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C Gockel
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I Bring the Fire : A Loki Series: Parts I, II, III, & In the Balance Kindle Edition

by C. Gockel (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 1,834 ratings
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~ USA TODAY BESTSELLING SERIES ~

Sometimes the hero is the wrong guy at the right time.

When Amy Lewis prays for a savior, Loki Norse God of Mischief and Chaos isn’t who she has in mind. Loki can’t resist Amy’s summons, but he can insist she help him outwit Odin, ruler of the Nine Realms. Can Amy trust a so-called God of Mischief? With a powerful evil calling him from beneath the city's streets, can Loki even trust himself?

This box set contains the first three installments of I Bring the Fire plus In the Balance. It is perfect for fans of The Dresden Files, American Gods, and Terry Pratchett.

***

Wolves: I Bring the Fire Part I
In the middle of America, Amy Lewis is on her way to her grandma's house. She's being chased by a very bad wolf. 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 urban fantasy tale a nice midwestern girl and a jaded, 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, Earthly pleasures, or three day benders, they just might pull it off...

***

Monsters: I Bring the Fire Part II
After being attacked by a serial killer, saved by Loki — so-called God of Mischief, Lies and Chaos — dragged to Alfheim, losing every cent in her bank account, and caring for her grandmother, Amy Lewis has lost her scholarship to veterinary school. But it’s alright. She has a plan. If she manages to keep her day job as a receptionist, and her night job as a vet tech, she may be able to get her scholarship reinstated and save enough money for the dreaded ‘miscellaneous fees.’

Too bad her day boss is unbearable...

Agent Steve Rogers has political aspirations, but when a suitcase nuke turns out to be something much worse and so-called Norse gods start showing up in his life, he has a priority shift.

Meanwhile, Loki’s priorities and plans haven’t changed at all. He wants Asgard to burn. Of course, earthly pleasures can be so distracting.

These three disparate characters have little in common, but they’ll have to join forces to save earth from trolls, wyrms, frost giant invasions, and an old evil growing beneath Chicago’s streets.

***

Chaos: I Bring the Fire Part III
In this final installment of the Cera story arc, the noose around Loki’s neck is tightening. Gerðr, the frost giantess, wants him dead; Cera, the World Seed, wants his head—literally and figuratively; the FBI wants him in Guantanamo; and an old friend from Asgard wants to bring him home...whether Loki likes it or not.

Things can’t get any worse, but when Loki’s involved, it’s certain they will. In the third chapter of I Bring the Fire, humanity’s demons are unleashed on the Nine Realms and Amy Lewis and Steve Rogers get front row seats.

Chaos might be their only hope.

***

In the Balance: An I Bring the Fire Novella
Chaos can never really be destroyed ...

Loki, God of Chaos, gave Amy Lewis all his memories, and one request before he saved the universe. “Remember for me.”

Amy knows Loki will find her, one way or another ... eventually. But as the weeks have ticked by she’s lost hope.

Called into the FBI headquarters to identify a magical artifact, she gets the opportunity to find Loki for herself. In doing so, she tips the scales of not one, but two universes, and has to choose for herself what form she wants Chaos to take.

The fate of the Nine Realms is in the balance, and this time it is in Amy’s hands.

***

Discover the urban fantasy series of mythic proportions that readers are calling hilarious and profound. Download this box set today.
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  1. Print length
    695 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publication date
    December 4, 2015
  5. File size
    1171 KB
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B018Z0488Q
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Amazon Digital Services (December 4, 2015)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ December 4, 2015
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1171 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 695 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 1,834 ratings

About the author

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C Gockel

C Gockel

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C. Gockel has been writing stories for her friends and family since the dark ages (i.e., before word processors existed.) A few years ago, she started posting those stories to the intertubes. She received emails, messages, and reviews from her fans telling her she should 'do this professionally.' She didn't; she is a coward and life as a digital designer, copywriter and coder is more dependable. But in the end, her husband's nagging wore her down: "You could be the next '50 Shades of Gray' and I could retire!" Unfortunately, the author writes science fiction and fantasy, and isn't particularly good at writing erotica. She is sad about this; she'd love for her husband to be able to retire and just work for her so she could nag him.

At the moment, Ms. Gockel is working on the next installment of the Archangel Project.

