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The original Marvel rollicking space opera where the brother Gods of Thunder and Mischief team up to retrieve a deadly, cursed crown.
 
Long ago, Thor saved the people of Miskander from a rebellious horde. As a thank you for his selfless heroism, he was gifted a crown which he safely stored on Asgard.
 
Until Loki stole it. The Trickster God has been partying hard as a rock band guitarist and thought it would be fun to bequeath the crown to the lead singer, Nihilator, unaware of its true significance—and the corruptive, destructive influence of its true power.
 
Joining forces with the Korean tiger-goddess Horangi, a band of space pirates—and Loki—Thor must not only recover the crown from Nihilator to stop an apocalypse, but also redeem himself for the role he played during the so-called revolution on Miksander . . .
 
Metal Gods is a collaborative novel by Aaron Stewart-Ahn, Jay Edidin, Brian Keene, and Yoon Ha Lee.

228 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 12, 2019

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Aaron Stewart-Ahn

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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
Profile Image for Rose.
398 reviews1 follower
February 28, 2022
Re-read February 28, 2022:

Even better the second time around. I laughed, I cried, I wondered why I haven't listened to this half a dozen times already. Already looking forward to my next time through.

* * * * *

Man, this was outstanding.

Serial Box has a unique format. For ten bucks, you buy one of their audiobooks -- but when said audiobooks are initially made available, they don't release the entire recording at once. Instead, a chapter (or episode, if you will) is released one week at a time, so that you have the reading equivalent of a television show. A new episode every week. I think this is aces, because, like a beloved TV show, you have a new installment of the adventure with your characters every week to look forward to.

(Serial Box has an additional feature wherein you can toggle in their app between the audiobook version and a text version -- so that, say, you can listen to the audio recording in the car or the gym, but then read a few more pages over your lunch break at the office. The app remembers your place and moves seamlessly between audio and text at your request. Also incredibly cool.)

I found out about Serial Box because of this particular offering -- a space-trip road adventure starring Marvel's Loki and Thor. The description promised magical sci-fi shenanigans, sibling team-ups, and Loki in a rock band, so, I mean: of course I was going to check it out.

And, good heavens, did it deliver. This was a really clever story, one that builds on both Thor and Loki as characters while also providing a truly great premise of cosmic proportions. It's got definite flavors of "Thor: Ragnarok" in it, while also maintaining aspects of the comics, and still manages to be something that stands on its own two feet. I don't want to say too much, because part of the genuine pleasure of this experience was letting the story unfold episode to episode, and spending so much time with these characters.

It's 15 episodes long (averaging 25 minutes each, though occasionally running to as long as 45 minutes), and there is a smidge of padding here and there. I didn't care. The new characters are sympathetic and three-dimensional, Thor and Loki get depth and layers and even some character development (always tricky with comics characters, by nature of their never-ending stories), the action sequences are a whole lotta fun. Extra props to the music and sound effects, because it adds a flavor that elevates it from "audiobook" to (as the cheesy saying goes) "a movie in your mind." I listened to this almost always while exercising, and it was a fun, engrossing way to spend an otherwise tedious time on the elliptical. It's a great story, with an real theme and something to say about the nature of growth, how people change, and even loss. It's the only new Loki portrayal I've truly enjoyed in the last year and a half -- and Thor, too, shines as a character.

And a special shout-out to reader Daniel Gillies. I never once settled for the text option in the app -- even when I was dying to get back to the story -- because I did not want to miss one second of Gillies's reading. His voices for the characters are distinct and emotive; it's good writing, but his performance further elevated his material. Gillies kept me interested during sections that were on the padded side -- and he truly brought the characters to life. It made the emotional beats land more solidly ... and it made the humorous bits truly funny. (Chapter Five had me laughing out loud in my car; it was so fun I listened to the chapter twice through on one drive, and Gillies's delivery is a huge credit as to why.)

