paperback, 304 pages
English language
Published Nov. 13, 2019 by Bloomsbury Publishing.
Neil Gaiman has long been inspired by ancient mythology in creating the fantastical realms of his fiction. Now he turns his attention back to the source, presenting a bravura rendition of the great northern tales.
In Norse Mythology, Gaiman stays true to the myths in envisioning the major Norse pantheon: Odin, the highest of the high, wise, daring, and cunning; Thor, Odin’s son, incredibly strong yet not the wisest of gods; and Loki―son of a giant―blood brother to Odin and a trickster and unsurpassable manipulator.
Gaiman fashions these primeval stories into a novelistic arc that begins with the genesis of the legendary nine worlds and delves into the exploits of deities, dwarfs, and giants. Once, when Thor’s hammer is stolen, Thor must disguise himself as a woman―difficult with his beard and huge appetite―to steal it back. More poignant is the tale in which the blood of Kvasir―the most sagacious of …
Neil Gaiman has long been inspired by ancient mythology in creating the fantastical realms of his fiction. Now he turns his attention back to the source, presenting a bravura rendition of the great northern tales.
In Norse Mythology, Gaiman stays true to the myths in envisioning the major Norse pantheon: Odin, the highest of the high, wise, daring, and cunning; Thor, Odin’s son, incredibly strong yet not the wisest of gods; and Loki―son of a giant―blood brother to Odin and a trickster and unsurpassable manipulator.
Gaiman fashions these primeval stories into a novelistic arc that begins with the genesis of the legendary nine worlds and delves into the exploits of deities, dwarfs, and giants. Once, when Thor’s hammer is stolen, Thor must disguise himself as a woman―difficult with his beard and huge appetite―to steal it back. More poignant is the tale in which the blood of Kvasir―the most sagacious of gods―is turned into a mead that infuses drinkers with poetry. The work culminates in Ragnarok, the twilight of the gods and rebirth of a new time and people.
Through Gaiman’s deft and witty prose emerge these gods with their fiercely competitive natures, their susceptibility to being duped and to duping others, and their tendency to let passion ignite their actions, making these long-ago myths breathe pungent life again.
Honestly? It's Neil Gaiman reading you Norse Mythology. What's not to love?
Very educational and informative.
Though a bit more humor would be appreciated :)
I enjoyed the listening experience of this audio book, even I was distracted in some of the stories. I liked to find references to the different myths in American Gods, Thor MCU movies, and other pop culture pieces.
Quick impressions: Neil Gaiman reads and performs the text. He is very good at it, at times like a shaman telling a tale to a tribe around a fire. The stories range from serious to humorous. Sure, the gods could be quite grim, but Gaiman also shows us their funny moments.
(Full review on my blog later)
Hab aufgehört, weil ich die Charakterisierung der Götter langweilig finde (und den Fokus auf Loki)
I never cared about our mythology or really read anything about it. I remember a quick chat in school about Tor and Odin but that's it. Yet I felt like I knew a lot about these stories. Things came to me when I read them. Where did I learn this?
A never ending winter and an army of the dead? Someone else has read these stories... also, winter is coming.
Ha sido una maravilla descubrir tantas cosas sobre una mitología que vemos mucho menos que otras, la mitología nórdica. Si es que lo sabes hacer todo bien, Neil Gaiman.
AHORA QUIERO INYECTARME MÁS COSAS NÓRDICAS EN VENA
I almost feel guilty not giving this a higher score; Neil Gaiman is a great writer, and I generally really enjoy his works. But I wasn't as happy with this :-(. I recognize that mythology is not the same as a novel, and as such, it does not need a beginning, middle, and ending. But this seems like only a terse set of stories that really didn't even tell what the gods are all about. Yes, Loki is a trickster, but what kind of god is he? I feel that there should have been a bit more discussion about the Norse gods as a whole, and what their influence and religion really stood for in The North.
As it was, it was okay. And I like the ending talking about the end of the world and the end of the time of the gods. It tied it all up, but …
I almost feel guilty not giving this a higher score; Neil Gaiman is a great writer, and I generally really enjoy his works. But I wasn't as happy with this :-(. I recognize that mythology is not the same as a novel, and as such, it does not need a beginning, middle, and ending. But this seems like only a terse set of stories that really didn't even tell what the gods are all about. Yes, Loki is a trickster, but what kind of god is he? I feel that there should have been a bit more discussion about the Norse gods as a whole, and what their influence and religion really stood for in The North.
As it was, it was okay. And I like the ending talking about the end of the world and the end of the time of the gods. It tied it all up, but it didn't give a base for/at the beginning :-(.
Sigh
