304 pages
English language
Published March 6, 2018
Norse Mythology is a 2017 book by Neil Gaiman. The book is a retelling of several stories from Norse mythology, including the theft of Thor's hammer and the binding of Fenrir. In the introduction, Gaiman describes where his fondness for the source material comes from. The book received positive reviews from critics.
I read this book in almost one sitting, during a flight over Greenland and Iceland. It is a series of very enjoyable short stories that form chapters of a larger time frame, from the beginning to the end of time. The story-telling is remarkable. The characters are endearing and I was touched by their humanity, even though they are gods.
To put things into context, let me explain HOW I came to enjoy this book. I started from zero knowledge of Norse Mythology (though way too many hours of education in Greek/Roman mythology as a teenager). I downloaded the e-book version, read by the author, as a single mp3 - running time: 6 hours. And seeing that my mp3 player is old and makes the process of rewinding and forwarding a track a real pain, I just listened on and on and on. For three days, my commutes and lunch breaks were animated by tales of all-too-human gods tricking and slaying each other. By the end, it all felt a bit surreal, characters were melting into each others, giant wolves visiting my brain even when the mp3 was off. ...and yet: it is a great book. The myths are easy to follow, even if they are all intertwined and linked …
To put things into context, let me explain HOW I came to enjoy this book. I started from zero knowledge of Norse Mythology (though way too many hours of education in Greek/Roman mythology as a teenager). I downloaded the e-book version, read by the author, as a single mp3 - running time: 6 hours. And seeing that my mp3 player is old and makes the process of rewinding and forwarding a track a real pain, I just listened on and on and on. For three days, my commutes and lunch breaks were animated by tales of all-too-human gods tricking and slaying each other. By the end, it all felt a bit surreal, characters were melting into each others, giant wolves visiting my brain even when the mp3 was off. ...and yet: it is a great book. The myths are easy to follow, even if they are all intertwined and linked to one another. And Gaiman's voice is so soothing, you could listen to it for hours on end. Six, to be precise.