I started listening to this back in December, and as Life Events have ebbed and flowed around me (including, y'know, March 2020), it's been oddly reassuring to have this tale to return to every week. The ending had me tearing up a bit. It was a neat adventure to go on as a reader (listener?). I look forward to reading it again.
Profile Image for Dev.
2,466 reviews188 followers
April 6, 2021
I had been putting this off forever because Marvel Thor stuff is really so hit or miss for me. Basically the more they distance it from anything else happening with the Marvel universe and instead lean into the mythology aspect of it the happier I will be, and this was absolutely delightful! Thor and Loki were both great and the cast of supporting characters were really fun as well. If you like the standalone Thor movies or the Agent of Asgard series then I think this will be right up your alley.
Profile Image for Lis Carey.
2,214 reviews138 followers
May 25, 2020
Thor and Loki have each had their adventures and made their mistakes. In this adventure, their past mistakes collide and they have a major problem they will have to solve--even if, this time, they have to, however reluctantly, solve it together, and learn from each other.

Many years ago, Thor responded to a request from the government of the planet of Miskandr, to help them put a stop to terrorist attacks from rebels. Thor does so, and upon successful completion of his mission, they give him a crown made of a metal unique to their planet. Thor has lots of such trinkets, and he puts it in his treasure room and forgets it.

Years after that, in the 1980s, Loki steals it, and uses it to boost a musician in the band he's amusing himself with into an apparently major talent. The musician, Sylvain, gets more self-involved and stops believing Loki has anything to do with his success. They break up, and Loki doesn't manage to get the crown back.

Eventually, he gives the task of finding and retrieving it to Zir, a Midgardian who is, for unexplained reasons, immortal and able to change gender. Zir uses, reasonably enough, they/their pronouns.

And one fine day, Thor responds to a call from an old friend of his, a Korean tiger goddess named Horagi. She's angry because young Korean bands are being kidnapped and taken to a performance venue where something is clearly very wrong. She's convinced Asgardian magic is involved. They head off to investigate--and yes, indeed, the impresario of this venue, who calls himself Nihilator, is wearing the crown that Thor hadn't even realized had been stolen.

There's another K-pop band performing there, recently kidnapped, and getting them safely home is even more urgent than getting the crown back. In the midst of their attempted rescue, though, a pirate ship swoops in and grabs them. Thor and Horagi manage to board, and after initial hostilities, Zir, the captain, manages to call a halt to that, and they discover that they have essentially the same mission: getting the kidnapped band home safely, and retrieving that crown so that it can't cause any more mischief.

Zir's crew is very mixed, including two Frost Giants, whom Thor would normally not consider allies, and a young woman who is, in fact, one of the last surviving Miskandrians, whose planet was finally rendered uninhabitable as it got sucked closer to the nearby black hole.

What follows is a wild adventure, including escaping from Nihilator's impromptu attack fleet, a raid on an armory that turns out to be as much a library. (Information is power. In the language of the people who run this institution, "library" and "armory" are the same word.) Thor learns just how terrible a mistake he made on Miskandr, and later on in their adventures, Loki discovers that he can, horror of horrors, cope with needing to be the responsible one occasionally. Along the way we have a major battle, Valkyries, and the awful truth of what Nihilator really is.

It's a lot of fun. Recommended.

I received this Season One of Marvel's Thor: Metal Gods as part of one of Serial Box's Thursday evening giveaways, and am reviewing it voluntarily.
Profile Image for Beck Saad.
41 reviews2 followers
March 20, 2025
I loved this book! I loved the story line, I loved the characters, I loved everything about it. And I can finally say that Marvel gave Loki a Queer relationship! At last! A non-binary character! I would love a story about Loki and that relationship!
Profile Image for Justin.
621 reviews51 followers
October 5, 2025
Oh my gosh, how boring. Maybe it's just Thor, as a leading character, that made this so lackluster for me, but yet this story also features Loki who's always a fun time. Or maybe I just have to blame the writing (or the narrator?). I don't know, there's just a lot of pontificating and droning on. Even when I found myself getting distracted and I'd have to bring myself back to the audiobook after several minutes missed, I would realize I didn't really miss anything plot wise at all because literally nothing had happened. I really just wanted this one to end, though I did somewhat enjoy the ending. It's a total bummer because I really enjoyed the installments of this series that featured Black Widow and Black Panther. Let's hope the one featuring Jessica Jones is better.
Profile Image for Taryn Moreau.
Author 10 books79 followers
April 19, 2020
Marvel's Thor: Metal Gods is an incredibly well-paced serial that strikes a great balance between high-stakes action and character development.

