First published in Britain in 1975, this early novel by a popular
author of fantasy (The Lives of Christopher Chant, p. 619/C-97) is
published here for the first time. David, an orphan, has as
guardians four disagreeable relatives who blatantly dislike him and
grudge him the most fundamental necessities. Inadvertently
(chanting nonsense in the hopes of coming up with a charm), he
summons Luke, who ultimately proves to be Loki: David has released
him from 1000 years of imprisonment. Grateful, Luke befriends
David, but the other Norse gods would like to recapture him and
appear, disguised as mortals, on the successive days of the week
that bear their names. Though becoming aware that Luke is an amoral
mischief-maker, David is taken with his charm and wants to save
him; to this end, he agrees to an impossible-sounding quest given
him by Mr. Wednesday (Woden). Serious real-world themes - David has
been made to feel guilty so often that he finds guilt easy to
ignore, and discovers with relief that he can feel grateful if no
one demands it - are skillfully dramatized. Less persistent readers
may find the disguised deities - even with the help of an
explanatory afterword - more of a puzzle than they are prepared to
work out; but even without their added dimension (Loki and Woden,
tree to character, are intriguingly ambivalent), there's plenty of
action, humor, and suspense to enjoy here. (Kirkus Reviews)
'There seemed nothing odd about Luke to begin with – except perhaps the snakes. If they were snakes that is… David wasn't sure.'
"Just kindle a flame and I'll be with you," says Luke. David thinks he's joking, but certainly, whenever he strikes a match, Luke appears immediately.
But David's new friend seems to have some extraordinary friends and relations, and some very dark secrets. And when David enters into a bargain with the mysterious one-eyed Mr Wedding, life gets very hot indeed!
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!