Book Review- Norse Mythology

Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman

★★★★★

Title: Norse Mythology
Author: Neil Gaiman
Publisher & Year Published: Norton & Company, 2017
Genre: Fiction, Fantasy, Mythology, Short Stories
Format: Audiobook

Flow: ★★★★★
Characters: ★★★★★
World Building: ★★★★★

Synopsis: 

Neil 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 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.

Review*:

   This is my first Gaiman book after being told that I should definitely read Gaiman. I've followed him on Twitter, I've seen people like V.E. Shwab fan girl over him on Twitter, and I am very aware there is a TV show based on Good Omens.

   The cover of this book really caught my interest when the book first came out. Then I heard great things about Gaiman. Finally, I found Norse Gods on Libby and I decided what the hell. I don't know how I didn't know it was a mythology retelling, but man am I glad. If any of you have been here a while, you know I love Greek mythology. I am not as familiar with Norse or Northern mythology. The list of reference materials used for Norse Gods at the beginning was really awesome because although this is a retelling of many of those stories, I do like to reference where they originally came from. 

   I really enjoyed the pacing of each story and learning more about Norse mythology. The combinations of stories that the narrator mentions in the beginning is my preferred way to deliver retold information, mostly because it includes all versions and addresses any differences between stories. I also think Gaiman was really thorough with compiling his mythology information for each story. 

  There was a person on Goodreads who was pretty adamant that this should have been labelled as a children's book due to the writing. I can see why he would think that the writing is juvenile, but I think part of it is the light-hearted nature of the narrator. I know a lot of people have read Gaiman's work when they were younger, so his writing can appeal to anyone from I'd say 13 beyond. However with conversations of chopping other gods heads off and drinking mead out of another ass, I don't know if I would blatantly label this as a children's book. 

  I will most likely pick this up in physical copy as well. Again, I love having reference materials for mythology at hand rather than trying to search the very vast internet for the stories and origins. I will also continue to read Gaiman's writing. I'm glad I've started going through his works, especially seeing how big his Sandman series is. 

*This section may contain spoilers.