Name: Vojtech's review of Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman
Item: Norse Mythology
Rating: 4
Author: Vojtech

Neil Gaiman

THE NO. 1 SUNDAY TIMES AND NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER FROM THE CO-AUTHOR OF GOOD OMENS, NOW A MAJOR AMAZON PRIME SERIES 'With the deftest of touches, the characters are once again brought to life' JOANNE HARRIS 'The halls of Valhalla have been crying out for Gaiman to tell their stories' OBSERVER The great Norse myths, which have inspired so much of modern fiction, are dazzlingly retold by Neil Gaiman. Tales of dwarfs and frost giants, of treasure and magic, and of Asgard, home to the gods: Odin the all-father, highest and oldest of the Aesir; his mighty son Thor, whose hammer Mjollnir makes the mountain giants tremble; Loki, wily and handsome, reliably unreliable in his lusts; and Freya, more beautiful than the sun or the moon, who spurns those who seek to control her. From the dawn of the world to the twilight of the gods, this is a thrilling, vivid retelling of the Norse myths from the award-winning, bestselling Neil Gaiman. *This book has been printed with two different cover designs. We are unable to accept requests for a specific cover. The different covers will be assigned to orders at random*

Norse Mythology

Vojtech

Connor J. Daley 

Norse mythology is weird as hell (the content, not this book). 

It’s mostly Thor being stupid. Ie. “Me strong, me have hammer, me drink beer.”

Or Odin being wise. Ie. “I gave my eye for wisdom but literally stop zero of these incidents.” 

Or Loki being a genuine POS. Ie. “I continue to “prank” people when I’m bored/annoyed and people die but it’s whatever...”

With that being said I only really had experience with Greek and Roman mythology so I enjoyed learning these stories and as Gaiman said, the way he outlined this book really did feel almost like a linear storyline. 

Listened to this via audible and Neil Gaiman has a pretty sick voice if anyone is wondering.

Introducing an instant classic master storyteller Neil Gaiman presents a dazzling version of the great Norse myths."

Wynter

Take the rollicking fun of Viking sagas and add Gaiman's brilliant characterization and humour, and you get Norse Mythology. This book is basically a retelling of Scandinavian legends adapted for a modern reader. The gods are given great, memorable personalities. Loki is sly and mischievous, but appealing; Thor - single-minded and quarrelsome, but brave. The stories range from the origin myths to the end of the world, and contain many hilarious incidents of gods behaving badly. Recommended to anyone who enjoys mythology and sagas sprinkled with good laughs.

Courtney

I am always so satisfied after reading anything by Neil Gaiman. These retellings were spectacularly and masterfully done! I had a hard time putting this down! I’ve always enjoyed reading mythology and this was my first glimpse into Norse mythology! As a series of short stories, this was highly entertaining!

Cheri Fuller

I loved the stories and Gaiman's narration made it even better. My only real complaint is that I wanted more.

Colleen

4.5 Stars


  
    
  
  


I love mythology. And I love Neil Gaiman's writing. So Neil Gaiman retelling Norse myths was a must read for me. If the title did not make it abundantly clear, this is a collection of stories retelling bits of Norse Mythology. Although the stories are separate, they do primarily center around Loki, Thor, and Odin. So the stories do combine into an almost complete narrative. 

If you are expecting the action-packed, glitzy, eye candy, Marvel version of Thor & company then look elsewhere. Gaiman stuck as close to original tales as possible, close to the very roots of Yggdrasil. Like most old stories, there is much darkness to these tales. As Gaiman himself says: 


  “The Norse myths are the myths of a chilly place, with long, long winter nights and endless summer days, myths of a people who did not entirely trust or even like their gods, although they respected and feared them.”
 
Gaiman's macabre yet lyrical style lends itself well to these old tales. His unique voice gives life to the stories and adds his own flair while still holding true to the heart of the old stories. The stories balance the larger-than-life bravery with the foolhardy overconfidence of the gods. 

Of course, like any Gaiman story, there are bits of snarky humor that brighten the stories. Whether it was Loki's cunning sarcasm or Thor's dunderheaded obliviousness, the biting humor made me chuckle. 


“Because,” said Thor, “when something goes wrong, the first thing I always think is, it is Loki’s fault. It saves a lot of time.”

