Monsters : I Bring the Fire Part II (A Loki Series)

In Monsters, I Bring the Fire, Part II, the story's tone, though still fun, starts to take on a slightly darker shade. Amy Lewis, formerly a veterinary student, is now working two jobs in hopes of recouping her losses from her last run-in with Loki, he of mischief and miscommunication (taking her offer for financial assistance too literally, he ran off with everything in her bank account). Working nights as a veterinary assistant, her day job is as an administrative assistant with the FBI, which would probably be a decent gig if anyone actually gave her something useful to do.Truth is, she was hired because ADUO, a secret branch of the FBI that deals with paranormal occurrences, wants to keep tabs on her due to her previous association with Loki. Her new boss, Steve Rogers, however, thinks she's the stereotypical federal employee, i.e., worthless.All that changes when the mysterious World Seed appears in the subterranean tunnels beneath the Chicago Board of Trade, growing larger each day and threatening to devour important chunks of Chicago's real estate. Soon after, Loki, who has been flitting around Europe on Amy's dime, pops up in Steve's office and subsequently, back in Amy's life.Loki is clearly interested in the World Seed, and Amy, as his main point of contact, becomes much more useful to the FBI/ADUO. Amy's happy to finally be earning her paycheck, and grand theft bank account aside, even sort of pleased to see Loki again. Despite his flexible definition of property rights, he's fun and when not being a pervert, kind of cute.In this installment, the reader sees the more melancholy aspects of Loki's backstory in Asgard and gets a deeper look into his current motivations. Loki has moved from being a dad searching for a way to help his sons, to vengeful father who'd like to see Asgard burn and do the dance of happy in the ashes. He hasn't entirely gone off the deep end, and is still frequently distracted by the "shiny" on Earth, but revenge is now his driving motivation. He sees the World Seed as his means of turning Asgard into a glass parking lot.There are often two approaches taken when telling the stories of immortal, godlike beings. The first is to make them irreproachable, perfect beings. Of course, more often than not, this doesn't make a lick of sense, since their actions are anything but perfect.The second, more old-school approach is to make them overly capricious, erratic and operating entirely in their own self interests. This isn't an entirely unreasonable viewpoint, since they are immortals, and very much Not Like Us. But it doesn't leave much room for characterization.The I Bring the Fire series takes the approach that our gods are made in our image. I.e., give a bunch of immortals the capacity to love, then they will hate; imbue them with compassion, and they will be cruel. Ultimately, any immortal being who is interested in interacting with mortals is operating within the same emotional and intellectual framework as said mortals. Just for a much longer time. This storytelling tack results in a realistic depiction of the cultural and political machinations of a world where aging and most physical ailments aren't an issue.The Loki shown in flashback is odd man out in Asgard, but for the most part, he shrugs it off and goes with the flow. The turning point is when his daughter Helen is born and he and his wife, Aggie, find themselves raising a severely handicapped child in a world where imperfection simply isn't tolerated.I'm not a fan of the "cute kid" as a plot device because it's usually a lazy way to manipulate reader emotion. Here, however, it works here because the story's tone is poignant and sometimes sweet, without descending into contrived or maudlin.Where in I Bring the Fire: Wolves, Amy had an equal share of the character arc, this time, in Monsters, the bulk is given to Loki, with Amy as more of an observer. She isn't passive, but in this, the mid-section of the story, the meat of the character arc is given to Loki. As a narrative device, it's effective, with Amy's mundane and relatable problems serving as a counterpoint to Loki's much more emotionally compelling, but strikingly human, struggles.My only quibble would be with the occasional references to the Marvel versions of the characters, which felt a little too self-conscious and unnecessary and sometimes rather jarring. This is possibly because I've read this author in a more fannish context.Overall, a solid middle in a three part story.

