“Remarkable.… Gaiman has provided an enchanting contemporary interpretation of the Viking ethos.”—Lisa L. Hannett, AtlanticNeil Gaiman, long inspired by ancient mythology in creating the fantastical realms of his fiction, presents a bravura rendition of the Norse gods and their world from their origin though their upheaval in Ragnarok.In Norse Mythology, Gaiman stays true to the myths in … Norse Mythology, Gaiman stays true to the myths in envisioning the major Norse pantheon: Odin, the highest of the high, wise, daring, and cunning; Thor, Odin’s son, incredibly strong yet not the wisest of gods; and Loki—son of a giant—blood brother to Odin and a trickster and unsurpassable manipulator.
Gaiman fashions these primeval stories into a novelistic arc that begins with the genesis of the legendary nine worlds and delves into the exploits of deities, dwarfs, and giants. Through Gaiman’s deft and witty prose, these gods emerge with their fiercely competitive natures, their susceptibility to being duped and to duping others, and their tendency to let passion ignite their actions, making these long-ago myths breathe pungent life again.
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One of the best books of Norse Mythology I have read.
I find to read a nordic mythology , it’s a good book . Norse mythology decribe the gods, these nine worlds , immortality etc. A very good written for a mythology . It feel atmosphere of book that pleasant .
Bedtime Tales of Norse Mythology
This was an excellent dive into Norse Mythology. These tales that Neil Gaiman wrote were about how the gods became gods and their personalities and how they lived among all. Loki was my personal favorite. Gaiman even covered the deaths of these gods and how the world ended and rebirthed once more like it always does.
I would recommend this book for anyone seeking little knowledge of how the tales of the gods and how they became to be.
Definitely listen to the audiobook
Solid book, I learned a lot about Norse Myths. Good for Marvel fans.
Dark and wonderful retellings of Norse myths from Neil Gaiman, master of all things, well, dark and wonderful. He reads the audiobook himself and it makes for deeply enjoyable company. His Loki is especially hilarious. A real delight.
I listened to the audio version of this book, read by the author, and quite enjoyed it. I originally purchased this book as a bit of a research tool for a project of my own, that I’m currently working on, and this did not disappoint. Mr. Gaiman has found a way to weave together the Norse myths into a relatable, congruous story. The language and prose is simplistic and easy to understand, especially for the layman. Overall, the book offers a good bird’s eye view on the various Norse gods and their most famous feats, as well as downfalls. From Loki’s tumultuous relationship with the other gods to the events that shall lead up to Ragnarok, this book delivers a decent overview for the casual student that would like to learn the basics of Norse mythology while being greatly entertained at the same time. I highly recommend it. In fact, I’m planning on buying a paperback version for myself so that I can go back over it with a highlighter.
Absolutely fantastic!!!
I’ve just finished listening to it and the Ragnarok gave me the chills. Such a grand conclusion and Gaiman brought it to life with such vivid worlds.
I really enjoyed how he recounted the most famous legend of the Norse myths he gave personality to every characters but – as far as I can tell – he was also very true to the mythology. There’s humour and humanity in these stories, in spite of beign about gods. And there is also that kind of innocence that is very unique to Gaiman.
Loved it. Truly loved it!
This is a collection of short stories true to Norse pantheon. The stories center around Thor, Loki, and Odin. The stories are about forming the world, creation of Yggdrasil, how Odin lost an eye, the god’s treasures, Loki’s children, Thor and the giants, Balder’s death, Ragnarok, The author puts his own twists on the old myths, but stays true to the stories.
This was a pretty good book. It is a good book for the 11-17 age range, and if your child is a fan of Thor, then it is definitely a good choice. Thor is definitely the comic relief of these stories. They are silly, over the top, and enjoyable.
I say try it out!
Had to renew it at the library twice because it is a little tricky to follow, but it is fascinating to sense a commonality of aspects of Norse entities (characteristics) with those of entities and people in the Torah and the Bible. Planning to purchase a copy so do use it for a more comparable study.
A beautiful and entertaining introduction to the myths of the old Norse gods. A must-read if you watch the TV show VIKINGS.
I wish this book had been our required reading in school instead of the yawn-inducing text they made us read. Captivating, I ate Neil Gaiman’s NORSE MYTHOLOGY up with a spoon! Yes, please, I’d like seconds.
It makes learning about mythology less monotonous and more like reading a novel
Neil Gailman’s updated version of the Norse gods is extreme attention grabber that carries out until the end.
Gaiman has made the Norse gods come alive in this well-researched and fascinating book.
I have the audio version of the book, so hearing the author read it was nice and he had a compelling tone, if you are in to Norse mythology and want to hear a close to an original, with some extra added by the author this is for you, Neil Gaiman is a talented story teller.
Sublime.
It’s Neil Gaiman (one of my favourite authors) re-telling popular Norse myths…how could it possibly fail?
I wanted to love it, I really did, but I just can’t. Norse Mythology is an enjoyable enough read, but it’s the kind of enjoyable you read when your only other option is a math textbook. Neil Gaiman has simply (and I do mean simply) compiled and retold a few, popular stories from Norse mythology for less advanced readers.
This is definitely an outlier in Gaiman’s body of work. Everything else I’ve read of his has been truly amazing. Unfortunately, for once, I have been disappointed.
Recently I got inspired to learn more about Norse Mythology. After I saw the new show trailer for American Gods I decided to pick up Neil Gaiman’s new book Norse Mythology. If you haven’t heard about the book this is a great collection of short stories. The shorts in this book covers the Norse Mythology world. This book starts out with introducing the world and continues with adventures of each of the gods.
I was really excited to read this book and also Gaiman is one of my favorite authors. This book was fast pace and a great introduction to Norse Mythology which I knew nothing about. Mostly in school I was taught Greek or Roman mythology. In this book I got learn about the gods and also got to learn more about the roots of where Thor(marvel comics) came from. After reading this book I got inspired to even learn more about this world and wanted to learn more about the origins. I hope the other gods get a show or a movie or something.
A retelling of Norse history. It was mostly direct tell. Little to no character development was present, Which was a bit disappointing since the a major strength of Neil’s, but being popular mythical characters some information is already there for them when coming into the read. Would have liked to seen more of a “Gaiman” type touch to the telling, in that characters were more developed & more color given to the environment during the actions.