And:

“Fair enough,” said Thor. “What’s the price?” 
“Freya’s hand in marriage.” 
“He just wants her hand?” asked Thor hopefully. She had two hands, after all, and might be persuaded to give up one of them without too much of an argument. Tyr had, after all. 
“All of her,” said Loki. “He wants to marry her.” 
“Oh,” said Thor. “She won‘t like that...”  
Overall, I enjoyed the book but would have preferred a novel instead of short stories. It would have allowed for more depth and character development. Of course, doing that would have meant straying farther from the original myths to fill in the many gaps in the stories that have developed over the years. Still, I wanted to know more about their world and to get to know some of the characters better. Hence why this was not quite Five Stars to me. But I would still highly recommend it to anyone who loves mythology.


RATING FACTORS:
Ease of Reading: 5 Stars
Writing Style: 5 Stars
Characters: 5 Stars
Plot Structure and Development: 4 Stars
Level of Captivation: 4 Stars
Originality: 4 Stars

Lacy W

Title: Norse Mythology
Author: Neil Gaiman
Genre: Historical Fiction Fantasy
Format: paperback book from the library
Star Rating: 4 stars

tw: death, murder, bodily harm, suicide, bestiality, violence, drowning, torture

One of my goals in life is to learn more about different mythologies, besides all the basic ones. I’ve been interested in Norse mythology since I watched Apsolov: End of Gods and Unforgiving: A Northern Hymn. Both are very cool horror games relating to Norse mythology and I suggest checking out John Wolfe’s playthrough of them both. 

Anyway. What an exciting book! The Norse gods are pretty interesting, including Loki. He’s one of my favorite gods. Even though this book was pretty short, I felt like all the gods were pretty fleshed out. They got almost equal amounts of page time. I just learned so much. I could tell a lot of research went into this book. It felt like I was reading the bible but better. I am not sorry for that comment at all. 

I wish Marvel had followed this book and actual Norse mythology. The movies would have been way better, in my opinion. Plus they would have gotten their information right especially with Loki and Hel (another one of my favorite gods). Plus, I think that this is way more interesting than what they did. Sure, I liked the Thor movies but I felt like they could have been way better.

Overall, the buzz about this book and this author were spot on. I’ve heard the author is just a sweetheart online and is so nice to fans. I had such a blast reading this book. I will be sure to check out more of Neil Gaiman’s work since this one was such a hit for me. As for my recommendations, I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn about Norse mythology.

Neil 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. Once, when Thor's hammer is stolen, Thor must disguise himself as a woman -- difficult with his beard and huge appetite -- to steal it back. More poignant is the tale in which the blood of Kvasir -- the most sagacious of gods -- is turned into a mead that infuses drinkers with poetry. The work culminates in Ragnarok, the twilight of the gods and rebirth of a new time and people.

Prashanth Srivatsa

Transports you instantly into Asgard and its oft hostile neighbourhood of other fascinating worlds. There's beauty in treachery, and sometimes, a deep sadness in the victories of those who are gods. Gaiman, who grew up listening to these tales, joyfully chronicles the birth, journey and doom of the Norse deities. But all said and done, the Nordic lore still falls short of the wondrous storytelling of the Mahabharata or the glories and tragedies of the Greek pantheon.

Gaiman's succinct tone and prose works for this collection of stories from Norse mythology. From the prologue and epilogue, it's obvious that much of Gaiman's passion went into the research for these stories. Each of these stories are compact and digestible. It's good, but not for me. I went in not knowing or caring much for this mythology. By the end, I certainly learned a lot more, but I'm not inspired or compelled by the these characters' thoughts and actions.

David N

Morgan Holland

Super readable and fun

Read this after coming back from a trip to Norway, extremely readable and funny, a great modern day adaptation of the main Norse Myths. 2 hour read.

