Reviews

Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman

baileycowen's review against another edition

adventurous medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

dinasamimi's review against another edition

4.0

Lovely, light read that serves as a highly readable intro into Norse myths. Gaiman a is succinct and entertaining storyteller. Not sure that Norse mythos has much to teach us about life and humanity, besides not being terrible or power-hungry; nonetheless this modern retelling is fresh, innovative and deeply satisfying.

jacyndarmawan's review against another edition

4.0

4.5 stars

I just love mythology presented in a raw and non-dramatic way. I thought this was going to be similar to Mythos by Stephen Fry which I also adore, but turns out this book is written in a completely different style. Quite snappy and refreshing.

Norse mythology is written in short stories and I enjoyed how it was easy to dip in and out of!

indoctrine's review against another edition

adventurous lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

A quick and fun listen. 

wirthaa's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

jesselopod's review against another edition

adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I enjoyed it, but I was disappointed that the stories portrayed the female gods as 2 dimensional, and was missing some key information about them. Thor, Odin and Loki are key characters and really the only ones who seem remotely fleshed out. But it was good to hear the stories told 

xandermcd's review against another edition

adventurous informative fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

charlieswrittenadventures's review against another edition

adventurous informative fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

steyn0's review against another edition

adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

sohxpie's review against another edition

adventurous funny informative fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

I've always loved reading re-tellings of mythology and Neil Gaiman's Norse Mythology does not disappoint. In fact, I think it may be one of my favourites. He does such a fantastic job at bringing these stories to life, his writing style is perfectly suited to Norse mythology. The humour, the wit, the drama, it's all there and all so well-written. I think the humour was one of my favourite aspects of the book. I probably wasn't supposed to laugh at Thor kicking a dwarf into a fire and the dwarf later making rude gestures in the Norse underworld but when you read it, you can't help but chuckle (well, I laughed anyway but my favourite God is Loki so take from that what you will.) I liked how a big range of Norse gods were covered. Obviously Odin, Thor, and Loki were at the forefront but it was nice to learn about some lesser known Norse Gods such as Freya, I really enjoyed reading about her in particular, she's great. I think Gaiman chose a great range of stories to retell, cleverly linking them. His little reminders and references to earlier stories were well-done, making sure you had all the context you needed for that particular story. Overall, an absolutely brilliant book, my only gripe being that it wasn't long enough!