Yes!!!!!!!!! A new Neil Gaiman that I haven’t read!!!! I was so excited when I heard about this book’s release, but I waited to read it at a time when I knew I could afford to do no work and just focus on the book – because Neil Gaiman deserves it! Anyways, here is my review:
Norse Mythology is a collection of stories that begins with the creation of the nine worlds, delves into the exploits of the deities, dwarves, and giants, and concludes in Ragnarok, a time of death and rebirth. We are introduced to Odin, the all-father; Thor, Odin’s son, known for his brawn but not for his wisdom; and Loki, son of giants, a trickster who constantly shifts between good and evil.
Yes, that is a very short summary of the novel. But I really cannot get into any more detail than that; in fact, giving the summary was pointless in itself. Anyways, as I mentioned, this is a collection of stories, arranged chronologically to a point. What makes this book so wonderful is that it takes the original stories and delivers them in a more straight-forward way, making it more accessible to readers. Gaiman takes away a great deal of flowery language that is usually seen in these types of stories and reimagines the gods in a more modern and interesting way. He highlights each god’s strengths and weaknesses, and makes the conversations easier to follow while not losing any subtle nuance. It goes to show why Gaiman is considered a master storyteller! This was a short read, mainly because a lot of the less important jargon was removed, but also because the stories itself were presented in a more interesting manner. If you have read other works by Gaiman, you can see how Norse mythology has inspired him in other original works by him! All in all, this was just a fresh take on classic mythology and it was highly entertaining and worth reading!
Happy reading ~