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Maybe you know one. Maybe you are one and you just don’t know it yet. But watch out if you are. The Hunt is drawing near – and they want your powers for themselves. Norse gods were already having quite a moment before Burgess came along, what with Neil Gaiman’s Norse Mythology and the past decade of Marvel movies. “Norse myths are particularly suitable for the north of Europe, rather than [those Greek gods] and their soft paddling around in the Mediterranean!” Burgess says. “These are our gods; the gods that the days of our week are named after. They fit our psyche a little better, perhaps. They are more wild and hairy and slightly more uncivilised.”
While the language is crude at times, Burgess’ writing is also very funny, lyrical, thought provoking, and atmospheric. Give a dog a bad name they say, and never was there any dog with a name worse than mine. I am a bad person, I expect. You will begin with your suspicions about me and I don’t expect to convince you otherwise.“ He recounts the Norse creation myths and tales both familiar and unfamiliar. Yet it is clear that despite his inclination towards rebelliousness he still seeks a place among the old guard and willingly negotiating the turbulent politics of Asgard. There were some interesting elements in here which I felt were discussed well but I don’t want to risk spoiling the book by listing them out. Dystopian Fiction Books Everyone Should Read: Explore The Darker Side of Possible Worlds and Alternative FuturesI’m a big fan of Japanese and Korean fiction because it feels fresh whereas so much of the fiction here, you think, Oh God, I kind of know this.” Alongside the politics of Asgard, it charts the course of Loki's many loves and families, from his mothering of Odin's famous horse to his intense, turbulent, and, eventually, fatal relationship with Baldr the Beautiful - a tender and moving story of love that goes wrong, jealousy and a transitioning that is forbidden by society. As a Norse (Dane) I've been wanting to read more books inspired by/retellings of Norse mythology, but they're not as easy to come by as certain other mythologies cough Greek cough, so I was excited when I came across this one - and it's also told by one of the best Norse gods, Loki ( I'm not biased.. you are)!
It was not until he was 30 that he tried writing seriously, churning out short stories, radio dramas and children’s fiction. An Angel for May, his first book for kids, was shortlisted for the Carnegie, recognising the year’s best children’s book by a British author, in 1992. But it was Junk that set his career – and reputation – ablaze.
Waterstones Manchester Deansgate event with Mark Illis. It’s a double launch!– Mark’s launching his book, The Impossible; on the Run. I’ll be talking about The Lost Witch. JULY 21st This was something where I’d done most of the research long before. When I was a boy, my dad used to work for Oxford University Press and he used to bring me home books of folk tales, myths and legends. My favourite by a long way was Tales of the Norse Gods and Heroes, by Barbara Leonie Picard. I loved that book, particularly the stories of the gods, and of course particularly the stories involving Loki. I knew them pretty well off by heart already. Also, some years ago, I wrote two books based on one of the Norse sagas, the Volsunga saga, called Bloodtide and Bloodsong, so I was already steeped in this mythology. I did go over the original sources as well – the Younger Edda, the Elder Edda and other bits and pieces. But most of the groundwork had already been done. I just had to let Loki tell the old tales from his point of view – which, unsurprisingly, turned out to be very different from the versions that were handed down to us from other sources. Burgess recounts Loki’s genius . . . with great gusto, pulling together many tales into one sometimes beautifully lyrical masterwork.’ SFX MAGAZINE As someone who has in the past been castigated for corrupting young minds – reviewing Doing It in 2003, Anne Fine called the book “filth” and said the publishers should be “deeply ashamed” – does Burgess think parents today still worry about what their children are reading?
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