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 fashions primeval stories into a novelistic arc that begins with the genesis of the legendary nine worlds; delves into the exploits of the deities, dwarves, and giants; and culminates in Ragnorak, the twilight of the gods and the rebirth of a new time and people. Gaiman stays true to the myths while vividly reincarnating Odin, the highest of the high, wise, daring, and cunning; Thor, Odin's son, incredibly strong yet not the wisest of gods; and Loki, the son of a giant, a trickster and unsurpassable manipulator. From Gaiman's deft and witty prose emerges the gods with their fiercely competitive natures, their susceptibility to being duped and to dupe others, and their tendency to let passion ignite their actions, making these long-ago myths breathe pungent life again.
EXTRACTIt's as hard to have a favourite sequence of myths as it is to have a favourite style of cooking (some nights you might want Thai food, some nights sushi, other nights you crave the plain home cooking you grew up on.) But if I had to declare a favourite, it would probably be for the Norse myths
WHAT I THOUGHTI love Myths and my favourites, by far are the Norse ones. They are the reason I enjoy the videogame Tomb Raider Underworld so much because the game draws inspiration from Norse Mythology. I thought this was a cracking read. I'm familiar with all of the myths Gaiman explores but I loved his take on them. The stories in this book are old and have been told many times in many different versions but I liked Gaiman's versions, given a contemporary tone. This reminded me a lot of Joanne Harris's amazing The Gospel of Loki. Loki is my favourite God even though he could be considered the most evil so I enjoyed stories that featured him the most. A few tales were new to me such as The Story of Gerd and Frey and Hymir and thor's Fishing Expedition. I enjoyed the later myths the most, leading towards Ragnorak. The final myth is this book was actually my favourite. Norse Mythology is well worth a read.