Loki the (anti)Hero

Really good read and delightful remake of Norse myths. Present tense writing style took some getting used to. Loki is engaging as the hero/anti-hero who is always trying to do the right thing, and sometimes manages it. ( )

Originally posted on Tales to Tide You Over

Part I:
I picked up the Urban Mythic Box Set a while ago because I enjoy the myths it springs from, but like most books, it ended up buried on my Kindle until this week. I happened upon it when needing a break from my planned reading list. Sometimes luck is with you, and a random choice brings you a new favorite author, as I seem to have found with C. Gockel.

This book is the beginning of a series focused around the Norse mythic character of Loki. Tricksters are complex creatures and it’s a tossup whether they are villains or something else. In this, Loki is definitely something else, though he has both bad moments and good.

The myths and stories often bug me. It’s not that I have a bad boy preference but more I can see the full character arc. I see both where Loki has the potential to be good and is good along with where that nature is twisted because of the actions of others. The supposed good guys often behave horribly, but no one calls them on it. It’s fine to bully Loki because he deserves it. There’s no recognition given to how his behavior is a response to mistreatment in the first place.

Yes, I have a soapbox, and Loki puts me right up there on it.

That said, this portrayal is well done because it provides a balanced view of the character, showing both what prompted his behavior and how his response can be out of proportion and brings chaos along with it. There are a lot of hints about things hidden from him as well, giving the character a sense of mystery and more to come.

Then there’s Amy. She gives a lovely human perspective to it all. She doesn’t have an easy life. Amy has to work and save every penny each summer to pay for her veterinary degree. She’s far from trusting, but she judges a person on their actions for the most part and revises that judgment when she learns more. As a vet in training, she has a soft spot for animals I can appreciate (along with a technical curiosity I found amusing), but it’s more than that. She’s a “roll with the punches” type of person who holds those around her to the same high standards while giving them a chance to improve instead of writing them off. She doesn’t sit back and accept, but tries to figure out what’s at the root of things even when the light it shines doesn’t show her own behavior off well. There were a couple of times when I thought the author had been caught up in the revised fairy tale, but Amy is the one to see behind the curtain.

I’m a sucker for books that make me want to share quotes, and even more when the moment is still strong when out of context. While there are definitely both deep and dark points in this story, the fun, and funny, times are just begging to be read aloud. This is especially true where Loki’s confusion with the modern world comes into view. His brushes with technology are infrequent enough and well chosen to be amusing even as they emphasize how out of place he is. A quick example is the perspectives of Amy and the standard SUV with remote versus Loki and “Car,” a living metal creature that understands politely worded requests like please open a window.

Even better, those tangles with technology are not just there for humor value but end up becoming relevant in the story.

I’ve focused a lot on the main characters (though Amy’s grandmother Beatrice and Fenrir, an ugly rat mutt of a dog, deserve not to be left out along with Loki’s caretakers), but the story is strong with as many serious as funny moments. The characters are definitely a strength, but this “part one” offers complex events that change the characters in many ways. It is an opening into a story world that is both familiar and unknown.

This is neither a Marvel nor a mythological recounting of the Norse tales. It has been influenced by both, and they’re mentioned in the story, but this tale is of its own telling. It’s strengthened by the solid foundation into a well-rounded story with characters I came to care about and mysteries still to come. The book offers a fitting series beginning with a satisfying, complete arc and introduces the next piece to come. The “cliffhanger” ending comes in what is more like an epilogue than part of the main story. As such, it did not bother me beyond making me want to continue to the next book.

Part II:
Monsters is a middle novel in most respects. It advances the overall series plot, and both introduces and develops more characters. Unlike the first book, I didn’t find a clear plot arc for this section as a separate entity. Still, Loki’s development as he becomes a little more interested in something beyond revenge is compelling as is what we learn of his history.

I hold out hope for Loki’s most recent losses, following on a long line of people he cares about being stripped away, but I don’t know if that’s foolish optimism or not. There’s been no real hint of them (you’ll find out who I mean when you read the book). It’s more how this continuing pattern affects Loki not just with each loss but in an ongoing fashion, informing his choices in the present. This is the main core of Monsters as it offers evidence about both people and entities like Cera that are considered monsters, allowing the reader to make their own conclusions.

Don’t think I’m saying nothing happens as that would be completely false. It’s more that none of the major plot threads resolve, though a couple come to a head. This is a complicated situation with many interpersonal changes in Amy’s relationship with Loki and the Agency as well as a focused look at Steve Rogers (not the one you’re thinking of). Where Steve stands in the Agency as it relates to Loki, to Cera, and his understanding of Amy is constantly maturing.

The depiction of Loki is what drew me to the series in the first place. This book continues the complexity of his character both in his deeds and in his reactions to misdeeds, whether accidental or not. I contrast that to Thor, who seen through Loki’s eyes has more value than I’d previously noticed, but never seems to question his own actions.

Amy took the back seat to Steve in a lot of ways, something I originally had problems with because a hard-nosed, bureaucratic ex-marine is a hard sell for me. Again, as with Loki, he is more than his programming and the company line, and I came to like him a lot. This also makes life a bit more difficult for him, always a good thing where story tension is concerned.

There’s a large secondary cast, several of whom steal the narration for a bit, but Steve and Loki are definitely the frontrunners.

I enjoyed the creative mixes of tech and magic, nice plot seeds here and there, beautiful characterizations of the cheering and haunting type, and room for hope even if it turns out to be false. Real-world problems like racism are demonstrated beautifully in the moment, perhaps even opening some eyes to a reality they’ve never had to see. On top of all that, the mention of one of my favorite science books “How to Teach Physics to Your Dog” is just perfect in the context.

While I do not feel this can be read as a standalone, as a continuation of the greater tale, Monsters lives up to the universe, the characterization, and the depth of narrative. It offers a sometimes fun and sometimes tragic package. I’m glad I kept reading, and plan to slip the third novel into my reading schedule soon. ( )