole lot of fabulousness. Fun and silly, yet heartwarming and meaningful, this is the kind of book that you can tell the author had so much fun writing. I devoured The Testament of Loki in a few sittings and absolutely adored it.
Popping in a quick content warning for self-harm and a couple brief mentions about eating disorders.
April 4, 2024
The Testament of Loki (Loki #2) by Joanne M. Harris is a sequel that I wanted to love this just as much as its predecessor, The Gospel of Loki, but that never quite happened. It's still a solid read and has moments that really make it shine but just not on the same level. I still think I'll try this author's Runemarks series in the future.
March 12, 2018
I can only hope that author Joanne Harris had as much fun writing The Testament of Loki as I did reading it. The book is a sequel to The Gospel of Loki and infuses energy and wit into a story that could be otherwise be buried in a list of other books on the subject, notably Neil Gaiman's trip into North Mythology last year and Rick Riordan's young adult books that seemingly tackle every myth possible.
In Harris's hands, the story places mythological characters into a new setting, taking on the shape of new characters with an effect that is full of delight and insatiably readable. It's the kind of book that makes me want more and, though I do not want to chain an author of Harris's talent into an endless mythology series, I would gladly pick up a next entry in the series, or a similar title that takes a new direction.
Impressive, entertaining, charming, and literary, I recommend The Testament of Loki without reservation.
In Harris's hands, the story places mythological characters into a new setting, taking on the shape of new characters with an effect that is full of delight and insatiably readable. It's the kind of book that makes me want more and, though I do not want to chain an author of Harris's talent into an endless mythology series, I would gladly pick up a next entry in the series, or a similar title that takes a new direction.
Impressive, entertaining, charming, and literary, I recommend The Testament of Loki without reservation.
May 10, 2020
My favorite trickster is back and hasn’t lost his charm at all. Instead of retelling Norse mythology, Harris chose to tell Loki’s escape from Netherworld in a modern setting. A fabulous idea, I might add, since the old gods don’t know much about this new world and have to learn how to adapt. This book was full of humor and deceit (within deceit within deceit and so on, which sometimes got quite confusing) and I had a great time with it. Only two things bugged me: 1. I wish Loki stayed truer to himself and got less effected by human emotion. Yes, that would make him a pretty bad person, but he is a god and the world’s biggest trickster at that, so that’s to be expected. 2. While I really appreciate that humans with bodily defects (don’t know if I used the right word here) and disorders played a huge part in this book, overcoming an eating disorder was overly simplified. If it really was that easy to “heal” an eating disorder, people wouldn’t have to die of it. It’s a rocky and exhausting path and the book didn’t do this circumstance justice.
July 17, 2018
This is the sequel to "The Gospel of Loki".
Where that book told the Norse myths from Loki's point of view, this is a follow up showing the events after Ragnarok destroyed Asgard.
Loki is code-sharing a body, as is Odin, as is Thor... though I don't think Thor's too happy with his.
This is pure fantasy rather than a mythological retelling. However, it works extremely well on all levels.
Highly recommended.
Where that book told the Norse myths from Loki's point of view, this is a follow up showing the events after Ragnarok destroyed Asgard.
Loki is code-sharing a body, as is Odin, as is Thor... though I don't think Thor's too happy with his.
This is pure fantasy rather than a mythological retelling. However, it works extremely well on all levels.
Highly recommended.
Read
October 5, 2020The plot of this book was certainly, a choice. The first half of this book put the Asgard gods into the body of teenage bodies and results into a sort of comedy of errors and teenage foibles. The second half is more grandiose, featuring a more epic journey down the River of Dream that would fit the gargantuan stature of mythological characters.
August 8, 2018
Gods don't last forever, you know. They all take a fall eventually.
—The Testament of Loki, p.8
Joanne M. Harris' The Gospel of Loki was Loki's first attempt to set the record straight for the most-reviled bad guy in all of Norse mythology. That book was great fun to read, but it ended as we knew it had to all along: with Ragnarök, the End of Worlds. The fall of Asgard and the destruction of the Aesir were prophesied by the bodiless oracle Mimir—and there is no escape from prophecy, after all, not even for the gods. Perhaps especially for the gods.
Not even the greatest faker in the Nine Worlds could fake his way out of their destruction. And so, cast off the great rainbow bridge Bifröst by Heimdallr as foretold, Loki faces an eternity of bodiless, impotent regret in the nebulous Netherworld—a fate that is, literally, worse than Death.
So, what does he do for an encore?
Well, when you're in a predicament like Loki's, you take whatever lifeline you can get—and in The Testament of Loki, what Loki gets is to be reincorporated in Jumps (short for Josephine), an English teenager with endless angst and self-image issues and very, very little interest in playing host for any Norse god, much less for the god whom pretty much everyone on Earth agrees is the worst of the bunch.
