Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman

2017 is going to be a great year for the fascinating Neil Gaiman. Not only has his American Gods been made into a STARZ television series but he has recently published an instant classic; Norse Mythology. Gaiman is known for his many fantastical settings and with this book he takes us to where he has gotten some of his inspirations. He takes the nothern mythological tales of Odin, Loki and Thor and weaves them into an almost novelistic story. The various gods and goddesses live and sometimes control the various creatures of the nine worlds with some outlandish results. Each chapter is really a delight to read; we find out that these mythological characters were not the wise, all-knowing beings but can be strong but slow-witted, clever but devious, and very competitive. 

The book has received many reviews, such as this one from the Los AngelesTimes:
     "No contemporary fiction writer gets more of his power from the mythological tradition than Neil Gaiman. Almost all of his work, from the “Sandman” comics he wrote in the '80s and '90s to prose novels such as “American Gods” and children's books such as “Coraline,” ingeniously fragments and integrates the raw materials of myth into present-day settings and perspectives. At his best, Gaiman does with folkloric storytelling something like what Bob Dylan does with the blues and folk song tradition: He's absorbed so much mythology that his own work flows naturally out of it, and his narrative voice is richer for its echoes of the old stories. He occasionally comes off as a self-serious For-I-Am-a-Teller-of-Tales sort, but his storytelling chops have numberless generations of expertise bolstering them."

Although not an in-depth study of Norse Mythology, this is a great read and one that is a good escape from the real world. Click on the cover (amazing art work) to place the book on hold. 

 

 

 

 

 

Mr. Gaiman recently read one of the stories from his book at the Boston Public Library. You can listen to it below.

Originally Posted by LindaD on May 22, 2017