by Ben Arzate
The gods have been on the back foot since their ill-fated alliance with Adolf Hitler during WWII.
Loki, the narrator of the novel, has been content living a hedonistic life in America. Odin, on the
other hand, has a plan to bring the gods back into ascendance. He recruits a reluctant Loki to
ensure that the liberal Greta Bruder wins out against the neo-fascist Robert Vekk in the upcoming
German election. However, Loki soon discovers that Odin’s plans are more layered than they
seem.
“Yes, you’d have thought they’d outlaw fascism in Germany after what happened with the Nazis.
You’d have thought they’d outlaw fascism everywhere after what happened with the Nazis.
Apparently, they haven’t.”
Kurt Baumeister’s second novel is a satire that combines urban fantasy and political thriller. The
book pulled me in immediately when it opened with Loki at a meeting for sex addicts, which
he’s attending mostly for kicks. The novel has a great sense of humor.
While the story revolves around a German election and Norse gods, the target of most of its
satire is the rise of fascism in the United States. Odin is something of a bumbling figure in this
story, making deals to secure his own power that often go wrong in ways anyone could have
anticipated. Not to mention the way he sells out his allies, including family, when it becomes
convenient. It’s easy to liken him to a figure like Elon Musk or Donald Trump, although the book
wisely avoids such direct comparisons. This keeps it as a timely satire without dating it to this
present time.
I found the middle section of the book somewhat confusing at times, but realized this was clearly
on purpose. Loki finds himself caught up in such a massive web of lies and betrayal that he
himself practically loses track of whose side he’s on or what Odin’s even up to. The involvement
of the Norns, goddesses of fate, playing a role that doesn’t become clear until later, makes things
even weirder. It comes together in the end, though. I didn’t expect the story to take the turns it
does. It works very well as a thriller.
The resurgence of fascism is an increasingly serious threat in the United States and Europe.
Twilight of the Gods is keenly aware of this, examining the machinations of how the powerful
consolidate control through a fantastic lens. It does this while telling an entertaining and
hilarious page-turning reinterpretation of Norse mythology. This is a novel well worth picking
up before Ragnarök comes.
Pick up your copy from: Stalking Horse Press, Bookshop.org, Powell’s, or Barnes & Noble
Ben Arzate lives in Des Moines, Iowa. His articles, reviews, short stories, and poetry have appeared in various places online and in print. He is also the author of books. His newest novel, If today the sun should set on all my hopes and cares…, was recently released by Baynam Books.
Find him online at dripdropdripdropdripdrop.blogspot.com or at his substack benarzate.substack.com.
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