But even so, Loki's lot is better than what Thor gets...
*
The Testament of Loki is at its most entertaining when it's most tightly focused on Loki and Jumps, and the lively bickering that goes on between them. Jumps holds her own against Loki's ancient wiles, too—she is an easy person to root for, with a gratifying amount of strength and autonomy.
The Testament of Loki becomes somewhat less engaging when the stakes become more cosmic and it wanders farther afield, away from Jumps' and Loki's cozy quarreling, but Harris (or Loki) eventually manages to pull everything together.
I don't know whether Loki will have any more to tell, but I do know that I enjoyed this sequel just about as much as I did its predecessor—so if Joanne M. Harris is willing to channel Loki again, I think I'll be on board for the ride...
January 27, 2019
I fully expected to come into this book liking it even more than the first one but that’s not exactly what happened. I guess I wasn’t really expecting what I got at all and maybe that was part of the problem for me–expectations. Still, I had a lot of fun with this one even if it wasn’t what I thought it was going to be.
Let me explain a bit. The first book was basically a retelling of the Norse Myths from Loki’s very skewed but always entertaining point of view. It was hilarious and at times poignant. The reader really got a sense of Loki’s isolation from the other gods and his loneliness (although it was hard to feel sorry for him for too long because then he’d be off causing trouble again!)
So, when I picked up this second volume, which takes place post-Ragnarok, I thought it would be more along those lines. But it wasn’t. Instead, after Loki is awakened and looking to escape his prison, he finds a way out only to be sucked into our own modern world via the means of a Norse Mythology themed video game. He finds himself sharing the body of the teenage girl who accidentally summoned him, Jumps. And Jumps is not a fan of Loki (she’s a fan of Thor, which rankles Loki to no end). So the setting change from the first book to the second is completely jarring at first, especially since I listened to these books within a month of each other. Also the fact that Loki isn’t exactly in his own form took me some getting used to!
However, after adjusting to all the new and different things, I found myself really enjoying this one. It’s a different kind of story, but in some ways it’s the same. Jumps actually has some things in common with Loki, especially the whole ‘feeling like an outsider’ thing. Loki finds himself in a mentor-ship role in this story, which, lets face it, is outside of his wheelhouse. So, after being a complete knob (aka Loki) for a bit, he actually begins to care for Jumps and tries to help her gain some confidence in her life (one thing he’s never really lacked). It’s through helping Jumps that we get to see Loki experience some growth as a character, and there’s the payoff that we’ve been waiting for since the first book.
Oh, and for added fun, Loki isn’t the only one who has been catching rides in other bodies in this modern world. He runs into Odin pretty quickly. Odin, true to character, acts happy to see Loki but wants his help in summoning Thor, and Loki being jealous Loki, does what any Loki would do and gets Thor trapped into the body of a tiny lap dog ‘by accident’. These are just some of the hijinks within the pages of this book.
This is definitely worth a read if you enjoyed the first book, especially because Loki is still very much Loki, but probably best to prepare yourself going in that it’s not a lot like the first book as far as storytelling and setting. Still a very fun book, and there’s a lot to like about Loki’s journey here. 3.5/5 stars.
Let me explain a bit. The first book was basically a retelling of the Norse Myths from Loki’s very skewed but always entertaining point of view. It was hilarious and at times poignant. The reader really got a sense of Loki’s isolation from the other gods and his loneliness (although it was hard to feel sorry for him for too long because then he’d be off causing trouble again!)
So, when I picked up this second volume, which takes place post-Ragnarok, I thought it would be more along those lines. But it wasn’t. Instead, after Loki is awakened and looking to escape his prison, he finds a way out only to be sucked into our own modern world via the means of a Norse Mythology themed video game. He finds himself sharing the body of the teenage girl who accidentally summoned him, Jumps. And Jumps is not a fan of Loki (she’s a fan of Thor, which rankles Loki to no end). So the setting change from the first book to the second is completely jarring at first, especially since I listened to these books within a month of each other. Also the fact that Loki isn’t exactly in his own form took me some getting used to!
However, after adjusting to all the new and different things, I found myself really enjoying this one. It’s a different kind of story, but in some ways it’s the same. Jumps actually has some things in common with Loki, especially the whole ‘feeling like an outsider’ thing. Loki finds himself in a mentor-ship role in this story, which, lets face it, is outside of his wheelhouse. So, after being a complete knob (aka Loki) for a bit, he actually begins to care for Jumps and tries to help her gain some confidence in her life (one thing he’s never really lacked). It’s through helping Jumps that we get to see Loki experience some growth as a character, and there’s the payoff that we’ve been waiting for since the first book.
