Armstrong and Marr have done for Norse mythology what Rick Riordan has done for Greek, Roman, and Egyptian mythology. So, Riordan fans who need something to read while they anxiously await the final Heroes of Olympus book (The Blood of Olympus, coming October 7th) should definitely check out Loki’s Wolves. Much like the Percy Jackson books, all the action and humor easily disguise the fact that you’re learning a metric ton of information about mythology. My only complaint is that there’s not a glossary and/or pronunciation guide. I mean, lots of kids have heard of Thor and Loki… but that might be as far as their previous knowledge of Norse mythology extends. And, even as an adult with a pretty decent grasp of language, I had a hard time figuring out how to say some of the more exotic names.
Matt Thorsen lives in a small town called Blackwell, South Dakota. He is extremely familiar with the legends of Norse mythology because his family are “literally” the descendants of Thor. Matt has never been as successful as his brothers in school, but he is becoming a pretty awesome boxer — which should come in handy now that he is responsible for saving the world. Seriously! Ragnarok (basically, the apocalypse) is approaching and Matt is going to have to find a way to work with the descendants of other Norse gods — some of whom haven’t traditionally gotten along with Thor, like Loki — if he wants to find a way to save himself, and the rest of the world, from sure death.