Twenty years since it was first published, JUNK was awarded the YA Book Prize special achievement award. Melvin Burgess now writes full-time and lives in Yorkshire.

It is also a book that does not gloss over the queerness of Norse mythology. Loki is a shapeshifter and spends time as a man and as a woman, and loves both - and that takes centre stage in this retelling. It also looks at how the body of Norse mythology includes both queerness and homophobia, and I really liked that it didn't try to erase one to make the other fit. Now listen and attend closely, I shall tell you the story of my downfall– the truth, not the propaganda, not the Asgard spin. You will see that I am your friend after all.” Not, alas, from his imprisonment deep in the world’s bowels, where he has been trapped by the other gods, but his voice, his book – in which I had a small part to play in writing it down – is available to buy. The winner is announced at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair on 27th March. I’ll be there. Maybe I’ll even win – although the competition is very hot. Fingers crossed. In conversation with Juno Dawson – main stage event. I love Juno#’s work – very muchlooking forwrd to this one.Compelling and funny – truly hilarious – at times. His Loki doesn’t feel like a powerful god, but rather like a flawed being trying to make the most out of the situations and life he has in front of him. Burgess leans into the queer elements present in the traditional stories and expands on them, makes them a focus of his retelling. Loki charms his way into readers’ hearts again and again, whether they want him to or not." Oh, ho,’ I hear you say. ‘This scoundrel, like all the scoundrels who followed him, is going to tell us he has reformed!’ Burgess recounts Loki’s genius . . . with great gusto, pulling together many tales into one sometimes beautifully lyrical masterwork.’ SFX MAGAZINE

Told with wit, verve and some decidedly adolescent scatological humour, it’s a book that exerts a curious charm’ Burgess recounts Loki’s genius with great gusto, pulling together many tales into one beautifully lyrical masterwork.” Yes. I, Loki. In this fiery womb I came into being. I have used my words to help you bear witness to my birth. It’s me at the Portico Library – the place with the beautiful books and the loveliest domed roof in Manchester. I’ll be talking books, stories,controversy and anything else Hannah Kate (or anyone else for that matter) wants to ask me. 19th April, 18.30 – 20.30. I promise to do my utmost not to be boring. I’m not sure if it’s because I read this on audiobook and the narrator sounded very much like MCU Loki or if it was indeed the voice the author intended but I found the “woe is me” and the “it’s everyone’s fault but mine” quite tiresome by about 2/3 of the way through.Gedurende het boek praat Loki rechtstreeks tegen de lezer en vertelt hij over zijn streken tijdens de mythen. De manier waarop hij met de lezer communiceert, geeft het boek een aangename en humoristische toets. Give a dog a bad name they say, and never was there any dog with a name worse than mine. I am a bad person, I expect. You will begin with your suspicions about me and I don’t expect to convince you otherwise.“ As a Norse (Dane) I've been wanting to read more books inspired by/retellings of Norse mythology, but they're not as easy to come by as certain other mythologies *cough* Greek *cough*, so I was excited when I came across this one - and it's also told by one of the best Norse gods, Loki (I'm not biased.. you are)! My most overwhelming thought while reading this was, ‘this is bizarre!’. I mean myths and gods are always kinda weird but some of this was like what on earth!?? The story of human origins and the reader consequently being referred to as, ‘arse born’, was a particular highlight of weirdness. A new drug is out. Everyone is talking about it. The Hit. Take it, and you have one amazing week to live. It's the ultimate high - at the ultimate price.

Burgess recounts Loki’s genius . . . with great gusto, pulling together many tales into one sometimes beautifull lyrical masterwork.’ SFX MAGAZINE Ik heb overwogen om dit boek 5 sterren te geven, maar aan het einde was er toch een iets te grote afwijking van de originele mythe. England has been taken over by the Bloods, a far right Christian sect, white supremicists propped up by a fanatical new government in the USA. Marti, a mixed race trans girl, represents everything they hate in one person. All she wants to do is leave the country, even if it means dumping her baby brother Michael and her best friend Maude. But there she discovers that her dad might still be alive, and has had his mind re-written by the Bloods in the ERAC, the Evangelical Rehabilitation Centre in Huntingdon, she has no choice but to go down south into Blood’s territory, in the very slight hope that she can rescue him.Have a listen to the opening, when Bea first discovers her powers. http://melvinburgess.net/news/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/The-Lost-Witch-Chapter-1.m4a There is also a lovely message of androgynous beauty and I will leave it at that for I do not want to spoil the unexpected surprise near the end! Here’s some places and dates where I’ll be reading from and talking about the new book. See if I’m coming anywhere near you. More detail to follow as I get it myself. Engrossing and fascinating, Loki's portrayal is excellently captured with his unfiltered, vulgar tone and sarcasm perfectly emulating the likeable, humorous yet boastful God of Mischief we adore. All that said, I admit I am not entirely to be trusted. I am a bad dog. But even a bad dog has a story, and I know you want to hear mine.