Oh, and for added fun, Loki isn’t the only one who has been catching rides in other bodies in this modern world. He runs into Odin pretty quickly. Odin, true to character, acts happy to see Loki but wants his help in summoning Thor, and Loki being jealous Loki, does what any Loki would do and gets Thor trapped into the body of a tiny lap dog ‘by accident’. These are just some of the hijinks within the pages of this book.
This is definitely worth a read if you enjoyed the first book, especially because Loki is still very much Loki, but probably best to prepare yourself going in that it’s not a lot like the first book as far as storytelling and setting. Still a very fun book, and there’s a lot to like about Loki’s journey here. 3.5/5 stars.
March 1, 2021
Well, this was disappointing. I absolutely adored the first book "The Gospel of Loki", so you can imagine I was quite excited when I found out that there was a sequel. However, "The Testament of Loki" simply turned out to be something else from what I expected it to be.
The retelling of Norse myths isn't as strong/evident anymore. That's what I loved so much about the first book, but as soon as I realised that this sequel had its setting mostly in our contemporary times I got worried. And rightly so. I don't care about our world or some humans I don't know. I'm reading a book about Loki because I want Norse mythology stuff and not YA drama. I do appreciate that Harris tried to address some important issues with Jumps (coming out, eating disorder, self-harm etc.) though a trigger warning at the beginning would have been nice. However, I simply didn't care too much for Jumps or Evan or any of the other humans. Again, I'm here for Loki, Odin and Thor and not their dealings with human teenagers.
The story resulting from that YA drama mixed with some Norse mythology isn't a bad one, strictly speaking, but it's also not the most interesting or thrilling one. I didn't care much for so many things in the book, which was mostly due to the fact that either they simply weren't interesting or had nothing to do with the Norse mythology I initially came here for.
This isn't a bad book, by no means. But it's a disappointing one, especially if you have read the first one and liked it as much as me. I wouldn't necessarily recommend to those who loved the previous book, but I'd still say it's a good enough story to be a classic, slightly YA fantasy drama.
The retelling of Norse myths isn't as strong/evident anymore. That's what I loved so much about the first book, but as soon as I realised that this sequel had its setting mostly in our contemporary times I got worried. And rightly so. I don't care about our world or some humans I don't know. I'm reading a book about Loki because I want Norse mythology stuff and not YA drama. I do appreciate that Harris tried to address some important issues with Jumps (coming out, eating disorder, self-harm etc.) though a trigger warning at the beginning would have been nice. However, I simply didn't care too much for Jumps or Evan or any of the other humans. Again, I'm here for Loki, Odin and Thor and not their dealings with human teenagers.
The story resulting from that YA drama mixed with some Norse mythology isn't a bad one, strictly speaking, but it's also not the most interesting or thrilling one. I didn't care much for so many things in the book, which was mostly due to the fact that either they simply weren't interesting or had nothing to do with the Norse mythology I initially came here for.
This isn't a bad book, by no means. But it's a disappointing one, especially if you have read the first one and liked it as much as me. I wouldn't necessarily recommend to those who loved the previous book, but I'd still say it's a good enough story to be a classic, slightly YA fantasy drama.
December 20, 2018
LOVED the first book. This one I forced myself to continue reading, hoping it would get better, but it never did. (Granted the little twist as to who was really who was a little bit interesting, just not enough of a payoff.) It just didn't feel/read/sound like Loki's voice from the first book. I know she wanted to bring this into the current time, but that's another reason I feel like it wasn't as good as the first one.
May 20, 2019
Well, the Norse Gods were supposed to have ended after Ragnárok. What can be said for this book, is that the author shows a lot more creativity than in her first, because here there were no myths to hold in mind. But this portrait of Loki is way too human compared to what I had in mind.
Want to read
November 29, 2017Gimmie gimmie now!
June 14, 2018
Stopped exactly at 50%. It was unsubtle and boring, and felt badly-plotted and badly-paced to me.
December 16, 2018
Cute story, and clearly a nice tie-in to the author's Runemarks series, but I found myself missing the full spectrum of gods and mythology that made up The Gospel of Loki.
April 14, 2020
Wow, what a breath of fresh air after the previous book! What a pleasant (if, at times, slightly confusing) little read this was. Oh, sure, it has all the same hallmarks as The Gospel of Loki, but it also has more, and I liked it more.
Right off the bat, the annoying voice of Loki is turned down in this book. I feel like that was mostly due to the introduction of Jumps - the teenage girl he finds himself sharing a body with - and I'm so thankful. So thankful. There's a lot of that cringey 'your humble narrator' crap, and all in all things just feel more... in the right place. One of my biggest issues with the previous book was that things felt too modern for what was supposed to be an old Norse, viking inspired book. This time, that worked. The majority of this book was set in the real world, and so Loki's... Loki-isms, worked. I still think it's a strange characterisation of him, and I don't think I like it overall, but at least this time it was easier to read.
