Louie Stowell, A Bad God’s Guide to Taking the Blame (Loki #2), Walker Books, August 2022, 288 pp., RRP $16.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781529501223
When Thor’s hammer goes missing, everyone thinks that Loki is the one to blame, which he believes is mightily unfair, as he’s turned over a new leaf and become good. To clear his name, he must find the beloved hammer, uncover the real thief, and, most importantly according to Loki, force everyone to admit that they were wrong!
A Bad God’s Guide to Taking the Blame is the second in the series of Louie Stowell’s entertaining series bearing the name of the Norse god of tricks and mischief and follows on from the events of A Bad God’s Guide to Being Good. Like the first volume, this newest adventure is filled with fun, humour, and a bit of good old-fashioned mayhem.
I like the idea of a kids’ book being written based on figures from Norse mythology, writing the various beings and deities as characters in an amusing story and having to deal with an unlikely set of events. What makes it even more appealing is that the books are written in the first person from Loki’s perspective in the form of a diary (which itself is magical and sentient and interjects when it thinks Loki might be bending the truth a little too far). It’s a great way to inject a lot of energy into the story and allows Loki’s mischievous (and often righteously indignant) voice to truly shine.
Stowell writes brilliantly in the comedy genre, and his cartoon-style illustrations perfectly capture the essence of his characters’ emotions. Writing a story from one character’s point of view while still encompassing the breadth of other characters’ development AND providing sufficient narrative detail can sometimes be a tricky thing to accomplish, however Stowell has mastered the art and given us another classic Loki adventure to enjoy.
The book is aimed at junior or middle-grade readers, who will no doubt find it thoroughly hilarious and extremely entertaining.
Reviewed by Christian Price