Ms. Gockel loves to hear from readers. She can be reached by email at: cgockel.publishing@gmail.com

Her Facebook page is: https://www.facebook.com/CGockelWrites

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
1,834 global ratings
COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN
5 Stars
COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN
I bought the first book in this series. I am not a big reader but I was up till all hours of the night reading it. I loved it so much I ended up buying the rest of the series 'I Bring the Fire'. I see there are some other books out by the same author (C Gockel) so I may start looking into those. I believe the reason I originally bought this is I found it shortly after the movie Thor came out with Chris Hemsworth. After the movie I was hooked on that type of movie at the time. Everyone has their likes and dislikes on books. I only bought the one book first because I thought I would be wasting my money. I, personally, feel it was not a mistake for me.
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Top reviews from the United States

Briana B.
5.0 out of 5 stars Great story, great characters, arrrggghhh worthy ending.
Reviewed in the United States on April 22, 2017
Verified Purchase
I really wanted to give this less than 5 because I got so mad at the end of book three that I just about threw my phone across the room. I will also not be reading the rest of the series for the same reason.
HOWEVER, I am still going to give this book 5 stars for a number of reasons.
1. I was hooked through all 3 books. This never happens to me. The pace was good and kept me engaged an honestly I was not expecting how things would turn out.
2. I loved the characters. They are not perfect and that just made them so much more fun and funny. Pretty much every character feels authentic to the myths and legends, but also has unexpected depth that the author has managed to bring forward in a very natural way. Really, the blend of the myths and backstories to the present character is very well done.
3. I really enjoyed the author's sense of humor, the little scenes that were just for fun, I especially liked antics with the main character and her grandma, they were just too funny. There were a lot of nice touches like that.
Things I did not enjoy: lengthy flashback scenes. These are relevant to the story, I just find them to be distracting when they go on for a long time and there were quite a few.
Anyway I really think it is worth a read and I probably will read the rest of the series eventually. If you like stories about legendary characters with very human elements clashing with modern society, give it a try, I don't think you will be disappointed.
6 people found this helpful
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Margaret F.
4.0 out of 5 stars A re-imagining of Loki as a well-rounded character in a strong tale (Pt 1-2)
Reviewed in the United States on October 8, 2019
Verified Purchase
Originally posted on Tales to Tide You Over

Part I:
I picked up the Urban Mythic Box Set a while ago because I enjoy the myths it springs from, but like most books, it ended up buried on my Kindle until this week. I happened upon it when needing a break from my planned reading list. Sometimes luck is with you, and a random choice brings you a new favorite author, as I seem to have found with C. Gockel.

This book is the beginning of a series focused around the Norse mythic character of Loki. Tricksters are complex creatures and it’s a tossup whether they are villains or something else. In this, Loki is definitely something else, though he has both bad moments and good.

The myths and stories often bug me. It’s not that I have a bad boy preference but more I can see the full character arc. I see both where Loki has the potential to be good and is good along with where that nature is twisted because of the actions of others. The supposed good guys often behave horribly, but no one calls them on it. It’s fine to bully Loki because he deserves it. There’s no recognition given to how his behavior is a response to mistreatment in the first place.

Yes, I have a soapbox, and Loki puts me right up there on it.

That said, this portrayal is well done because it provides a balanced view of the character, showing both what prompted his behavior and how his response can be out of proportion and brings chaos along with it. There are a lot of hints about things hidden from him as well, giving the character a sense of mystery and more to come.

Then there’s Amy. She gives a lovely human perspective to it all. She doesn’t have an easy life. Amy has to work and save every penny each summer to pay for her veterinary degree. She’s far from trusting, but she judges a person on their actions for the most part and revises that judgment when she learns more. As a vet in training, she has a soft spot for animals I can appreciate (along with a technical curiosity I found amusing), but it’s more than that. She’s a “roll with the punches” type of person who holds those around her to the same high standards while giving them a chance to improve instead of writing them off. She doesn’t sit back and accept, but tries to figure out what’s at the root of things even when the light it shines doesn’t show her own behavior off well. There were a couple of times when I thought the author had been caught up in the revised fairy tale, but Amy is the one to see behind the curtain.