Apart from when we hit about the 200 page mark... Oh boy, did I get confused. For the most part, I liked this book. I enjoyed the new approach it had taken, and I liked seeing an authors take on post-Ragnarok goings on. What I didn't like was how confusing things got. Odin's whole plan to get Mimir's head back from dream and hear the prophecy just... went straight over my head. I didn't get his references to Schrodinger's cat, I couldn't wrap my head around all the plots and subplots and deceit going on, and that's ultimately what hindered my enjoyment of this otherwise good book.
On the positive side of things, though, this little story is packed with diverse characters! The main character, Jumps, is dealing with mental health issues (on page references to eating disorders and self-harm) and falls within the LGBTQ+ community. (I'm not sure where, it's never explicitly labelled, but she's definitely into girls and there was the smallest mention of having a crush on Thor). Her best friend, Evan, has a glass eye, CFS, and chronic pain that often leaves him wheelchair bound. And Jumps' love interest, Meg, is a woman loving woman of colour. I was surprised to see all of this, but it was definitely a welcome surprise.
I honestly wish there had been more story just following Loki and Jumps as they navigated sharing a body, and - dare I say it? - less of the Norse mythology. I'm a huge fan of the myths, don't get me wrong, I was just a little too confused to fully appreciate it this time round. That being said, I do want to give Runemarks another try now, because the ending of this seemed to link very nicely into the beginning of that.
All in all, not a bad read.
Right off the bat, the annoying voice of Loki is turned down in this book. I feel like that was mostly due to the introduction of Jumps - the teenage girl he finds himself sharing a body with - and I'm so thankful. So thankful. There's a lot of that cringey 'your humble narrator' crap, and all in all things just feel more... in the right place. One of my biggest issues with the previous book was that things felt too modern for what was supposed to be an old Norse, viking inspired book. This time, that worked. The majority of this book was set in the real world, and so Loki's... Loki-isms, worked. I still think it's a strange characterisation of him, and I don't think I like it overall, but at least this time it was easier to read.
Apart from when we hit about the 200 page mark... Oh boy, did I get confused. For the most part, I liked this book. I enjoyed the new approach it had taken, and I liked seeing an authors take on post-Ragnarok goings on. What I didn't like was how confusing things got. Odin's whole plan to get Mimir's head back from dream and hear the prophecy just... went straight over my head. I didn't get his references to Schrodinger's cat, I couldn't wrap my head around all the plots and subplots and deceit going on, and that's ultimately what hindered my enjoyment of this otherwise good book.
On the positive side of things, though, this little story is packed with diverse characters! The main character, Jumps, is dealing with mental health issues (on page references to eating disorders and self-harm) and falls within the LGBTQ+ community. (I'm not sure where, it's never explicitly labelled, but she's definitely into girls and there was the smallest mention of having a crush on Thor). Her best friend, Evan, has a glass eye, CFS, and chronic pain that often leaves him wheelchair bound. And Jumps' love interest, Meg, is a woman loving woman of colour. I was surprised to see all of this, but it was definitely a welcome surprise.
I honestly wish there had been more story just following Loki and Jumps as they navigated sharing a body, and - dare I say it? - less of the Norse mythology. I'm a huge fan of the myths, don't get me wrong, I was just a little too confused to fully appreciate it this time round. That being said, I do want to give Runemarks another try now, because the ending of this seemed to link very nicely into the beginning of that.
All in all, not a bad read.
April 1, 2024
In my opinion, this was a huge step up from The Gospel of Loki, the first in this series. My complaints about the characterisation of Loki from the preceding novel are fixed here as Loki grows in character and understanding, becoming a more likeable presence as a result.
As predicted in my review for the previous book in the series, this novel takes you to strange and unpredictable places, all of which are huge spoilers. Unlike The Gospel of Loki, The Testament of Loki held me captive and I finished the book relatively quickly. I think it benefits from a smaller cast, throwing away lots of the peripheral characters from the mythology and instead focussing on a core cast of five or six main characters. I understand some reviewers complaints regarding this as partway through this change could be viewed as detrimental and immature, but the tale grows and matures and takes you places that belay the teenage quality it takes on for a short while.
A huge improvement and, as a result, I've decided to read the other two novels in the series, Runemarks and Runelight.
As predicted in my review for the previous book in the series, this novel takes you to strange and unpredictable places, all of which are huge spoilers. Unlike The Gospel of Loki, The Testament of Loki held me captive and I finished the book relatively quickly. I think it benefits from a smaller cast, throwing away lots of the peripheral characters from the mythology and instead focussing on a core cast of five or six main characters. I understand some reviewers complaints regarding this as partway through this change could be viewed as detrimental and immature, but the tale grows and matures and takes you places that belay the teenage quality it takes on for a short while.
A huge improvement and, as a result, I've decided to read the other two novels in the series, Runemarks and Runelight.
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