I binged the entire serial in a day and I'm not even that crazy about Marvel's Thor universe.

I was impressed by how much this serial felt like watching a Thor movie. Definitely something I'd recommend to Marvel fans—especially big Loki lovers.

Oh, also, the narrator was just excellent. Great sound design as well. You can switch seamlessly between reading and listening to episodes, but I highly recommend the audio experience for this one.
566 reviews3 followers
October 10, 2021
This was a lot of fun both to read and listen to. I enjoyed the voices in the audio version (Daniel Gillies does a great job as narrator). I'm not giving anything away except to say Thor and Loki are on the same side in this one and fighting a foe that might be more than they can handle and I really REALLY hope there's a Season 2 in the works
2,528 reviews
April 23, 2020
In this story, Daniel Gillies, makes his debut as a storyteller/narrator, and he proved that his voice acting is just as solid as any of his on screen appearances, maybe more so! His talent is a force to be reckoned with, as he juggles multiple characters throughout the story, not only Thor and Loki, but also Horangi, a Korean tiger-shifter Goddess, to name just a few of the key characters!
This is another fantastic Marvel backed production, but so far you'll only find it available on Serial Box, and all 15 episodes are now ready to binge-listen to.
Serial Box is a relatively new online way to buy audio books, and so far every novel is priced the same at $10.00. Serial Box then releases the novel in bite sized chunks weekly until the final chapter concludes... I happen to love this format, and for me every Thursday was a fantastic Thors-Day (well at least for nearly 3 months. LOL...) I know that Serial Box plans to release more Marvel books, so you can bet I'll be looking out for those too!
Profile Image for Amy!.
2,261 reviews50 followers
April 29, 2020
The thing that I really liked about this serial is that, with the exception of a couple of places where they mention specific Marvel Universe alien races, this story could be about Marvel's Thor or Norse mythology Thor living in the modern world.

Also, despite that this is called "Marvel's Thor," Thor himself is really almost a secondary character in most of the adventure. This does not both me; the group of authors populated this story with a bunch of interesting, original characters I enjoyed spending time with.
Profile Image for Liz (Quirky Cat).
4,994 reviews89 followers
November 25, 2020
Marvel's Thor: Metal Gods Season 1 is the first Marvel Comic to hit Serial Box – and man, this is something that I never knew I needed. But now I can't ever imagine going without again. This is the story that got me hooked on Serial Box, so consider yourself warned. There might just be a new obsession in your future.

It's a tale as old as time. Loki got himself up to some mischief, and before you knew it, the whole galaxy was in danger. It's certainly a tale that Thor is used to getting wrapped up in. However, this time around, there's a musical twist.

Loki spent some time on earth. There he joined a band, and later left that band. Not entirely a decision of his own making. Meanwhile, Thor is still doing his best to live up to the title, and continue to be worthy. It is not an easy task, especially not for an immortal such as himself.

Thor: Metal Gods was written by Aaron Stewart-Ahn, Jay Edidin, Brian Keene, and Yoon Ha Lee. It was narrated by Daniel Gillies. It is also one of my favorite Thor stories to date, with the exception of Mighty Thor/Goddess of Thunder.

“How dare you speak of Nihilator this way!”

Holy cow. Thor: Metal Gods is an adventure of epic proportions. It is a title that lives up to the names, the characters, and so much more. Seriously, where has this series been all my life? Here's hoping that this will be the first of many seasons for this hero, his brother, and their new companions.

There's so much to love about this series. The approachable nature and accessibility of it all. The characters, old and new, the writing, the narration. All of it. It's all part of a working whole, and it makes for such a unique adventure.

Thor's character transitioned quite nicely to this new platform, and you can see all of the effort that the writers went through to make sure he is still the character we all know and love. That being said, it is a new platform, so there's suddenly a bit more freedom than before. You can see the freedom in the way some new characters and backstories were introduced – all to good effect, if you ask me.

