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

Summer Joy

Em Thomas

Really informative and a great way to really delve into classic Norse stories!

Gerard couture

Jordan

Amazing book especially if you love mythology 
I was actually surprised at how similar the myths were with Rick Riordan’s Mangus Chase books, I had thought Riordan was just imaginative. Apparently I underestimated Norse mythology.

Terra Ganey

Hanna Rybchynska

This was so cool and fun! Recommend it a lot!

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

Oliver Magnanimous

Teresa Bonifácio

It’s a great book if you want to learn the “basics” of norse mythology. Very well explained and you can sense some humor in the author voice (audiobook). 

Really liked it and made me want to learn more about the subject

Annika Arguemore

It wasn't bad. Neil Gaiman delivered--as he always does. Atmosphere, characters, the works. It just wasn't as fantastical as the usual worlds I've entered through his writing. His originals are far better, in my opinion. It was a nice take, though.

paula

Laura Mauler

"There are so many Norse stories we do not have, so much we do not know. [...] It is, perhaps, as if the only tales of the gods and demigods of Greece and Rome that had survived were of the deeds of Theseus and Hercules. We have lost so much." 

This quote from the book's introduction (p. xv-xvi) stopped me in my tracks. As a kid I devoured Greek mythology, and those stories shaped me in the way that great stories have always shaped people. Imagining their ranks being thinned to just Theseus and Hercules stunned me, and drove home the cultural loss we've suffered by losing so many of the Norse myths. 

I'm quite grateful for this book. Reading Gaiman's "American Gods" got me interested in Norse mythology and gods, but when I attempted to read some other books on the topic I was discouraged by the flatness of the writing and the pages upon pages listing the gods, goddesses, giants, and other beings. It just seemed rather boring. Then, this book happened. All the superfluous characters were neatly brushed into the glossary at the end. Energy and life were poured into the stories by a master storyteller. This book helped me understand "American Gods" a bit better, and connect with the stories that my ancestors told each other. A fantastic beginner's set of mythology from the Nordic world.

Nenad Nikolic

Beautiful collection of stories that will make you think about good and evil.

Norse Mythology Low Price CD

Amazing, how Neil Gaiman showcases the norse mythology and I love the English audiobook because of it's narrator. 

This is a must read / listen if you like to know more about the norse mythology away from the marvel movies. 

Kevin Heinrich

Amazing, how Neil Gaiman showcases the norse mythology and I love the English audiobook because of it's narrator. 
This is a must read / listen if you like to know more about the norse mythology away from the marvel movies. 

Delightful. Just like birds, the Gods are weird.

Carlo Zottmann

Lara Engle

Neil Gaiman's brief overview of Norse mythology is fun and accessible. It's really just an appetizer when considered as a part of the meal that is all Norse mythology, but it's an enjoyable nibble.

C. 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.

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!

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. ❤

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Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman

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