I’m a sucker for books that make me want to share quotes, and even more when the moment is still strong when out of context. While there are definitely both deep and dark points in this story, the fun, and funny, times are just begging to be read aloud. This is especially true where Loki’s confusion with the modern world comes into view. His brushes with technology are infrequent enough and well chosen to be amusing even as they emphasize how out of place he is. A quick example is the perspectives of Amy and the standard SUV with remote versus Loki and “Car,” a living metal creature that understands politely worded requests like please open a window.

Even better, those tangles with technology are not just there for humor value but end up becoming relevant in the story.

I’ve focused a lot on the main characters (though Amy’s grandmother Beatrice and Fenrir, an ugly rat mutt of a dog, deserve not to be left out along with Loki’s caretakers), but the story is strong with as many serious as funny moments. The characters are definitely a strength, but this “part one” offers complex events that change the characters in many ways. It is an opening into a story world that is both familiar and unknown.

This is neither a Marvel nor a mythological recounting of the Norse tales. It has been influenced by both, and they’re mentioned in the story, but this tale is of its own telling. It’s strengthened by the solid foundation into a well-rounded story with characters I came to care about and mysteries still to come. The book offers a fitting series beginning with a satisfying, complete arc and introduces the next piece to come. The “cliffhanger” ending comes in what is more like an epilogue than part of the main story. As such, it did not bother me beyond making me want to continue to the next book.

Part II:
Monsters is a middle novel in most respects. It advances the overall series plot, and both introduces and develops more characters. Unlike the first book, I didn’t find a clear plot arc for this section as a separate entity. Still, Loki’s development as he becomes a little more interested in something beyond revenge is compelling as is what we learn of his history.

I hold out hope for Loki’s most recent losses, following on a long line of people he cares about being stripped away, but I don’t know if that’s foolish optimism or not. There’s been no real hint of them (you’ll find out who I mean when you read the book). It’s more how this continuing pattern affects Loki not just with each loss but in an ongoing fashion, informing his choices in the present. This is the main core of Monsters as it offers evidence about both people and entities like Cera that are considered monsters, allowing the reader to make their own conclusions.

Don’t think I’m saying nothing happens as that would be completely false. It’s more that none of the major plot threads resolve, though a couple come to a head. This is a complicated situation with many interpersonal changes in Amy’s relationship with Loki and the Agency as well as a focused look at Steve Rogers (not the one you’re thinking of). Where Steve stands in the Agency as it relates to Loki, to Cera, and his understanding of Amy is constantly maturing.

The depiction of Loki is what drew me to the series in the first place. This book continues the complexity of his character both in his deeds and in his reactions to misdeeds, whether accidental or not. I contrast that to Thor, who seen through Loki’s eyes has more value than I’d previously noticed, but never seems to question his own actions.

Amy took the back seat to Steve in a lot of ways, something I originally had problems with because a hard-nosed, bureaucratic ex-marine is a hard sell for me. Again, as with Loki, he is more than his programming and the company line, and I came to like him a lot. This also makes life a bit more difficult for him, always a good thing where story tension is concerned.

There’s a large secondary cast, several of whom steal the narration for a bit, but Steve and Loki are definitely the frontrunners.

I enjoyed the creative mixes of tech and magic, nice plot seeds here and there, beautiful characterizations of the cheering and haunting type, and room for hope even if it turns out to be false. Real-world problems like racism are demonstrated beautifully in the moment, perhaps even opening some eyes to a reality they’ve never had to see. On top of all that, the mention of one of my favorite science books “How to Teach Physics to Your Dog” is just perfect in the context.

While I do not feel this can be read as a standalone, as a continuation of the greater tale, Monsters lives up to the universe, the characterization, and the depth of narrative. It offers a sometimes fun and sometimes tragic package. I’m glad I kept reading, and plan to slip the third novel into my reading schedule soon.
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Julie Blaskie
5.0 out of 5 stars a great binge read at an excellent price!
Reviewed in the United States on June 24, 2019
Verified Purchase
OMG! I just LOVE this series! When I had fallen in love with the first story in this series in an anthology, I just HAD to get the rest of the series!

This boxed set is an EXCELLENT way to binge read through the first stories in the Loki series I Bring the Fire! Why do I say this? Once you finish a story, you will WANT to know what happens next! In this format, you can binge read through a good portion of the series. I am so glad I did because I get impatient waiting to find out what happens next! (If you are curious about individual stories, I have reviewed them separately WITHOUT spoilers yet highlighting something that tugged at my heart.)

