The Gospel of Loki

Saga Press

The Gospel of Loki
Joanne M. Harris
2015

The Summary
"This novel is the wise and witty narrative of the rise and fall of the Norse gods--retold from the point of view of the world's ultimate trickster, Loki.  A Times bestseller in the United Kingdom, The Gospel of Loki tells the story of Loki's recruitment from the Underworld of Chaos and his many exploits on behalf of his one-eyed master, Odin, and the betrayal of Asgard."

The Good
The Gospel of Loki is an unusual novel.  Although it offers great insight into the cornerstone stories of Norse mythology, it's a novel told from the perspective of a notoriously unreliable narrator.  I mean, you literally cannot tell where the truth ends and the lies begin.  You'll never know which version of events to believe, or which stories are as he claims.  He manipulates the story as much as he likes, and it's hard to distinguish the truth when it's coming from the mouth of one of the greatest liars in literature and myth.

However, Loki makes an incredibly descriptive and wonderfully witty storyteller.  He gives Harris' novel an entirely unique flavor.  He's a piece of chaos thrust into the human world, wildfire forced into a human shape by Odin--and his story reflects his uncontrollable nature, his conflicting characteristics and his irrepressible instinct for pleasure.  He's one of the more interesting characters I've had the pleasure to meet.

Oh, sure, he's probably not the best person to look to for the truth.  He's manipulative, he's rather cruel, and he's terribly vindictive; more importantly, he's capable of great evil--and he's entirely unprincipled.  But he's also a funny, flawed narrator with a different perspective on the Norse gods as we know them.  Moreover, he knows how to weave a story and, I'll admit, I was impressed.

Granted, he might use a strangely modernized speech that conflicts with my own impression of the Norse gods and, well, what he sometimes portrays.  (But I attribute some of that to his ability to break the fourth wall, like Deadpool or Genie from Aladdin.)  It's a bit distracting when he uses modern words I wouldn't expect an ancient god to use, but it's not a deal-breaker.

Overall, I enjoyed reading The Gospel of Loki.  It's an interesting, engaging novel with an unusual--and completely untrustworthy--narrator.  I would highly recommend it to any readers with an interest in Norse mythology or, better yet, finds himself/herself intrigued by having a trickster and a villain as a narrator.

The Bad
If you know anything about Norse mythology, I find past knowledge sort of wrecks the story.  You know exactly what's going to happen to Baldur, and you know what terrible evils Loki will wreak on the Norse gods and, moreover, you'll have an inkling to the fate that he describes at the beginning of the book.  Any previous knowledge sort of dulls the luster of his story, because you know what the end will bring.

I don't think it should deter readers, since Loki has the opportunity to tell his side and give his impressions of the old stories; however, I can see how it might make Harris' novel a little less desirable.

The Ugly
Loki is not a nice person.

Like I said, he's a liar and a thief, a cheat and a manipulator--and a murderer.  (I'm not telling you anything new, so don't worry.)  And, unfortunately, the other gods aren't much better.  They're violent, they're crude, they're greedy and cruel.

Honestly, I'm surprised he doesn't fit right in.