Shopify Vendor: Burgess, Melvin

Step into the ancient fir-tree forests of Scandinavia and bear witness to legends as epic as those of the Greeks and the Romans. Loki, born within the heart of a fire in the hollow of a tree-trunk, arrives in Asgard as an outsider. Over time, he goes on to become one of Odin’s closest allies and plays an integral role in the rise of the Golden Era of the Gods – and their eventual destruction. This book – told from the perspective of Loki, the trickster god – charts the history of Norse mythology, starting with the creation of heaven and earth and leading to the eventual downfall of the gods. Told deftly with complexity and nuance, we hear the famous stories of Odin’s self-sacrifice on the World Tree and the murder of Balder the Beautiful, and how Loki fathered Odin’s horse Sleipnir. This is a retelling of the cycle of Norse myths for modern times, written with the vividness and earthy, sometimes shocking humour for which this prize-winning author is famous.

The Bloods are in control and they’re desperate to turn Britain into the world they want to see: right, white, Christian supremist. Anyone who they call abnormal is a target. Amidst the chaos of civil war the country is on the move as small militia groups fight each other and a sea of refugees escapes the cities and the pursuing Bloods. When her home is destroyed in a bombing raid, Marti must strike out on a mission of her own – to save her father and get his vital software into the right hands. But Marti is mixed race and trans and has her young brother in tow. Crossing into enemy territory could prove suicidal. Yet Marti’s enemies haven’t reckoned with her indomitable will to survive – and the gun she carries, which has three bullets . . .

THE FIRST ADULT NOVEL BY THE CARNEGIE PRIZE WINNING AUTHOR OF JUNK’Burgess recounts Loki’s genius . . . with great gusto, pulling together many tales into one sometimes beautifully lyrical masterwork.’ SFX MAGAZINEStep into the ancient fir-tree forests of Scandinavia and bear witness to legends as epic as those of the Greeks and the Romans. Melvin Burgess revolutionised children’s literature with the infamous cult novels Junk and Doing It. In his first adult novel, Loki, he breathes new life into Norse myths. Starting with the Norse creation myths, the trickster god Loki takes the reader on a wild ride through Norse mythology, from the time the gods – the founders of Asgard – defeated races of monsters, and hurtling through famous stories, including Odin hanging himself on the World Tree, the theft of the corrupting gold ring and the murder of Baldr, the god of love and the Sun. This narrative may seem familiar enough at first, but the reader should beware. Born within the heart of a fire in the hollow of a tree-trunk, Loki arrives in Asgard as an outsider. He is a trickster, an unreliable narrator, the god of intelligence and politics. In spite of his cleverness and sparkling wit (or, perhaps, because of this…) Loki struggles to find his place among the old patriarchal gods of supernatural power and is constantly at odds with the god of thunder – Thor. 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. This is a retelling that is contemporary in tone, at once amusing and relatable. It is a heartfelt plea to overthrow the old gods of power and authority and instigate a new era ruled by love and intelligence.