Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    The Gospel of Loki
    The Gospel of Loki
    The Gospel of Loki
    Audiobook10 hours

    The Gospel of Loki

    Written by Joanne M. Harris

    Narrated by Allan Corduner

    4.5/5

    ()

    Switch to ebook

    About this audiobook

    “A surprise from the author of Chocolat,” New York Times bestselling author Joanne M. Harris, “this pacy adult fantasy is narrated by Loki, the Norse god of fire and mischief” (Vogue).

    This novel is a brilliant first-person narrative of the rise and fall of the Norse gods—retold from the point of view of the world’s ultimate trickster, Loki. A #1 bestseller in the UK, The Gospel of Loki tells the story of Loki’s recruitment from the underworld of Chaos, his many exploits on behalf of his one-eyed master, Odin, through to his eventual betrayal of the gods and the fall of Asgard itself.

    Using her lifelong passion for the Norse myths, New York Times bestseller Joanne M. Harris has created a vibrant and powerful fantasy novel that the Sunday Sun recommends “to her long-standing audience with wit, style, and obvious enjoyment;” The Sunday Times claims it “lively and fun;” and The Metro adds that “Harris has enormous fun with her antihero...this mythical bad boy should beguile fans of Neil Gaiman.”
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSimon & Schuster Audio
    Release dateMay 5, 2015
    ISBN9781442387744
    Author

    Joanne M. Harris

    Joanne Harris is an Anglo-French author, whose books include fourteen novels, two cookbooks, and many short stories. Her work is extremely diverse, covering aspects of magical realism, suspense, historical fiction, mythology, and fantasy. In 2000, her 1999 novel Chocolat was adapted to the screen, starring Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp. She is an honorary Fellow of St. Catharine’s College, Cambridge, and in 2013 was awarded an MBE by the Queen. Her hobbies are listed in Who’s Who as “mooching, lounging, strutting, strumming, priest-baiting, and quiet subversion.” She also spends too much time on Twitter, plays flute and bass guitar in a band first formed when she was sixteen, and works from a shed in her garden at her home in Yorkshire.

    Related to The Gospel of Loki

    Related audiobooks

    Fantasy For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Shelf Life

      Sep 2, 2021

      Shelf Life
      4 min read

    • Article

      Stop Hating on Adjectives!

      Jun 12, 2019

      A common admonition in creative writing pedagogy is, “Cut as many adjectives as possible.” I propose that this rule springs from mere prejudice. The post Stop Hating on Adjectives! appeared first on The Millions.

      7 min read

    • Article

      There Be Treasure, Danger And Death

      Dec 3, 2019

      What if I told you there is a treasure chest filled with precious gemstones, gold nuggets and priceless artifacts hidden somewhere in the Rocky Mountains? That an eccentric art collector buried an antique, metal box worth over $5 million dollars some

      7 min read

    • Article

      I Used To Be Well Read

      Jun 29, 2022

      I Used To Be Well Read
      4 min read

    • Article

      Spellcheck

      Jan 1, 2019

      Whose history I do not know. I do know I’ve been e-upbraided for my fast and loose spelling of Woden, the god whose last worshipper must have slipped under the sod during the medieval period, somewhere in the 10th century—imagine those bog-soaked des

      5 min read

    • Article

      People Of Middle Earth

      Sep 7, 2022

      People Of Middle Earth
      9 min read

    • Article

      Spell

      Apr 25, 2018

      Spell
      4 min read

    • Article

      Going Gothic How To Tell The Goth-iest Story Ever

      Oct 1, 2021

      WHAT DO DRACULA, FRANKENSTEIN, AND YOUR SISTER’S LACE-UP COMBAT BOOTS ALL HAVE IN COMMON? If your answer was “they’re super cool,” you’d be right! But if your answer was “they’re all part of the gothic’tradition,” you’d be even righter. Being gothic

      3 min read

    • Article

      A Year in Reading: Tim Lane

      Dec 8, 2021

      We stopped at the Topaz Internment Camp, where my wife’s family was held during World War II, near the tiny town of Delta, Utah. We found the apocalyptic remnants of one of our country’s great shames. The post A Year in Reading: Tim Lane appeared fi

      7 min read

    • Article

      Reviews

      Sep 9, 2021

      Reviews
      6 min read

    • Article

      Taking Flight

      Oct 12, 2021

      Taking Flight
      11 min read

    • Article

      Letters

      Mar 24, 2022

      CONTACT US BY POST: PO BOX 1200, WHITSTABLE CT1 9RH, OR E-MAIL SIEVEKING@FORTEANTIMES.COM PLEASE PROVIDE US WITH YOUR POSTAL ADDRESS The very interesting report on ‘Man Of Russia’ and his outlandish claims about giant trees [FT415:9] got me thinking

