I’m afraid that this book did not live up to my expectations. The premise was exciting, and Locke quickly established an exciting discourse with a promising plot.
However, as the story continues, I am let down. The plot is not thrilling, it is merely a trudge to try and get through it. I held out hope that this book would get better as it went on, but it did not.

From my understanding, this book was adapted from a graphic novel, which would explain why the story feels terribly disjointed, with events and emotions seemingly appearing out of nowhere.

For those of us who have grown up on a steady diet of Marvel Comics, the character of Loki needs no introduction. In the hands of Kieron Gillen, the character took on a whole new dimension that has now been brought to life once again in Katherine Locke's adaptation, Loki: Journey Into Mystery.

First things first, this book is not for the uninitiated. If you're not already familiar with the Marvel universe and its characters, you may find yourself struggling to keep up with the multiple plot threads and references. However, that is the status quo for most comic book stories coming from the big two.

Locke has done an admirable job of staying true to Gillen's original vision of Loki, while at the same time adding her own touches to the story. Loki is a complex character with a unique moral code that often puts him at odds with the other gods. And it is this conflict that forms the backbone of the story.

The supporting cast is equally impressive, adding much-needed depth to the narrative. The humor that is a hallmark of Loki's character is also present, and some of the one-liners in the book are laugh-out-loud funny.

But perhaps the most impressive aspect of this book is the way it weaves together various plot threads from across the Marvel universe. Locke manages to tie everything together in a way that is both satisfying and meaningful.

In terms of pacing, the book starts off slow but picks up steam as it progresses. The action scenes are well-choreographed and the quieter moments are given ample room to breathe.

Loki: Journey Into Mystery is great for fans of Marvel Comics looking for something outside the pages of a floppy comic. While it may be daunting for newcomers, for those who are already invested in the world of Asgard, this book offers a fresh and exciting take on a beloved character. With a talented author like Katherine Locke at the helm, we can only hope that we will see more adaptations of our favorite Marvel stories in the future.

I always love everything Loki and this is no exception. Such a fun and well done novel, thank you for the early read!

As a huge Marvel fan, I absolutely devoured this book but you don't need to be a fan of that world to enjoy this book. This side of Loki is more rooted in the he Norse mythology origins but is still as action packed as you would expect.

REVIEW
When Earth is plagued by an epidemic of fear, ancient prophecy says only Thor can stop the monstrous threat of the Serpent, but without help from Loki, Thor is certain to fail.
I love Loki in every one of their guises (both Norse and comic). The epic Journey Into Mystery comic run, spanning 2011-2013 and written by the talented Kieron Gillon, remains one of my favourite iterations, which meant this had huge boots to fill. And fill them it did. Mostly.
Loki has been reborn as a child and must overcome everyone's (less than positive) perception of him. After all, his predecessor caused Ragnarok (in this version Asgard crash-landed in Broxton, Oklahoma). But, while this young Loki is different from the one most will know, he still possesses the trademark Loki wit, cunning, and mischief that we have grown to love. In that regard, I think Locke was able to faithfully translate the dialogue and overall story arc. The audiobook only adds to the humour, with a stellar performance by Elliot Fitzpatrick as Loki (Loki and his opinions on social media made me cackle), but he also infused Loki's story with pathos and poignancy. It was also a wonderful idea for the narrator to play the Teller, and those parts worked extremely well. Where it worked less well for me was in the action sequences. There's something about the artwork in graphic novels that adds a visceral edge that felt lacking at times here. That said, I was able to easily follow the storyline and enjoyed this adaptation.
I am pleased to say both the novel and audiobook were a lot of fun, and I hope they encourage anyone who reads this story to seek out more of Loki's stories in other formats.

Overall Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

*Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to leave an honest review. Loki: Journey into Mystery is published on 19th December in the UK*

Loki has to be the best anti-hero in popular culture. Everyone loves the god of lies and mischief, regardless of what form he takes. In 2011, Kieron Gillen and Marvel Comics gave us the first comic in what would become the massive Loki: Journey Into Mystery collection. This young version of Loki, godling of lies, became wildly popular. His determination to do good, save Asgard, and make friends is refreshing and fun. Now, Titan Books and Katherine Locke have made this beloved story even more accessible by adapting Kieron Gillen’s comic series into a prose novel. If you’re a fan of Loki, Marvel, or even just Norse mythology, you don’t want to miss this masterpiece of a book.

