LOKI OF MIDGARD

A university student becomes entangled in romance with a Norse god in this debut novel.

College senior Abby Veracruz Lanfier takes a summer job working for quantum physicist Dr. Ellie Varghese. Unexpectedly, the two women find a lone man in the seemingly barren Arizona desert. Abby is instantly attracted to him, and the fact that he’s the “God of Mischief, Chaos, & Lies” hardly concerns her. Prince Loki, unhappy with his life and standing on Asgard, has decided to offer his services to Midgard, or Earth. Reciprocating Abby’s mostly lustful feelings, he asks her out on a date. Romance quickly ensues, and the two are in love and discussing marriage within a matter of days. Their imminent wedding necessitates meeting each other’s relatives, including Loki’s mother and Asgard’s current Regent, Frigga. In the interim, Abby and Loki engage in bouts of steamy sex. Unfortunately, covert agency Clear Sky, having learned Loki is on Earth, is heavily monitoring him. He fights these efforts by finding and destroying the agency’s bugs. As the royal wedding approaches (this story unfolds within a week), Abby plans for a “cosmic roller coaster” ride to Asgard. Anuszkiewicz’s otherworldly series opener is delightfully tongue-in-cheek. Abby, for example, easily accepts that Loki is a god but is still surprised by his interest in mundane things, including yoga (“He was totally in Downward Facing Dog position”). Likewise, the couple’s sex scenes, while explicit, are sometimes gleefully bizarre, such as “corporeal copies” of Loki invading the bedroom. Characters throughout are exceptional, with headstrong Frigga and industrious Ellie, who’s researching wormholes for interplanetary travel, two of the best. Nevertheless, the novel delivers minimal conflict since Clear Sky isn’t much of a threat, and a serious enemy, who’s apparently escaped confinement, earns only a minute reference.

An engaging, unconventional, and frequently humorous love story.