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A review by eesh25
Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman
4.0
Norse Mythology is about Norse mythology (kinda obvious, I know). It starts from the beginning, how the world was made etc. and then goes to tell a bunch of stories featuring the Norse gods. You'll see the popular gods, Odin, Thor and Loki, and the ones that haven't been featured in Marvel movies, like Balder, Tyr and Frey.
These are all original Norse myths that have been told through the years and Neil Gaiman combines some his favourites as well as ones that are deemed most important in a book that can be your introduction.
I, myself, know some things about Norse mythology from reading Rick Riordan's Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard (the Marvel movies don't count, since they're about as accurate to the myths as the Percy Jackson movies). Still, this book was very enlightening. Not only because these were the old stories instead of new, what-are-the-gods-up-to-in-present-time stories, but also because I found out the origin of so many gods and powerful objects (like Mjornir, for instance).
But most of all, I got to know Loki. Because from Rick's book, since they're set in present time, I only saw Loki as the villain. But he wasn't always just that. Yes, he's was always crafty and he did a lot of things that he shouldn't, but he and the gods weren't always enemies. They got along pretty well.
Loki is complicated and probably the most interesting of the gods. He does things like shaving off a goddesses hair, just for fun. And then he fixes his screw up when Thor threatens to kill him. Thor, by the way, is my favourite Norse god. He's not the sharpest tool in the shed but his brashness and his straight-forward manner is so fun. He and Loki are a fantastic duo. Loki can get the better of almost anyone but Thor usually knows how to handle him ...with threads his hitting him over the head with his hammer. Here's an example of the kind of relationship Loki had with the gods, especially Thor:
It's great, isn't it? And Gaiman's narrative makes it better. It has a dry sense of humour that's brilliant and the choice of using a simple prose, without any grandeur that one might insert when writing of gods, which complements the humour perfectly. The stories that are already interesting are made entertaining as well because of how the author tells them. It's a book you can easily read multiple time and one that you'd recommend to someone who know nothing about Norse myths.
I do wish we'd gotten a pronunciation guide though. The names of all the things are a little different from normal English words and I had no clue how to pronounce 60% of them.
Overall, this was a great read. I loved all the stories and I will definitely be coming back to them. This book was funny, informative and interesting and I highly recommend it for anyone who likes mythology, no matter if you're new to it or if you've read the stories before, because even if it's the latter, the narrative makes them worth the reread.
These are all original Norse myths that have been told through the years and Neil Gaiman combines some his favourites as well as ones that are deemed most important in a book that can be your introduction.
I, myself, know some things about Norse mythology from reading Rick Riordan's Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard (the Marvel movies don't count, since they're about as accurate to the myths as the Percy Jackson movies). Still, this book was very enlightening. Not only because these were the old stories instead of new, what-are-the-gods-up-to-in-present-time stories, but also because I found out the origin of so many gods and powerful objects (like Mjornir, for instance).
But most of all, I got to know Loki. Because from Rick's book, since they're set in present time, I only saw Loki as the villain. But he wasn't always just that. Yes, he's was always crafty and he did a lot of things that he shouldn't, but he and the gods weren't always enemies. They got along pretty well.
Loki is complicated and probably the most interesting of the gods. He does things like shaving off a goddesses hair, just for fun. And then he fixes his screw up when Thor threatens to kill him. Thor, by the way, is my favourite Norse god. He's not the sharpest tool in the shed but his brashness and his straight-forward manner is so fun. He and Loki are a fantastic duo. Loki can get the better of almost anyone but Thor usually knows how to handle him ...with threads his hitting him over the head with his hammer. Here's an example of the kind of relationship Loki had with the gods, especially Thor:
There were things Thor did when something went wrong. The first thing he did was ask himself if what had happened was Loki's fault...the next thing he did when something went wrong...ask Loki for advise.
Loki was crafty. Loki would tell him what to do.
It's great, isn't it? And Gaiman's narrative makes it better. It has a dry sense of humour that's brilliant and the choice of using a simple prose, without any grandeur that one might insert when writing of gods, which complements the humour perfectly. The stories that are already interesting are made entertaining as well because of how the author tells them. It's a book you can easily read multiple time and one that you'd recommend to someone who know nothing about Norse myths.
I do wish we'd gotten a pronunciation guide though. The names of all the things are a little different from normal English words and I had no clue how to pronounce 60% of them.
Overall, this was a great read. I loved all the stories and I will definitely be coming back to them. This book was funny, informative and interesting and I highly recommend it for anyone who likes mythology, no matter if you're new to it or if you've read the stories before, because even if it's the latter, the narrative makes them worth the reread.