4.5 StarsLoki is making trouble again in book two of the “I Bring the Fire” series by C Gockel. Previously, he absconded with the bulk of Amy Lewis’ bank account, leaving her high and dry and unable to return to veterinary school. Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on how you view it, the government has gotten involved. In light of Amy’s last adventure with the God of Mischief, she has been given a dead end boring government job, mostly so they can keep a close eye on her, just in case he decides to show back up.Trust me, he shows back up, in a big way. Thanks to all the mucking about with portals in the last book, there have been several incidences of strange creatures coming through into our ordinary mundane world, things like trolls and wyrms. The mysterious World Seed is trapped underneath the Chicago Board of Exchange, and is slowly pressing the boundaries of the cage it is trapped in. Loki is seeking to tap the power of the Seed, known to him as Cera, in an attempt to destroy Asgard and Odin for the many wrongs that he has done.The story is just as solid as the first book, it flows beautifully. What wins the prize for me is the flashbacks, and how we are getting deeper into what makes Loki the way he is. The whole storyline with Helen….it was beautiful and heart wrenching, and just made you love Loki even more. I won’t spoil it, but look for a particular scene in a restaurant involving a child - I have never wanted to more to reach through a book and hug a character in my life. I have to say that this author knows how to write a consistent storyline. Neither Loki nor Amy suffered any personality changes between books. I simply cannot wait to get my hands on the next book and continue to unlock the mystery of Loki’s past, and see what trouble he and Amy get up to in the future.

I loved this story as it takes us in an unusual direction... a government agency that is aware of magical threats and has the means to attempt at capture!Why I enjoy this story is that Ms Gockel takes us on a journey with Loki and his relationship with Amy. (I'm not sure how else to describe it, but it's NOT a traditional relationship by any means...) as he tried\s to plot revenge against Odin while also protecting human kind from mad magical creatures. Loki is a complex yet lovable character (to me) and Amy certainly has passions... which she's not sure of dealing with them. We meet new characters who are bound in this world by their attempts to keep the world safe. Steve is not your average agent - he actually thinks about the big picture, but he is open minded enough to change his view when faced with the facts.In moments of stress, Loki remembers bits from his past... A young handicapped girl reminds him of his dear daughter Helen - and he makes her birthday memorable. And, this is a big reason that I love this story... the unexpected kindness mixed with his rants...There are other characters as well who flesh out the story, and their interplay with each other and with Loki is definitely entertaining at times. Jameson is quite a smug director of the government branch... too bad he isn't as smart and as capable as he thinks he is!I love this book, and I love this series thus far! I could say more, but you need to read it for yourself! I am already diving into the next book in the series as I can barely wait to see what happens next!

Starts where the last one left off, moves along a bit. Stops nowhere in particular. Wait for the next chapter to be written. A very frustrating and quite expensive way to read a story. On the other hand, style is easy, charaters are fun, stuff happens. I just feel short changed.

If you've read the previous book then you just HAVE to carry on and read this one too, no hesitation! I got book 1 as a freebie and loved it, went on to this one, finished book 2 and downloaded 3 straight off. All these characters are just so brilliantly portrayed, (whether you love or hate them), that I needed to know more and this book doesn't disappoint. You get to find out a lot more about Loki's history and his many personas, only hinted at previously, also about others from his world, which explains a lot and lets you make your own mind up about him. Now I've finished book 3 as well and am straight off to get the next installent because it's not over yet! Find out yourself and read this book!

I loved book 1 and book book didn't disappoint. Amy is working hard trying to earn enough money to return to her education training as a vet, due to Loki clearing out all her savings in the last book. The reader is able to connect to the characters easily. There is certainly romance brewing if they ever get the urge at the same time. The story is in present day but we find out a lot more about Loki`s mythical life and family too. Loki`s life has seen such terrible sadness, but as his story progresses we discover a family man with such strong convictions. A man that thinks for himself no matter what others think.Looking forward to number 3

I'm really enjoying this series, the two main protagonists in it Loki and Amy are interesting characters in their own rights but it's when they are together that the story comes alive. This second instalment builds on the first book and we learn more about Loki's life. Cera is an important character in this book and while we learn a bit more about her she remains a mystery.It look like the series is going to develop with an great story arc so if you can get past the slightly unusual style of writing (3rd person, present tense) then I'd recommend it.

I enjoyed this book by C Gockel and I will now get the next in the Loki series. It is a different kind of book I usually read and was surprised by how much I enjoyed it