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A review by moonpie
Ragnarök: The End of the Gods by A.S. Byatt
3.0
The Canongate Myth Series is something I've been fangirling without experiencing for years. FINALLY I was able to read one of the books in the series. Byatt's Ragnarok is based on Norse mythology and is actually the last book that was published for the series, back in 2011.
I liked Byatt's writing, her word choices and the flow of descriptive passages, but I think Ragnarok wasn't the best introduction to the series or her writing. While most of the books in the series, from what I've seen, involve retellings of myths, this one is just a flat-out TELLING, through the eyes of a young book-nerdy girl in wartime. I found myself enjoying the story's rhythms but getting lost every now and then, since there was no single thread to follow within the mythology and I had a hard time keeping track of names.
It was a good way to get to know the bones of Norse mythology, though, since I'm much more familiar with Greek and Roman mythology. My previous learnings were mostly gleaned from Thor. Also, a burst of cleansing synchronicity: I finished this book the day before Ragnarok was supposed to happen, according to some Viking center of something or other.
I liked Byatt's writing, her word choices and the flow of descriptive passages, but I think Ragnarok wasn't the best introduction to the series or her writing. While most of the books in the series, from what I've seen, involve retellings of myths, this one is just a flat-out TELLING, through the eyes of a young book-nerdy girl in wartime. I found myself enjoying the story's rhythms but getting lost every now and then, since there was no single thread to follow within the mythology and I had a hard time keeping track of names.
It was a good way to get to know the bones of Norse mythology, though, since I'm much more familiar with Greek and Roman mythology. My previous learnings were mostly gleaned from Thor. Also, a burst of cleansing synchronicity: I finished this book the day before Ragnarok was supposed to happen, according to some Viking center of something or other.