Ratings613
Average rating4
In his introduction, Neil Gaiman acknowledges the roots of his fascination with Norse Myth, namely Marvel's Thor. [book: Myths of the Norsemen: Retold from the Old Norse Poems and Tales 3126160] Roger Lancelyn Green's tellings for children and Kevin Crossley-Hollands more “adult/academic” prose. I acknowledge all three myself but hours spent in the school library reading and re-reading Green was what captured me. Later Lee and Kirby gave flesh to my imagination but it was Holland that gave me the depth these tales have and deserve to be displayed to the reader. Norse Mythology Neil Gaiman's retelling of the acts and lives of the Northern Gods: is it any good?Short answer yes. He writes in a style that is short pithy somewhat close I suspect to how he would pen a graphic novel. A style suited to myth and faerie. Leaves a feeling that he truly has a love for the content and the characters whose story he tells. I can't find my copy of Green but I remember it as illustrated woodcuts or pen/ink black white drawings but it's almost 50 years! Gaiman needed illustrations. [Infact I'd like to see this as a series of Graphic Novels].I think its a great 21st Century introduction to the nine realms and as such is at least as good as Green, which without re-reading, I hesitate to de-throne. But I suspect Gaiman has the edge.Crossley-Holland is an exquisite writer. Search out his British Folk Tales; there is a similarity of styles and excellence shared by both he and Gaiman. His, The Norse Myths and Axe Age, Wolf Age are my favourites, but were I a child again or just wanted a good read in which I was to paddle then Gaiman is where I'd start. Having done so, I think you will want to dive headlong into the waves and Crossley-Holland beckons. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3129514-norse-myths
Clever, fairly entertaining. My favorite story was “Freya's Unusual Wedding,” in which Loki gets to repeatedly say, “Shut up, Thor.” For the “book of mythology or folklore” category.
I love Norse Mythology, and I loved this book. I think one of the things that I liked about about it was the comedy, and I think that this is something that you do not normally get when reading mythology. What Neil Gaiman does is flesh out the characters to give the Gods more characterisation rather than them seem to be omnipresent beings. And besides that, what else can you say. It's Neil Gaiman! Nuff said!
It was interesting. My first foray into Norse Mythology and the stories were quite good. The audio narration (by the author) was great and I wouldn't have known how to pronounce half the characters/places/things and would've stumbled too much.
This book was amazing. Neil Gaiman is perfectly suited to the retelling of the old myths. So many gems to be found here. Each story is quirky, strange, unbelievable, and absurd, just the way a book of tales should be. The Wedding of Freya is my favorite! I guarantee fits of laughter with that one.
Good book. The audiobook was amazing and I loved that it was read by the author
a nice collection of short stories. it does have a flow from beginning to end so it doesn't feel too disjointed.
i enjoyed it, i liked Gaiman's style (as usual) and characters but i just think this short-story style of book isn't my favourite. a solid book if that's what you're into.
A collection of short stories based on the Norse mythology. From the creation of the world, the Giants, the Gods and humankind, until their ultimate destruction, Ragnarok.
Not a great book, but there is something enticing in Neil Gaiman's prose. It is accessible, very easy to read and understand. The stories are short and amusing. Nothing exceptional, but the familiar characters add an instant feeling of kinship with them. Thor, Loki and Odin are known and beloved figures that need no introduction.
As it is the case with ancient myths and legends, there is a lot of things that make absolutely no sense. Like a human sized God being able to hold open the mouth of a colossal wolf that stretches from the earth to the sun.
This was a fun string of tales from Norse Mythology that are well told, but there weren't really any unique perspectives or stylistic flourishes.
Loved this, was a little short but sometimes thats not a bad thing! The format of how the story was told was very entertaining.
This was fun and entertaining but I'm also not sure how to review. It's definitely perfect as an introduction to Norse mythology. It was nice to learn about the stories of Odin, Thor and Loki and their shenanigans. Loki is the highlight of the book, because he is ultimately responsible for most of the problems but also part of the solutions.
But, these are just little tales about some incidents and there is a continuity but not a definite narrative structure. I guess I was expecting something more. The audiobook is wonderful though and Neil Gaiman's voice is perfect for narrating these stories.
3.5 stars, really. There were times I laughed out loud, for sure. And I enjoyed learning more about a mythology I'm not very familiar with. I liked the story about Fenrir the a lot - partly because Neil Gaiman does a great voice for him. But at the same time, similar story elements recur constantly, and listening to this straight through became a little boring at times.
I feel like the best way to read this would be to read it aloud, a bit at a time, with a child. I guess it's not unexpected that myths would show to their best advantage when being told at bedtime as individual stories with a recognizable cast of characters.
“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.
This is a great book, and it's great that Neil Gaiman decided to write it. It's great that Mythology is being seen as cool again, it really is. My experience, however, wasn't the greatest. I believe that's only because I'm not a Norse Mythology beginner, this ain't my first time at the rodeo. I do know most—if not all—stories that are told here, and this is a book that doesn't really bring anything new to the table. I mean, by all means, read it and enjoy if you're starting, but don't expect much if you've read any of the Eddas.
More straightforward than I was expecting, but will be a good intro to Norse mythology for the kids some day
Neil Gaiman has encountered the Norse gods before - using them in past works... but this is the first time he's been able to really indulge in their sagas. The book is arranged as a collection of short stories, covering various well known myths. Odin, Thor, Loki, Tyr, Frigg, Balder... they're all here, but their legends, while mostly intact, are embellished with Gaiman's unique voice and particular flourishes. Gaiman's gods often sound like school children, bickering over who gets to do what on the playground, but in this case, the playground is typically filled with frost giants or massive sun sized wolves. The book starts with a rather dense introductory chapter, but then flows into a set of short stories that are mostly gems. Finally, things escalate as you near the end of the book; as you approach Ragnarok... and beyond.
Gaiman does a great job putting his own spin on classic myths. Norse mythology is one of the ones I am least familiar with, so I appreciated his glossary and inclusions of stories from beginning to end.
An entertaining retelling of the stories I already loved from numerous other times I've heard and read them. Also they are a lot easier to read in modern English
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 read this book in an hour and a half whilst travelling home from Amsterdam. Because of the shorter chapters I flew through the book, I mean, most of these chapters/stories had around 15 pages.
The writing style was great, the stories were great. Overall, a great read :)
I grew up fascinated by Norse Mythology (thanks to Thorgal), and Neil Gaiman is one of my favourite author, so encountering both combinated was already marvelous. And I was not disappointed, Norse Mythology offers myths I knew and some I discovered, it offers stories of human-like gods, with their errands, mistakes, trials and foolishness. It's easy to read and offers a great overview of the northern gods, at least what we have retrieved. I just wish there has been more :)