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carlyxdeexx's review against another edition
3.0
Why did this audiobook take me so long to finish?
I think part of it is that audiobooks don’t keep my attention as well as physical books. But part of it is also that Neil’s voice is very sweet and soothing. And typically I do my reading/listening on the morning bus to work or the evening bus home from work. In both scenarios, I am exhausted. And Neil’s voice would put me right to sleep. I’d miss whole chapters and have to find where I was when I conked out.
Which was frustrating enough, but on top of that, I had to put the audiobook on my iPod, and when iTunes auto-named the tracks, it named them differently for each disc, so at first, I didn’t have them in the correct order, so I listened to a lot of the stories completely out of order. Whoops.
So my first audiobook experience was pretty chaotic! I’m probably sticking to physical books from here on out.
In any case, I liked these stories. They were pretty basic interpretations. I didn’t know much about Norse myths going in, so I think it was more enlightening to me than it would be to someone with extensive knowledge of Norse myths. I thought it was so silly that people got mad at Neil for the myth with the wall in it! Also Ragnarok is the result of climate change. Prepare for the impending death of the world.
I think part of it is that audiobooks don’t keep my attention as well as physical books. But part of it is also that Neil’s voice is very sweet and soothing. And typically I do my reading/listening on the morning bus to work or the evening bus home from work. In both scenarios, I am exhausted. And Neil’s voice would put me right to sleep. I’d miss whole chapters and have to find where I was when I conked out.
Which was frustrating enough, but on top of that, I had to put the audiobook on my iPod, and when iTunes auto-named the tracks, it named them differently for each disc, so at first, I didn’t have them in the correct order, so I listened to a lot of the stories completely out of order. Whoops.
So my first audiobook experience was pretty chaotic! I’m probably sticking to physical books from here on out.
In any case, I liked these stories. They were pretty basic interpretations. I didn’t know much about Norse myths going in, so I think it was more enlightening to me than it would be to someone with extensive knowledge of Norse myths. I thought it was so silly that people got mad at Neil for the myth with the wall in it! Also Ragnarok is the result of climate change. Prepare for the impending death of the world.
franzifred's review
adventurous
funny
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
illusie's review against another edition
4.0
I have always liked mythology, but was not familiar with Norse mythology. I like how this book starts with how the world and the gods were created. The stories are interesting. Though I thought most of them were a bit cruel. Main themes are death and deception. Because the book is written so well I give this 4 stars.
coralena's review against another edition
funny
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
this was a refreshing and quite light read. funny in its mythical absurdity. I am quite sure the tales will take some time to settle in my mind and I will return to them to further understand the meaning.
alexan13's review against another edition
4.0
Enjoyable, accessible retelling of Norse myths. I really enjoyed how the myths were arranged to have a narrative arc, but still read like distinct oral tales.
josuedude's review against another edition
4.0
Great story telling of Norse mythology thoroughly enjoyed from beginning to the end
mentallyunhinged's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
pigeongirl's review
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
erasmios's review
3.0
It took me a couple of hours to finish Norse Mythology. Since my childhood I've been very interested in myths and legends. In elementary school I devoured the Valhalla comic book series and I was glad to find out many of those stories were also told in Gaiman's Norse Mythology. I'm a big Gaiman fan and although this must have been a very important passion project to him, I still feel he could've done much better. On the one hand I appreciated the fact he told the stories without changing them, in a way that I felt like I was listening to a village teller relate these ancient myths. On the other hand I was hoping Gaiman would've utilised his own fantastic imagination and included more dialogue. Many old stories like these tend to be vague, contradicting and at times very absurd and ludicrous. I'm sure someone as talented as Gaiman would've been able to elevate some of these confusing parts of the stories. I would recommend Norse Mythology to readers who are familiar with or interested in the subject.