Book Review: Wolves (I Bring the Fire #1) by C Gockel

Title: Wolves (I Bring the Fire #1)
Author: C Gockel
Publisher: Self-published
Publication Date: 2014 (2012)
Pages: 254
Format: eBook - EPUB
Genre: Fantasy
Source: Free on Kobo (bundle)



In the middle of America, on Route 44, Amy Lewis has a plan — to get to her grandma’s house in time for dinner. Galaxies away Loki is waking up in a prison cell, strangely without a hangover, and with no idea what he’s done wrong — this time anyway. But he does know Thor is hiding something, Odin is up to something wicked, and there seems to be something he’s forgotten... In this tale that is equal parts “Another Fine Myth,” “American Gods,” and “Once Upon a Time,” a very nice midwestern girl and a jaded, still very mischievous Loki must join forces to outwit gods, elves, magic sniffing cats, and nosy neighbors. If Loki can remember exactly what he’s forgotten and Amy can convince him not to be too distracted by Earthly gadgets, her boobs, or three day benders, they just might pull it off... (Goodreads Synopsis)


It's been about three years since I first heard of I Bring the Fire, but I am only now getting around to reading it, having found the first three books available for free on Kobo. Now, I love anything to do with Norse myth, and Loki in particular, so Gockel's work scores a hit on that point even before I read page one. There were plenty of things I liked about it: Loki's personality, the humour as he interacts with modern inventions, him being the hero of the tale. The main thing I struggled with, though, was wondering whether he wasn't a bit too like comic book-Loki rather than myth-Loki. But, overall, the story was engaging, and I was interested enough that I want to read on to book two soon. One thing to note, however, if you plan to buy this work, is that there are some issues with formatting, at least on the EPUB I was reading. Every time there was a scene break on a page, all the text at the end of the last scene above it was missing. This was really irritating as you sometimes missed seeing how certain moments concluded. I know the book was free, but you do still expect to be able to read it all.