The Gospel of Loki [Paperback]

“A surprise from the author ofChocolat,”New York Timesbestselling 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,TheGospel of Lokitells 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 Timesbestseller Joanne M. Harris has created a vibrant and powerful fantasy novel that theSunday Sunrecommends “to her long-standing audience with wit, style and obvious enjoyment;”The Sunday Timesclaims it “lively and fun;” andThe Metroadds that “Harris has enormous fun with her antihero...this mythical bad boy should beguile fans of Neil Gaiman.”The Gospel of Loki



LESSON 1

Fire and Ice

Never trust a ruminant.

— Lokabrenna

All of us came from fire and ice. Chaos and Order. Light and dark. In the beginning — or back in the day — there was fire coming out of a hole in the ice, bringing disruption, turmoil, and change. Change isn’t always comfortable, but it is a fact of life. And that’s where life as we know it began, as the fires of World Below pierced the ice of World Above.

Before that, there were no Middle Worlds. No gods, no Folk, no wildlife. There was only Order and Chaos then, pure and uncorrupted.

But neither Order nlÓ.