I discovered Neil Gaiman rather recently, but am no less an
ardent fan for this delay. To quote a
fellow librarian, “if [Gaiman] published a phone book, I would read it,” and Norse Mythology is a far cry from such a
dry litany. My prior knowledge of Norse lore was scant and unformed. In my
mind, the birthplace of Scandinavian legend was one where chiseled Marvel heroes
and goofy Cressida Cowell creations frolicked through a wintry and forbidding
landscape. So, the terrain covered in this book was a fairly novel one for me,
and I was eager to give Gaiman’s take on it a look. I was not disappointed. As in all of his works, the characters,
however fantastical, are made real. A
reader is able to look into the eyes of even the most uncommon of giants, and
see him or herself reflected back.
The book is structured as a series of mostly chronological
stories involving the Norse Gods, leading up to Rangnarok, i.e. the Nordic
apocalypse. Some of these characters I had met before in some form (Thor, Odin,
Loki), while others were new to me (Hel, Balder, Frey, Freya). Several of the
tales have the feel of a creation myth about them: the origin of fall feasting,
the source of poetic inspiration, and the gates of Hell; others are wry
re-tellings of the various exploits of the Gods. Gaiman brings these ancient
heroes to life with his characteristic insight and wit. His passion for the
Norse tales of old becomes your own by the novel’s end. I would highly recommend this novel to lovers
of myth and fantasy.
-Jennifer Wilson
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