Norse Mythology is a collection of short stories from Asgard, complete with battles, pranks, life of gods and ultimately the Ragnarok.
Review
Marvel has brought the world of Thor, Loki and Odin to our homes. And Gaiman does the same. These are the three main characters in his Norse Mythology too. Odin is the father, highest and oldest of the gods. His son, Thor is the strongest in possession of a hammer, Mjollnir, forged by the dwarfs. Loki is a master manipulator, often falling out of favour with the gods with his pranks. Freya is the beautiful one who has a mind of her own.
The beginning pages are a little boring because it gives an introduction to Asgard, the world of Norse mythology- so we are mostly swamped in new names, the equipment used by the gods etc. Later, we move on to the stories of different characters. Gaiman starts his book with the beginning of the myth cycle – the apotheosis of Odin. The book ends with stories leading to the final destruction of Asgard, realm of the Gods. Some stories are short and some are long. The gods are known by different names, which I found a bit confusing. This might be because I am new to these tales of the North. However, the characters are crafted in a realistic way that make you want to know more about them.
It is difficult to choose favourite stories from the collection. I like how these stories show the ‘humanness’ of these gods. They lie, they cheat to have their way. There is a hilarious explanation of how bad poets come to be in The Mead of Poets (because they ate the mead that came out of Odin’s ass). I really loved The Master Builder, in which Loki contracts for a huge wall to be built around Asgard, by promising his sister in marriage to the builder. The builder is a mountain giant in disguise. The story is vulgar and funny and makes you believe that perhaps gods aren’t the strongest beings after all. The Treasures of Gods is about how Thor gets his hammer when two most accomplished dwarfs are pitted against each other to create a unique and unusual gift. Freya’s Unusual Wedding is a hilarious tale on how Thor gets his hammer back by dressing up as a bride. It was sad to read the fate of Hel, Fenrir and Jörmungandr, the children of Loki from a giantess, because they didn’t resemble the gods. Rangnarok : The Final Destiny of the Gods was a fitting end to the book. I like how it says on the next page ‘And the game begins anew’.
It is difficult to rate a collection of mythical tales because the author has less to do it and the impact of the stories greatly depends on how they were transferred through generations by word of mouth or in written form. Those who are expecting a retelling would be heavily disappointed by the book. Norse Mythology is a collection of Norse tales and falls into the ‘once-upon-a-time’ and ‘the-end’ style of writing. Gaiman deploys an easy and engaging language to narrate these stories filled with magic, betrayal, guilt, revenge and redemption. That said, some stories in the collection were a bit silly for an adult reader.
Final Verdict
I am not well versed with the mythological world of Norse mythology, so I enjoyed the stories. The glossary of names at the end was very helpful as I would often get confused. But those who know the myths of Asgard might be a little underwhelmed by the book.
Title : Norse Mythology
Author : Neil Gaiman
Publisher : Bloomsbury
Published : 2017
Language : English
Pages : 279
Rating : 3.5/5
Disclaimer : Much thanks to Bloomsbury India for a copy of the book. All opinions are my own.
Maybe it’s a good thing I didn’t get this then. It seems like it wouldn’t have been the right collection for me.
Well, I am glad you made the right choice. 🙂
Just had this book given to me instead of chocolate egg for Easter! So your review is timely for me and makes me think that on balance will enjoy reading this – and it’s a better gift than a chocolate egg after all!
Books are so much better than chocolate eggs. Unless it is a book and chocolate together with it. I hope you will love the read
Interesting review. I’m very wary of Gaiman’s retelling, both because it verges on opportunism (thanks to Marvel, though to be fair to Gaiman he has drawn on Norse Mythology before in American Gods which is quite an entertaining, if lightweight, book) and also because I think it would be hard to come even close to Kevin Crossley-Holland’s Book of Norse Myths which is the introduction to the Norse Mythology I would recommend to anyone who is interested in leaning more. And the Poetic Edda and Prose Edda are actually both fairly accessible. I’m not sure what this adds.
Oh thank you for the insightful comment. I am not aware of these books. I will keep them in mind if I want to read more of Norse mythology
I am pretty familiar with the mythology, so I was looking forward to this book. Not sure when I’ll read it, but I hope I am not underwhelmed by the stories, though after reading your review I could see why that might happen.
Ah! I will look forward to your review to seen if Gaiman has been true to the original stories
This is one of my most anticipated books of 2017 as I am a huge Neil Gaiman fan. It sounds like there was a lot of info dump going on? Have you read any of NG other books?
I have read very few Gaiman books. I enjoyed Neverwhere and kind of liked Stardust. I have read a few of his graphic novels. I like his non fiction more.
That cover <3
Agree, it is breathtaking!
Underwhelmed? Hmmm. 😉
I did not have much of a problem with the book since I am not familiar with Norse mythology. But those who know the stories already, will be underwhelmed.
Understood.
And I still don’t get your replies in my mail. That is very weird. Let me ask WP support.
I have checked my “manage your subscriptions”, but everything seems in order.
Could it be because you have your own domain?
Frowning emoticon.
😉
Agreed. Just the second time I read the word. First time was another blogger friend. An unusual word. And I like unusual.
Thank you.
(I’ve sent my plea to WP support. Will let you know)
Au revoir.
I hope the it works out and you will be notified of replies. No idea if it is because I am self hosted or if I have my own domain.
Don’t know either. And I haven’t been able to sit down and look calmly at their suggestions. 🙁
(And implement them)
Be good.
Ooh I do want to read this one because I secretly want to read ALL the Gaiman books! And the most I know about Norse mythology is through Magnus Chase by Rick Riordan and all the Marvel movies haha…so probably not that good. But at least I try?
Ah! I cannot wait to see what you think of Norse Mythology. I think you will like it. But as I said, keep your expectations low. It is not like a mind blowing retelling or anything, just a collection of the stories.
I can completely relate to choosing your favorite from the collection. Choosing a favorite Gaiman anything is practically impossible. Reading your review reminds me that I read Gaiman was trying to do more of a historical collection of stories here– he did a ton of research to find the closest to the original stories. I feel like the Marvel world has changed these Gods because it fits their storylines.
I always feel a bit lost when reading about pantheons. This is true with Hindu, Greek, and Roman mythologies for me, as well. So you aren’t alone. I can’t wait to read this book and be just as confused as always. 🙂 I love these sorts of stories.
Great review!
Thank you Jackie.. These are great stories to read. I enjoyed the book because I knew so little about the actual Norse mythology. I hope you will enjoy the book too.
I only have read one book from this author but I have a great memory of it – I love the author’s writing style. Maybe I need to check out that one as soon as I can – I know close to nothing about Norse mythology so I’m reaaaaaaally intrigued now. Lovely review 🙂
Thanks Marie. Even I read the book without any knowledge of Norse Mythology. So I think you will enjoy the book. 🙂
I have been waiting to read this book until it comes out in paperback, but the wait has seemed so long! I love Neil Gaiman’s writing, and as soon as I heard that he was releasing this, I knew it would be great. He already demonstrates his knowledge on the mythology of different cultures with American Gods, and it is good to know that he stuck with his fictional style, and didn’t shy away from parts of the mythology that might be considered dirty or inappropriate (like the mead that came out of Odin’s ass).