      14 min read

    • Article

      A Recipe For Murder

      Oct 5, 2023

      A Recipe For Murder
      4 min read

    • Article

      Inglish Like Us

      Dec 24, 2022

      Inglish Like Us
      4 min read

    • Article

      Books

      Oct 10, 2022

      Books
      6 min read

    • Article

      As the World Collapses

      Jul 27, 2017

      As the World Collapses
      7 min read

    • Article

      Me for the Woods

      Jun 30, 2017

      Me for the Woods
      6 min read

    • Article

      “Properties of Thirst”

      Jul 5, 2022

      “Properties of Thirst”
      11 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for The Gospel of Loki

    4.5/5

    157 ratings9 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      I didn’t know anything about this book. It surprised me at every turn. I truly enjoyed it and was sad for it to end

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      Don’t trust him. That’s the first thing. He’s not going to tell you everything, and even when he does, it might not be *everything*. The protagonist’s voice in this work is absolutely perfect, and Harris manages to convey all Loki’s negative qualities while still somehow inspiring just a bit of empathy for him. His self-involvement is so staggering that it’s genuinely funny. For instance, each chapter in “his book” begins with an epigraph that is, in fact, a quote from the book. And in the cases where those specific words aren’t in the text, well, they’re in the epigraph, which puts them in the book, so it’s still true. That’s the kind of circuitous, clever, sideways thinking this character is famous for, and it’s demonstrated everywhere, even in the framework for the story. Well done, that.

      This book hits most of the high points of Norse mythology, the ones we know, but retells them like fractured fairy tales in a way that sparks imagination and fully retained my interest. It would have been easy to veer off into dark, angsty territory, but Harris steers the story well. It never gets so dark that it wasn’t fun, or so full of angst that it stopped being a good quarantine read. Even the destructive revenge bits take such delight in themselves that you feel the glory in the destruction. Think about how good it feels to (safely) smash a few plates. That feeling.

      Harris brings a surprising breadth and depth of emotion to Loki’s character, however often he may insist that he doesn’t have a heart. At the same time, she never lets us, or the character, forget who he is or what he’s done. Yet, I found myself growing fond of him despite that. It’s a fine line, and Harris balances it on the point of a runesword. Most of all, she has fun in the telling, and it shows. There’s nothing earth-shaking here, no deep catharsis, but plenty of poetic justice and delightful irony. It’s a rollicking take on an old favorite, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

      I’d give it four and a half stars. The half-star I’d take away is for the brief homophobia and prevalent misogyny in the tale, either by other characters (the former) or all the male characters (the latter). I understand that this was a time in history when women were little more than property that could cook, but this is fantasy. Most of the female characters are gods, for crying out loud. Like the rest of the myths’ content, Harris could have chosen to reframe this too. It’s disappointing that she did not do so. I would also have loved some queer representation, but given the story’s treatment of gender, which is in line with Tolkien’s if you’d like a reference for comparison, I wasn’t expecting any.

      The reader of this audiobook was fabulous. Really. He got into the persona of the character to the point that his delivery legitimately enhanced the character and furthered the story. His emotion and tone were spot-on throughout. My only complaint is that some of his takes on the female characters make them sound like idiots or children. This was also frustrating. But his rendition of the protagonist—and the story is told in first person—is really something special. This is one instance where I’d say you’d be missing something if you read the print version instead of the audio version.

      Of course he’s an unreliable narrator. I love books with an unreliable narrator. But Harris takes the concept of the unreliable narrative even further in clever ways that surprised and impressed me. History is written by the victors, we all know that. It would spoil the story to say more.

      I fully enjoyed this book, despite its flaws, as a light, fun distraction full of the ironic humor that so appeals to us older millennials. I’d recommend it to anyone who enjoys Norse myth, high fantasy, D&D, antiheroes, unreliable narrators, and/or sarcasm as an art form. Enjoy.

      Just remember, never trust him. In fact, never trust anyone. (4.5 stars)

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      In a time of renewed popularity of the Norse myths, it is difficult to find a new angle without coming off as gimmicky. Harris succeeds beautifully in the Gospel of Loki. The antihero of both Chaos and Asgard gives a fresh and personal touch to the narrative along with wit and love-to-hate-that-bad-boy charm. I look forward to reading the sequel.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      Such a great book, fun to hear the Norse legends from a different point of view!

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      love to new view point of the old myths 5 stats

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      Really good story, can't wait to start next the book!

    • 5/5
      I really enjoyed the Sagas from the viewpoint of Loki. It was a fun story and the narrator did a wonderful job. Though I think his accents were more Eastern European than Scandinavian. Having parents from Denmark leaves me picky about Scandinavian accents. But it didn’t detract from the great story telling.
    • 5/5
      Absolutely fantastic retelling of the Norse folklore and giving much more dimension to Loki, as he deserves.
    • 2/5
      I was hoping for an interesting story about Loki since he’s my favorite Marvel character, but this wasn’t it. It was basically a retelling of the Norse myths from his perspective. Only slightly more interesting than reading a Wikipedia page about Loki. If you want to learn, read it. If you want to be entertained, read a different book.