This book is a journey and one you will want to experience first-hand. Everything we love about Norse mythology and Azgard is here - the World Tree, the Serpent, Thor, Odin, and Hel. There are also a lot of new fun elements, including a young Loki who regrets and wants people to like him and wants to save his world. There are magpies, a past Loki, and the most adorable demon puppy named Thori. This book has everything you could want in a Loki story and more.

This book is a Marvel comics novel, but you don't necessarily have to be a Marvel comics reader to enjoy it. Because Loki: Journey Into Mystery is heavy on Norse mythology, adventures, and friendships, I think you should give this book a chance if you enjoy any of the following:

-Loki show on Disney+
-Neil Gaiman's Norse Mythology
-God of War (2018)/ God of War: Ragnarök
-Thor: Ragnarök
-The humor, friends, and timey wimey travels of the 11th and 13th Doctors in Doctor Who

This is an excellent entry point into Marvel and the Asgardian world. I loved this story, especially Locke's detailed and descriptive writing.

Rating: 5/5 stars.

Review will be posted on Back Shelf Books on December 8, 2023 at the following link: https://backshelfbooks.com/2023/12/08/marvel-novel-review-loki-journey-into-mystery-by-katherine-locke/

Loki: Journey Into Mystery, a novelization by Katherine Locke of Kieron Gillen's graphic novel, will be released December 19, 2023. Titan Books provided an early galley for review.

As noted on the cover, this an adaption of a Marvel comic book run that started in 2011. I did a quick comparison of the first issue of the tale after reading the first four chapters of this book; Locke is very faithful to Gillen's tale though she does excise some of the side-plots to make the novel flow a bit better.

I had not read the comics from whence this came, so I was not sure why there is a young Loki at this time. Apparently a 2010 event was when Loki "died" - only to be reborn as a youthful kid version we see here. I grew up on the seasoned, bitter adult god who was always looking to best his brother Thor and make trouble on Midgard (Earth). This is a very different kind of vibe. That being said, Gillen's arc is an epic story of deception and battles.

I am not sure, though, whether this collection of story arcs benefits from the prose treatment. Locke seems like a good choice given her young-adult novel experience. Her treatment of the source material works well enough in most parts, but in other places it does not. Characters are often introduced to the story with very little visual description or detail. The comic version would not need to describe these folks; it benefitted having an artist to include the visual aspect. Background details are not often given here; the original source material would expect the reader to know a lot of that (having been targeted for comic readers, after all). So, unless this novelization's reader is steeped in Marvel lore, they might find themselves a tad lost.

In the end, I have to wonder for who this would be targeted. Comic fans would have likely read the original. Marvel Cinematic Universe fans may find themselves a bit lost.

A novelisation -- or 'prose novel', a term which respects the original's literary credentials -- of Kieron Gillen's Loki: Journey Into Mystery, which began in 2011. The Loki of Journey Into Mystery is not (any of) the current Marvel Cinematic Universe Loki(s). He's a kid: literally, an adolescent, resurrected by Thor after sacrificing himself to save Asgard. Asgard itself was not destroyed, but has crash-landed near Broxton, Oklahoma. Loki has a Starkphone (the first thing he says is 'even people online think I'm lying. Why do people always assume that?') and, though we don't encounter them directly, Tony Stark and Steve Rogers are still ... around. Loki is not super-popular with the Asgardians, who all think that despite death and resurrection he's incapable of change. This Loki is determined to change. He intends to escape his story, his fate, and be a hero. With the aid of a magpie named Ikol, a (hellhound) puppy named Thori, and a romantic interest named Leah, he faces down Asgard's enemies and tries to outwit his former self's machinations. Much more mythological material here than in the MCU, and some really poignant moments as Loki -- who is, after all, still a kid, even if he's also the resurrected age-old god of chaos and mischief -- fights, flees, dissembles and makes sacrifices of his own.