Beatriz Aguiar

I like mythology. It was interesting to read about Norse mythology because somehow it doesn't have the same feel as Greek or Roman mythology. Their gods are powerful and wise but aren't at all benevolent or kind. Loved the twist. ❤

Leah B

This is a compilation of short stories about all things Norse Mythology that seem to be centered around Loki in particular…

  
 
⇝Ratings Breakdown⇜ 

Plot: 3/5
Main Characters: 3/5
Secondary Characters: 3/5
The Feels: 1.7/5
Addictiveness: 2.5/5
Theme or Tone: 3.3/5
Flow (Writing Style): 4.3/5
Backdrop (World Building): 4/5
Originality: 4/5
Book Cover: 5/5
Narration: 4.5/5
Ending: 3/5 Cliffhanger: Nope.
Steam Factor 0-5: 3
Setting: Asgard and/or Midgard, I think…
Source: Audiobook (Library)
Total: 3/5 STARS - GRADE=C
 
 
⇝My Thoughts⇜
 
I don't know if it's just Norse Mythology that isn't for me, or if I just haven't found the right author to convey it. This wasn't for me though…but that's not because it wasn't well written or well narrated, it is both, actually. Both are done by Neil Gaiman, too. At least it was quick listen, of which I did most of while cleaning house. If you're into this sort of thing and like a short story format, then this could be perfect for you. That cover though…it's gorgeous.
 
⇝Will I read more from this Author?⇜ Currently, I do not have anything by him on my TBR. I don't know…I'm not opposed to it.

Ryan LaFerney

Gaiman provides a modern take on Norse Mythology that is easy to read and entertaining.

8/13/2022 - listened to the audiobook narrated by the author. It is excellent. Like being told ancient stories around a campfire.

Izza

Kelsey Joëlle

Liked it. Didn’t love it. Expected it to be more of a ‘one story’ book but it were multiple stories. Not a fan of that. Still enjoyable

I loved the short stories, they are explained extremely well. I loved it

Daisy van der Groef

High Fidelity

Neil ima neverovatnu lakocu opisivanja mitologije. Poucno I zabavano.

Nour sabrine

Mythology is always a great subject to dive into and this book delivers in many ways.
The writing style is quite easy to read and skim through, it's well thought and orchestrated in a fairytale way that inspires itself a bit from old mythological books, with the dialogues and switches of characters.

Gisela Ayala 

I laughed and laughed and laughed. These gods, especially Thor and Loki crack me up. But it got super dark once Ragnarok came. 

For anyone that likes myths and legends and folk tales, Neil Gaiman's Norse Mythology is for you. His writing is beautiful, making the gods and goddesses seem like modern fairy tales.

Yasser Yahia

Nice series of stories about the mighty Gods of Asgard. To some extent they made me laugh on the foolishness of the Gods sometimes and wonder why would a God be like that, but in other parts I couldn't stop myself from thinking about other stories and promises that I personally consider as holy! 

An enjoyable simple read to commuters indeed.

Amr Khater 

I can’t remember the last time i was this sad that I finished reading a book.

Hello

I was my first book of Norse mythology and first book by Neil Gaiman (besides good omens by he wrote it with Terry Pratchett so that doesn't count). 

I don't how am I to evaluate this book since Neil Gaiman here was only narrator, not story creator. But I liked it. Although I wish it were longer. Way longer. He tried to put too much into it and as a result there are tons of characters that are mentioned only once and that's it. But Neil Gaiman is only a narrator here so.

Overall I liked the writing and style. And I will probably try to read something else of Neil Gaiman.

Shereen Evans

If you are a fan of Mythology, legends and/or folklore this just might be right up your alley. I appreciate that there is a Glossary in the back of the book so if you are unsure about a character or something else you can look in the back and see what it is. There were a couple of times that I found myself skimming through. You get to read many retellings of Norse Mythology, there were many that I already knew and enjoyed the retelling and then there was a handful of ones that I had never heard of. Overall this was a good book and will be recommending to those who enjoy these stories.

Eva Bailey

This was fun! Super different to what I normally read but I enjoyed the stories. Neil Gaimans narrarating was incredible as usual.

Rick Dobrowolski

My intake of this book was through the voice of the author himself. I give this book 5 stars for Neil Gaiman's reading of it. He is so far my favorite author-narrator. The book gets 3/4 stars for its compilation. At times it was confusing and unconnected, but this is not a slam on the author, as compiling Norse mythology in such a small space is a daunting task. For the Norse mythology part, I bestow this book with two stars. This is subjective, as the book itself is well-written and quite a few of the stories delighted. But Norse mythology is very, very strange. We get Thor and Loki through it, so hurrah for some interesting characters, but otherwise I struggled through the telling of the tails of the gods.

So, in a compilation of my previously assigned stars, I issue a verdict of 3 stars with the explained nuances above.

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Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman

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