{RUNEMARKS 0.6} THE TESTAMENT OF LOKI.

 

THE TESTAMOUNT OF LOKI by JOANNE M HARRIS.

Asgard 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 ... ... Back Cover Blurb

Asgrad was falling. ... First Sentence, Darkness: Chapter 1

Humans are vivid dreamers, of course. Their appetite for stories is vast; and every night they create new dreams; new ephemeral Worlds to explore. Some of these Worlds are tiny, no larger than a soap-bubble. Some are as tall as glaciers; implacable as Destiny. Some last for less than a second or two; others may last up to a minute. Just long enough, in theory, for someone - let's say, a renegade god - to enter the dream and, from there, to follow the silver thread that leads into the dreamer's sleeping mind - ... Memorable Moment, Page 11

0.6 in the author's Runemarks series or, if you prefer, book 2 in the author's Loki series, the Loki series being a spin-off/prequel which ties into the Runemarks series.

Just as they said that kept long enough flared trousers would come back into fashion, so, Loki forgotten, the world has new beliefs, new idols, new deities ... that is until, humankind once again looks to the old Norse gods and, well ...

The first instalment, The Gospel of Loki {see my review here}, is an enjoyable re-imagining/re-writing of Norse mythology, whilst this, the second instalment, is more of what I'd describe as a blend of Norse mythology and urban fantasy {with a slight bias towards the latter}; something that I know didn't sit well with so many lovers of Norse mythology, many of whom found this second instalment too outlandish. For myself however ...

Set in the present day, Loki as self-obsessed, as self-indulgent, as vain as ever, that the author has him share the body of a teenage girl {Jumps} with all kinds of modern day issues is nothing if not a stroke of genius; a stroke of genius that makes the book sooo much fun to read whilst dealing with some pretty sensitive, coming-of-age themes ⚠️including self-harm and eating disorders  which sees Loki trying to help in, well, his own inevitable way.

A story in two parts, the first of which puts Loki and some of the other Asgard Gods sharing bodies; largely those of teenagers {which as you might imagine leads to all kinds of comedy of errors} with the exception of Thor who, well, well, lets just say, in a highly amusing twist, gets to share the body of, ah!, that would be telling {those that simply have to know, see below}, the second, a perilous and epic journey down the River of Dreams to get Mimir's head back from dream that sees Jump come into her own ... to say nothing of Loki of whom we get to see some unexpected character development.

Thanks to Jump, her best friend, Evan, who has a glass eye and {CFS} Chronic Fatigue Syndrome that often leaves him wheelchair bound and Jump's love interest, Meg, a woman of colour {what a wonderfully diverse lot they are}, a little less grown-up a read than its predecessor, its humour if not exactly juvenile, slightly, hmm, slightly less sophisticated. Yes, its a very different read from the first instalment and yet for all of that I enjoyed it every bit as much, thinking Loki an ideal vessel for the author who is well known for her witty dialogue.

Which brings me to the million dollar pound question ... can the Testament Of Loki be read as a standalone novel?

In a nutshell, yes. However I do suggest you read The Gospel Of Loki first ... and not just because its a great read; I truly feel that you'll benefit from reading book one first as it gives a great insight into the author's Gods and the world they inhabited.

For those wishing to know about Thor in his current Aspect, simply scroll over the below text to hi-light it. 

He looked down at the fluffy white dog, which was now cavorting around her ankles, still barking excitedly. Thor at least seemed happy enough in his current Aspect: I imagine he and his canine host had more than a few things in common. An optimistic outlook; excellent teeth; a boundless appetite for snacks - in fact, as far as Thor was concerned, he'd probably found his perfect match. I patted his head. He growled at me and bared his little puppy-teeth. Pg 89

Oh and be sure not to leave any spoilers in the comment box.