304 pages
English language
Published Nov. 21, 2017 by Norton & Company, Incorporated, W. W..
Norse Mythology is a 2017 book by Neil Gaiman. The book is a retelling of several stories from Norse mythology, including the theft of Thor's hammer and the binding of Fenrir. In the introduction, Gaiman describes where his fondness for the source material comes from. The book received positive reviews from critics.
Interesting to read the original stories. Well told by Gaiman
I really enjoy every book of Neil Caiman, but this one seems to me a little dull. It's easy to read, but I haven't enjoy it much.
I never cared about our mythology or really read anything about it. I remember a quick chat in school about Tor and Odin but that's it. Yet I felt like I knew a lot about these stories. Things came to me when I read them. Where did I learn this?
A never ending winter and an army of the dead? Someone else has read these stories... also, winter is coming.
I have no comparison to make with any other re-telling or the source material, so, taking this at face-value:
This is an entertaining set of tales about the creation of the world and its eventual destruction and some things that happen in between. The best of the tales are the comedic ones where Loki is both the author of and the solution for some troublesome eventuality. It was good to finally read some of these Norse myths and it makes me keener to read the source material, the prose and poetic Eddas.
I had never read anything by Neil Gaiman. I had heard things - good things - about his books from friends but after being recommended several books in the past and finding nothing short of disappointments in them, I was afraid to crack open a book by Neil.
This book, however, held myths. Norse myths, to be exact. I was excited. After all, I had loved Edith Hamilton's mythology book when I first read it as a kid.
This book follows the three major players within Norse mythology - Thor, Odin, and Loki - as they play each role of the Norse realmdom and their own roles to come in Ragnorok. You get brief glimpses of the other lesser gods and goddesses of the Norse mythology but that is just it - brief glimpses. Whatever stories that had been told of them are gone, lost to the sands of time. …
I had never read anything by Neil Gaiman. I had heard things - good things - about his books from friends but after being recommended several books in the past and finding nothing short of disappointments in them, I was afraid to crack open a book by Neil.
This book, however, held myths. Norse myths, to be exact. I was excited. After all, I had loved Edith Hamilton's mythology book when I first read it as a kid.
This book follows the three major players within Norse mythology - Thor, Odin, and Loki - as they play each role of the Norse realmdom and their own roles to come in Ragnorok. You get brief glimpses of the other lesser gods and goddesses of the Norse mythology but that is just it - brief glimpses. Whatever stories that had been told of them are gone, lost to the sands of time. An unfortunate thing because their stories would have been interesting to know as I am sure they played their own parts in the upcoming end of the world but what roles they may have or not played will never be known.
Neil Gaiman gives right in and gives us a tour of Yggdrasil and its nine realms that you may find yourself wishing to visit these worlds even if you can only do so in your imagination. He spins you tales of heroics from Thor, Odin the all-wise Father, and the manipulator trickster God, Loki, and his kin as he builds up an army of the undead to begin setting the course towards the end of the Gods.
This book was fascinating and one book you will truly enjoy sitting down with. Gaiman has a way with words and he draws you into his story until the very end of the page. I have to admit even I was always reluctant to put down this book to get ready for bed or even for work because I loved how weaved his magic to draw back into this world of Norse mythology.
Anyone who loves mythology will love this book.
