Norse Mythology

Author: Neil Gaiman

My only complaint about this book is that it wasn’t long enough. Truly I would have happily kept reading about Odin and Thor, Loki and Hela, Asgard and Baldr forever. This is the perfect book for your daily commute, bath-time luxuriating or lazing under a tree on a summer’s day. It’s abundantly clear from the first page that Neil Gaiman has an obvious love and affection for Norse mythology, which in turn shines through in his kind and faithful retelling of these classic Viking tales. Oral histories and heathen stories can often become lost to time and as such are open to interpretation – as Gaiman freely admits – but when re-told with a passionate penchant for the pantheon, as Gaiman has done, the stories come to life in a thrilling and wonderful way. It doesn’t matter so much that perhaps this is not the perfect re-telling, or something slightly different from what you know the stories to be (for example, in case you’re not familiar with the mythology, Loki is nothing like he is depicted in the Thor movies, so if you are expecting a Tom Hiddleston-like representation, let me dispel that for you right now – but don’t be disappointed though, he is still very much the mischief maker!) because you will simply enjoy the stories. As you should.

Read this if you like: Norse Mythology (obviously!), Vikings, the Marvel Thor movies or comics, history, Neil Gaiman.

Rated: 4 scoops out of a possible 5 flavours.