Reviews tagging 'Murder'

Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman

43 reviews

toastyghosty13's review against another edition

dark informative medium-paced

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

3.0

This was great to listen to because I love Neil Gaiman's writing and voice. The audiobook was narrated by him. I do not know much about norse mythology other than what I have seen in the Thor movies, but I think I liked this book more. It shows how Thor also kind of sucks as a major character in the myths, and it also explains how the gods came to be from Odin. The stories were many that I have not heard before, and are all somewhat cohesive in that they each provide context that helps with the last story of Ragnarok. This was cool to listen to, and I think more captivating to listen to rather than read.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Torture, War, Child death, Death, Violence, Murder, and Death of parent

nicholasbobbitt1997's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Fantastic rendering of the Norse myths. Eminently readable, broke me out of a months-long reading slump. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Medical trauma, Gore, Death, Animal cruelty, Confinement, Animal death, Violence, Sexual content, Murder, Blood, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Alcohol

Minor: Excrement

izzykai's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny informative lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

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

5.0

A fun & easy read, great for mythology beginners, broken up into easy to digest short stories

Warning: it is pretty violent so don't read if you're not ok with that 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Self harm, Murder, Torture, Violence, and War

riverofhorton's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny inspiring mysterious reflective fast-paced

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

4.0

I went into this book with the assumption that it is at least somewhat accurate to the myths, and while there are elements that are, this is very much a Christianised Loki-Bad-Odin-Good portrayal of those myths.

Taken in isolation, it is as well written and mildly comical as Gaiman's other works, but within the context of it being a retelling of the Norse myths, it just missed the mark on so many points for me.

As example:

the legions of Hel are described as being "the evil dead", which to my knowledge is not only a Christian concept, but also unjust. Those dead are simply people that didn't die in battle, so while there will be "evil" among them, they're not intrinsically so. Such phrasing also implies that Odin's warriors are equivalent to the angels of Christianity, something made ironic when you realise it's possible for "evil" people to die in battle.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Torture, Alcohol, Suicide, Violence, Child death, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Bullying, Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, Emotional abuse, Murder, Genocide, Grief, Abandonment, War, Toxic friendship, Slavery, Cannibalism, Gaslighting, Gore, Death, Death of parent, Animal death, and Blood

freschne's review against another edition

adventurous 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

1.0

A collection of repetitive tales that celebrate cruelty, selfishness and betrayal

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Cannibalism, Alcohol, Violence, Physical abuse, Murder, Incest, and Gore

alexandrathegreat89's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny lighthearted medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Murder, Death, Gore, War, Violence, Torture, and Sexual content

reading_oyster's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny informative medium-paced

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Murder

hue's review against another edition

adventurous dark informative

5.0

Neil Gaiman's writing is so ripe with fantastical elements and intriguing storytelling, it's easy to fall into the story and forget all of everything. He writes of the Norse gods which such simplicity yet detail it'll stay with me for life.

I had heard the audio book before, read by none other than Neil Gaiman himself, but the physical copy was just as wonderful to get through. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Child death, Death, Murder, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, War, Animal death, Torture, and Violence

nightmaresandfairytales's review against another edition

adventurous challenging funny sad medium-paced

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

4.25

I bought this book because it was recommended somewhere as a good introduction if you want to learn more about Norse mythology because it is simpler to read than an actual Edda. In my own point of view, I would not recommend it to anyone not having a clue about Norse mythology though. I was familiar with the topic and quickly found my way into the stories about the gods, giants and others. Some basic knowledge is definitely helpful to know what is happening, who is involved and where it is happening.

But if you bring a solid base, this book is great entertainment. Gaiman managed to break down the stories about the Norse gods into simple, short tales that are entertaining and even make a round story. The characteristics of the gods and other creatures come out very well and I often had a good laugh. Gaiman's book stresses why Thor in particular is such a well-liked figure in Norse mythology.

I can't judge if the stories are adequate - I've never read the originals. But some of the tales sounded familiar, although I didn't know many details. I really enjoyed this book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Toxic friendship, and Torture

Minor: Grief and Murder

peachani's review against another edition

informative medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, and Confinement

Moderate: Animal death, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Torture, Blood, Grief, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Bullying, Suicide, Genocide, Ableism, and War