Review by Frank Plowright

Back when he was the god of mischief, trickery and assorted other negative personality traits, Loki constructed a ship made from the nails of the dead. He called it Naglfar, and it’s pictured on the cover. According to the ancient prophecies, come Ragnarok he’d use it to ferry assorted unpleasant types to Asgard have at the gods. More recently Loki has foresworn his preordained motivations, and become king of the Jottunheim giants. To prevent them from continually fighting each other he’s decreed they learn to read. Unfortunately, among the books they’ve been reading is one of Norse legends, and a certain bright pair figure they could find a use for Naglfar.

That sort of inventive plotting from Dan Watters features throughout The Liar as while the threat of the giants is easily dealt with, coping with what they’ve set loose is more difficult. Loki has to retrieve three fragments of very ancient magic from three very different locations. It’s a standard quest at heart, but Watters consistently supplies originality. For starters, he varies the genres, so we’re given a fantasy story, an SF outing and a superhero, or more correctly supervillain showdown on Earth. The tales are narrated by Naglfar’s collective consciousness, known faces put in an appearance, and with Loki he has an appealing star turn, or several, as we see different Lokis. He/she may have turned his back on his old ways, but that doesn’t mean the old tricks are forgotten.

Germán Peralta is an artist adaptable enough to switch between locations and genres with ease, and deliver each not just credibly, but with panache. His designs for both dwarves and giants resonate, he creates multiple Lokis, and the known faces are well represented.

Watters not only sets everything up compellingly, he brings The Liar home as well. There’s a meaning to the title beyond the cover illustration never happening, at least not here, and the lesson of actions having consequences is well underlined, so come find some truths in The Liar.