Katherine Locke takes no liberties: she sticks to the original story and dialogue, and her creative input focusses on description and character exposition. Reading this novel was quite a different experience to reading the comics, which I devoured avidly some years ago. I do generally prefer prose to graphics, but while reading Locke's novel I was very aware that I was missing a dimension of pacing and tension that had been provided by the artwork. Perhaps, too, the prose format pins down some of the story in ways that were left ambiguous in the original. Still, Locke's style is engaging and the story's well-paced: I enjoyed this, and think some readers will find it more accessible than the graphic novel.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the advance review copy, in exchange for this full honest review: UK Publication Date is 19th December 2023.

It feels like I’m the only one who didn’t enjoy this book, but at the end of the day, it read far too young to me. It read like a middle grade book and yet it’s listed here as adult fiction. Granted, there were moments that felt a bit more adult, but overall, the style just wasn’t for me. Not a bad story, just not for me.

Loki is probably my favourite marvel character so i may be slightly bias,

but i loved this!

I hope they will use this plot for a a tv series /animation now.

This is a fun story for anyone who loves adventure, quests, mischief or LOKI.
After Ragnorok, Thor brings Loki back, as an adolescent. Young Loki is not past Loki, but everyone around him doesn't seem to realize that. He is gossipped about, glared at and targeted by those who feel he should pay for what the previous Loki has done. Absolutely no one trusts him. He is determined to use his naturally cunning and mischievous nature for only good purpose. How to convince others that his motivation is only for their safety, though?
Then an opportunity comes. The serpent wants to destroy the Nine Realms and Odin is willing to sacrifice Misgard to save the rest. Thor is opposed to that much death, even to save Asgard. This is Loki's chance. Can he come up with a scheme to stop the serpent without all the death Odin's plan will cause?
Each scheme of young Loki seems to create more trouble and new dangers.
This story is a novel with four distinctly different adventures that Loki has to navigate to eventual bring the safety and peace he desires for the nine realms.

Thank you to Titan books and Netgalley for the opportunity to enjoy this exciting e-ARC.

Now if only the current marvel movies were half as good as this book! Kevin Feige seriously needs to think about hiring this author for the movies to come

I absolutely loved this book!
I'm actually a huge Loki fan so it wasn't that big of a surprise that I did.
I've never read the graphic novel that book is an adaption of but I'll definitely have to pick it up now as this book was just so good!

I liked the writing style and thought it was really good.
Of course I also really loved the characters! Young Loki was adorable!

I definitely recommend this book to any Loki fans!
Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a review.

I enjoyed reading this especially as a fan of Loki. I have always intrigued by the journey of Loki through storytelling and this was very on-point for me.

Why?!? Why must I sob my eyes out…which I did more than once,,over this magnificent work of wordsmithing! The style of the storytelling is with an omniscient narrator who has a tale to tell; a teaching fable, but also a cautionary word of attempting to elude fate, only to have it twist around and sink its teeth into you. By the time we join young Loki, he is dead. Well, his older self is, anyway, and he has been brought back in a more innocent and easily lovable child form by his doting and ever hopeful older brother, Thor, who seeks to give him a second chance to redeem himself. This Loki has all the mischief of his former self but none of the memories, yet incurs all the wraith of those who know his former incarnation only too well. He seeks love and acceptance and is met with hostility and suspicion from all those around him, other than Thor. Dear, sweet oaf that he is, Thor seeks to save Asgard and Earth from the end of days and may doom himself in the process . Loki must use all his tricks in the absence of his brother to carry on the mission of saving the Nine Realms with a little help from a familiar magpie, a clever young beguiling handmaiden from Hel, and a demon of sorts. All in all this is surprising fast paced and touching set of adventures that delve into the mind of a young and fragile Loki, one who is cunning and determined, but who seeks to do what is right in his own round about manner and always seems to annoy everybody in the process by unfortunate loose ends. Even his brother’s patience is stretched to the limit more than once. I greatly enjoyed this younger more innocent Loki…how does one reconcile Loki and innocent in the same sentence?! But there is is, I love Loki in most versions and this one I wanted to wrap up in a fang and dagger and hell fire proof blanket to cuddle and protect from the unseemly cruel elements of the many realities. I also dearly loved Leah and her spunky sarcasm. I openly wept on several tear jerking and tender occasions that were snuck in amid the capers. Excellent Marvel reading about one of the most fascinating characters.

an epic tale of god of mischief. i enjoyed this journey quite a bit more than i expected. the things they did with loki's character is very interesting and I had so much fun