Have a listen to the opening, when Bea first discovers her powers. http://melvinburgess.net/news/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/The-Lost-Witch-Chapter-1.m4a

First off, I want to make it clear that this is very much a collection of retellings - don't take everything at face value. Loki isn't actually originally included in a lot of the stories he's telling throughout the book, but very fitting to his character, it also makes him come off as an unreliable narrator. Some were given a fun twist, others that aren't so thoroughly told originally were explained further (Norse mythology can be a bit "weird" which leaves a lot of room for interpretation) and overall it was nice to revisit a lot of the stories I've heard throughout my childhood/school years. For anyone planning on going to the Waterstones event in York on the 24th – sorry, it’s been cancelled. http://melvinburgess.net/news/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Behind-the-Scenes_-Interview-of-Melvin-Burgess-1.mp4 Step into the ancient fir-tree forests of Scandinavia and bear witness to legends as epic as those of the Greeks and the Romans.Illustrated by the wonderful Chris Mould, Count is about a boy who boasts that he can count up to ten million. No one believes him – he doesn’t even believe it himself. But once he starts, he falls in love with the numbers and they fall in love with him …. and you just never an tell what numbers are going to do next. Gedurende het boek praat Loki rechtstreeks tegen de lezer en vertelt hij over zijn streken tijdens de mythen. De manier waarop hij met de lezer communiceert, geeft het boek een aangename en humoristische toets. Burgess again courted predictable controversy in 2003, with the publication of Doing It, which dealt with underage sex. America created a show based on the book, Life As We Know It. In his other books, such as Bloodtide and The Ghost Behind the Wall, Burgess has dealt with less realist and sometimes fantastic themes. In 2001 Burgess wrote the novelisation of the film Billy Elliot, based on Lee Hall's screenplay. Polyphony is typical for his most famous novels. Everyone says fourteen year-old Billie is nothing but trouble. A fighter. A danger to her family and friends. But her care worker sees someone different. Of course, in Loki’s tale he is always the hero, a Northern Prometheus and champion of humankind, while many of the Norse pantheon are portrayed as baddies or buffoons. However, Odin is treated more kindly as are the Norse goddesses.

This is the very lovely Italian edition of The Cry of the Wolf, published last year by Equilibri – and shortlisted for the Children’s Strega Prize! It’s a big deal in all sorts of ways. My first shortlisting in Italy and for such a big prize, too! That reading was for me a fun and enthralling experience, the Norse myths being dismantled and reassembled with a very modern sensibility. Indeed some of the overtly "religiously" aspects are presented in what was for me, as a Christian, a very suggestive way - clearly, for all his confinement, Loki has a good knowledge of the modern work. Take for example Thor's passion, dying nailed to a tree before descending to the Underworld and arising again, bearing the scars of his experience. This was a very horrifying, but also moving, account, as much so for me as any Easter passion. Other elements touch on the modern understanding of gender fluidity, with one of the gods (I won't say who, because spoilers) challenging the rigid, patriarchal regime of Thor and Odin with their developing understanding of their own identity. In 'Loki' vertelt Melvin Burgess de Noordse mythen vanuit het perspectief van Loki. Voor mensen die bekend zijn met dit onderwerp, biedt dit een interessante kijk op het verhaal en kun je het gemakkelijk volgen. Natuurlijk worden er dingen verdraaid, maar dit vertelt Loki zelf al aan het begin van het boek. I’m not sure if it’s because I read this on audiobook and the narrator sounded very much like MCU Loki or if it was indeed the voice the author intended but I found the “woe is me” and the “it’s everyone’s fault but mine” quite tiresome by about 2/3 of the way through. Burgess frames his gleeful adult debut as Loki, Norse god of mischief, attempting to set his story straight. With a reputation and history to rewrite, the wily, defiant, and prideful Loki chronicles his many contributions to Asgard, home of the gods. Burgess's Loki turns classic Norse legend on its head and doles out heavy doses of sarcasm and contempt at not getting enough recognition for all he has done for Asgard. This will be a treat for any fan of remixed mythology."Ik heb overwogen om dit boek 5 sterren te geven, maar aan het einde was er toch een iets te grote afwijking van de originele mythe. i finished the book regardless of my misgivings and i won't say that i regretted it but neither can i recommend it in good conscience. a little harsh maybe, after all it was an easy read and relatively entertaining in its own way gradually getting better and better with each chapter after a slightly dull start, entering enjoyable territory by book three and reaching its zenith by book four, my favourite part by far that felt almost out of place – a touchingly earnest recounting of loki's relationship with angrboda and the birth of his children hel, jörmungandr and fenrir, and one nowhere near as juvenile, crass, or sardonic in tone as the rest of the book. Junk is 25 years old this year! That would make Gemma in her early 40’s by now. I hope she’s managed to stay clean.

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. The truth is a slippery customer. We all have our secrets; it is our right to have secrets, don’t you agree? I have no intention of telling you everything but even so, I think you’ll find me worth listening to. I can recall your first breath, your first heartbeat. I can affirm, if you’re interested, that without me there would be neither. I have saved the gods, the giants, and even humanity more than once. I may be tempted to do it again, if I feel like it – which I might not. Where there is light, there is also darkness; where there is life, there is also death. That’s how it is. I am the movement between the two. I am the act of one thing becoming another. It’s the same for you, surely.Look at this great cover. It's a new edition of my very first book, The Cry of the Wolf, published in Italy by my wonderful new publisher over there, Equlibri. And the cherry on the cake is that it's been shortlisted for the prestigious Children's Premio Stregga Award. I think there are different ways you can read that. As truth (whatever the male equivalent of a Mary Sue is, I guess?) and that he is incredible and yet was still taken down. Or as an exaggeration. Afterall, Loki calls himself a liar many times in the book. And why would he not buff his own reputation in a tale that ends with a plea to be released? I personally chose to read it the second way. That perspective is one I enjoy more, the sense of a narrator being unreliable but for reasons you can understand (needs to big himself up so someone frees him!) Engrossing and fascinating, Loki's portrayal is excellently captured with his unfiltered, vulgar tone and sarcasm perfectly emulating the likeable, humorous yet boastful God of Mischief we adore. a mischievous, unpredictable and clever book that breathes new life into an already fascinating character and godly race.' CULTUREFLY