The Witch's Heart, by Genevieve Gornichec
If you're like me, what you know about Norse mythology begins and ends with Thor and his hammer. If that's the case, this well-written and enjoyable novel is an excellent primer into the ancient worlds. An attached appendix, which you will refer to often, is an essential addition.
Most of the characters here are from the Norse mythology. Gornichec takes their stories, re-imagines them, and tells new tales.
But even here, gods are needy, violent, and vindictive. The witch is a counterpoint to them, although she has her issues -- which start with her being burned three times, having her heart cut out, but remembering little of who she is.
So she -- known as Gullveig or Angrboda -- winds up retreating to a cave in Ironwood, a forest in eastern Jotunheim. There she lives her next life -- or, perhaps, a continuation of her previous lives -- as the gods seek to use her talents for their own benefits. This is all laid out in the opening of the book, giving you the background on the characters, their motivations, and their relationships. Pay attention here. It will be worth it.
Loki, a "blood-brother" of Odin -- he's the top guy -- meets Angrboda and returns her heart. Literally. He hangs around. They have kids -- interesting kids, I might add -- and adventures, together and separately. But this is largely Angrboda's story, told from her perspective, and her loves and interests are the key to the tale.
Many of the people and events are from the Norse mythology, which like its counterparts in the ancient world, have contradictions, discrepancies, and variations. This is another one.
The Witch's Heart is about love and longing, about deeds and desirers, about protection and rejection. It a great tale, finely written. Whether Gornichec stays on this path as a writer and novelist is up to her. But I am eager to see more.
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