And Loki in His Prison

And Loki in His Prison is the first of Ada Palmer’s new Viking Mythology–focused historical fantasy duology Hanged God’s Game, coming June 1st 2027.

In Greenland, a settlement on the edge of starvation despairs of Christ and makes sacrifice to the old gods.

In London, a playwright calls upon to the muse of fire.

In his prison, Loki waits, watching the door.

And in Valhalla, Odin quietly plots.

Ada Palmer’s resplendent, multi-faceted narrative of friendship, loyalty, and violence between Odin and Loki will open up new worlds of possibility and imagination for fantasy readers everywhere.

Author’s Comments:

Many recent myth and fairytale books have been described as “a fresh modern take on” some classic tale. And Loki in His Prison is the opposite of that, a profoundly un-modern feeling dive into the world views and mindset of the historic and mythic past, saturated with the beliefs, language, and values of the Viking age, so reading it feels like stepping back into another time. Weaving together mythic fantasy and historical fiction, it draws heavily on the rhythm and poetic style of the Norse Eddas and sagas, and is packed with myths both familiar and unfamiliar as it draws on recently updated interpretations of the Medieval sources, not yet tapped by other fiction authors.

Remember when you were a kid, and reading those mythology story books we loved as children felt like opening a portal to an amazing other world, full of wondrous places and big questions? These novels aim to recapture that sense of wonder, plunging into the mythic landscapes of Asgard, Jotunheim, and Viking-age Europe, and meeting the Norse gods and their giant rivals with a sense of awe and deep import, we see them in the sagas and Eddic poetry. Following agents of Asgard who seek to solve the mystery of how Loki’s power seems to be leaking out of his prison, the story is saturated with classic tales and characters familiar to any lover of Nores myth, and also saturated with history, not updating these ancient stories but stepping out of our modern views and values to enter the world view of another era, when the Norse cultures of Europe’s far north struggled to inhabit harsh landscapes dominated by ice, lava, and storm, where the greatest goal was not power or empire, but survival.

Whether you are new to the world of Norse myth, a long-time myth lover, or a Marvel fan curious to taste more of the original tales, And Loki in His Prison will welcome you into the Norse myth cosmos with epic grandeur, intricate poetic prose, and, at its heart, a portrait of the mysterious and wonderous figure of Loki sure to spark a fire in your heart.

Early reader reactions: