***This book was for my own enjoyment.

Amy and her mangy mutt Fenrir are on their way to her aunt Beatrice’s house for the summer when an accident leaves her in the hands of a deranged killer. A terrified plea brings the (accidental) assistance of the most unlikely of gods- Loki. A magical accident has landed him on earth, fugitive from Asgard, and desperate to find his sons, whom he fears are dead. Earth is a far different place than last Loki was there. As thanks for saving Amy’s life, Beatrice gives him a place to stay. She figures out who he is, and remembers the legends that say it’s always better to be hospitable to the god of mischief than not. So much for a nice, quiet summer…

I’ve seen lots of reviewers complaining that this story is ‘incomplete’. I disagree. In format, it very much seems a serial, which, once complete, will make a whole book. I remember buying Stephen King’s The Green Mile piece by piece as a serial novel. Each ‘book’ of I Bring the Fire can be taken as a section of a greater whole. I’ve read the series entire, and am now listening to the audible copies I have.

Loki, and the other gods, are not deities per se. They have powers and strengths beyond the humans, but they are still people, with all the trials and tribulations that go along with that. They love. They hate. In personality, they grow or stagnate just as humans do. What we get to see here is a clash of several vastly different cultures. As an anthropologist, I found this clashing rendered quite well.

This Loki is quite adorable. A force to be reckoned with, yes, but adorable nonetheless. He’s fascinated by human technology. He sees it- perhaps rightly so- as human ‘magic’. Certainly other magical beings are at a loss with it, just as humans are with magic. Loki takes the time to learn though, echoing his mythic aspects of a liminal guardian capable of walking two worlds with ease.

I enjoyed the teasing, playful references to the recent Thor movies. Especially how Amy kept insisting he should be blue. 😆 The humour throughout is another tribute to our legendary Loki, who is not only the God of Mischief, but the Lord of Laughter, whose greatest lesson is to never take yourself seriously. He’s such a tragic figure, too. You can’t help but want to give him a hug. The whole situation with his sons, the flashbacks we get to a much younger Loki… Laughter and mischief are clearly coping mechanisms.

📚📚📚📚 Highly recommended for any with a love for Loki, Norse myth on crack, and rollicking good humour to check this serial out!