I love Norse mythology, and I love the way Ms Gockel has handled the myths AND brought them to life here in the present. I love the way that she developed Loki - he feels more real as there is more to him than in the legends. Too, I love the others: Amy, Grandma Beatrice, Thor Sigyn, Aggie, Fenrir, Mr Squeakers, and Ratatoskr... Ok, and Steve Rogers... and Bohdi Patel! :) There are not just the Norse god and goddesses but also dwarves, elves, and other magical creatures - even a unicorn! What isn't there to love?!

The story runs smoothly along, and the action picks up momentum until you just can't put the book down until you find out what is next! Again, this is a great way to get a good Loki fix! :) I just love this author's version of Loki and his universe! You will too!
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elfin
5.0 out of 5 stars Best I've read in along time--highly enjoyable on many levels
Reviewed in the United States on February 17, 2016
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It's been a long time since I've enjoyed a series this much. It is a modern retelling of Norse myths and it is cleverly done. The author takes the myths we know and twists them, building some remarkable characters in the process. I am particularly pleased with the main character, Amy. She is a tough heroine without going ninja about it. She's just tough. And smart. And good without being smarmy. Her counterpart is one of my favorite Norse gods, Loki. In this version he's still the bad boy, but not all that bad. The author comes up with a universe that contains Chaos (Loki), Order and Creation, all personified and all playing off each other. The writing style is intricate, but the threads stay together. The different situations that come up (sometimes as flashbacks) are imaginative. The only small difficulty is that there are a lot of different names of important people and places. I was glad I had this on a Kindle so I could look things up. Note that this is a 6-part series, with some extras on the side. It won't be everyone's cup of tea, but a sample should tell you if it's yours. If it is, sti back and enjoy the read.
2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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R. Janes
5.0 out of 5 stars Unruly gods
Reviewed in Canada on April 17, 2023
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The gods don't do our bidding. I liked the writing.
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Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Fab read
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 3, 2018
Verified Purchase
Ok took me a little time to get my head round all the actual norse stories. When i managed that i had to get my head round who and how. Loki i can understand, amy is a bit hidden grandma beatrice is an enigma. She seems to know more but is hiding things. Amy and loki have adventures which when other norse gods come out get complicated. Odin is brash, thor is loud and the others are within believable parameters.
As the books move through they stick and show they are not free standing, you need to read from book one.
I have read up to book 5. It will be interesting to see what happens but i believe that i may know where the gods ended up.
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nicola steinhardt
5.0 out of 5 stars The Norse stories as never before
Reviewed in Spain on November 15, 2017
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Easy entertainment I enjoyed these tales and will buy the next in the series. Loki the Norse god as never before seen
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Pauline gomes
2.0 out of 5 stars The plot is interesting
Reviewed in India on June 29, 2017
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The plot is interesting. However, it's annoying since many pages were missing in the book, and clearly some of them were critical to the story
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Constanze Kellerer
5.0 out of 5 stars Viel Fantasie, gut zu lesen, für wenig Geld
Reviewed in Germany on May 8, 2018
Verified Purchase
Nachdem ich die Jubiläumsedition von Gayman's "American Gods" gelesen hatte, war meine Lust auf mehr nordische Götter in irdischen Gefilden geweckt. Das erste Buch der Serie kam (per Amazon Empfehlung) sehr günstig in einem mehr-Bücher-Set und bezauberte mich durch die liebenswerten Haupt-Charaktere, die zwar von einem Schlamassel ins nächste stolpern, aber ansonsten doch gut integriert im Leben stehen, sowie das Setting in Chicago, was die einzige amerikanische Großstadt ist, die ich je von innen gesehen habe 😄. Humor, Magie und Überraschungen, davon kann ich mehr vertragen, und daher habe ich bald diesen Sammelband und die weiteren Bände gekauft und verschlungen.
Natürlich sind viele Wendungen und glücklichen Zufälle im Plot unwahrscheinlich, aber das trübt das Lesevergnügen nicht, wenn man der (anfangs naiven) Amy und dem God of Mischief durch ihre Abenteuer folgt. Die Autorin pflegt einen schönen Schreibstil und erschafft sympathische, in sich schlüssige Charaktere, so dass ich inzwischen auch etliche ihrer anderen Werke auf dem (virtuellen) Nachttisch liegen habe.
Leseempfehlung!
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