This series has a little bit of everything, as promised. It's funny at times, dramatic at others, and sometimes even downright harrowing. It's the perfect balance of emotions and experiences, creating quite the adventure.

I'm going to give bonus points for all the quick Marvel references woven throughout as well. It really made it feel like the comprehensive world (well, universe) that we all know so well. It was a nice, and subtle, touch.

Daniel Gillies' narration is probably the thing that threw me head over heels for this story, if I'm being completely honest. He did such a fantastic job portraying two brothers, and the vast differences between the two of them. Not to mention all of the other characters that came along for the ride.

Long story short: I adored Thor: Metal Gods Season 1, and sincerely hope that it is far from over. Likewise, this is the series that got me into Serial Box, so it's always going to hold a special place in my heart for that alone.

Check out more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks
Profile Image for Tiger.
221 reviews2 followers
May 1, 2025
Nothing makes me happier than witnessing the relationship between Thor and Loki. I know it's strained but, at the end of the day, they will always be brothers. They will always be family. I can't explain the burst of happiness I feel every time Loki calls him "brother" instead of just "Thor."

Plus, every book is 10x better with Loki's ass there to create utter chaos and deliver the best sarcastic lines. The story wasn't too bad, either, though I was far more focused on those two than anything else. And the tiger lady because she's cool as shit.

A couple things did annoy me, though. For one, the music and the background noise was more distracting than anything and gave me a headache, especially at the parts where it made the voice lines hard to hear. I get it's supposed to be "a movie in your head" so they add sound effects to make it more authentic, but it was more distracting and annoying to me.

Can we normalize just having rain sounds in the background of audiobooks? Please?

Another thing I didn't really understand was the need for a female narrator? Why would you hire another person just to say what chapter it is? Is the main narrator incapable of saying "chapter one"?

Finally, the music between scene changes annoyed me so much. It was very distracting and I kept thinking the chapter was over or the story was coming to an end but nope, it was just a scene change. Completely unnecessary and very loud.

Marvel really out here doing too much.
Profile Image for Krys.
106 reviews
October 11, 2020
This is the second Serial Box production I've listened to and I've been equally impressed both times! (The first was Orphan Black.) Daniel Gillies is a fantastic narrator for this story; his character voices are distinctive, recognizable, and infused with the right emotion for every character which made for a wonderful listen. I loved the cast of characters in this Thor tale along with the depth of character of each, including the added layers we got to see of Thor and Loki. It's always nice to discover new dimensions to familiar characters you think you know so well. Loki in particular stole the show for me in this story, which is saying something as I am generally fairly neutral on him. I would love to listen to this audio again for sure!
Profile Image for Jessi.
603 reviews29 followers
October 25, 2025
Daniel Gillies is one TALENTED narrator! My golly.
I must admit, there were times I zoned out, especially during the last third of the book but overall it was really enjoyable. There were times with certain character dialogue that I wondered if it was still Daniel speaking.

These former Serial Box projects are just awesome! I'm so glad that licensing allowed me to buy the audiobooks on Audible/Amazon. Now if they could just sell physical copies of the books themselves, I would gladly purchase them all.

Profile Image for Randy.
959 reviews5 followers
December 6, 2020
The story overall wasn't anything special. A story of Thor and Loki across the galaxy. There is a fun cameo that was enjoyable. The big shout out goes to the author for including the trans community by writing a big character and accurately promoting their gender identity.
Profile Image for Susan.
454 reviews3 followers
July 14, 2020
Average Thor story with an average story line. Loki was not acting much like the trickster god in this story.
Profile Image for Sarah 🪐.
67 reviews
April 2, 2025
An average Thor story. Nothing to complain about. I’m happy to get more Thor content.
Profile Image for Fay.
913 reviews7 followers
May 30, 2025
The story was good, and the characters were interesting.
the sound on the audiobook was very loud and sometimes drowned out the words, but it gave the experience an interesting atmosphere
35 reviews
November 20, 2024
Thor and Loki at their best

This book makes Loki a rockstar. We see another case of Thor’s character flaws cause a problem that Loki exacerbates. Then the two have to solve the problem with the help of some friends including Lila Cheney. Both grow in their own was as the problems are solved and the universe saved.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews