Mighty Gods? Maybe…Not. (Norse Mythology – A Book Review)

Norse Mythology

Author: Neil Gaiman

Published: 2017

On Goodreads

My Rating:  

 

Having been long inspired by mythology, Neil Gaiman has come up with a collection of retellings through his own unique (and crazy) point of view of Norse mythology and, yes, this includes the great Ragnarok-the end of the world.

With cameos from Odin, Thor, Loki and even Sif, Gaiman’s humor and powerful storytelling takes flight. Thor’s hammer goes missing. The gods trick the giants. And Loki continuously talks his way out of death.

 

First off, I’m a regular geek-out over Neil Gaiman. The man is a pleasant kind of crazy. I also LOVED his V/O in Lucifer, though it took me the entire episode to figure it the eff out. He’s a phenomenal writer with an untouchable talent. I swear he gives birth to the kind of stories that become legendary star constellations…then again, maybe I’m just fangirling. *shrug*

 

This book didn’t compare to American Gods or The Ocean at the End of the Lane, but it was still amazing. Starting off with an informative introduction and ending with a glossary specifically to help with further understanding, this book was rather fulfilling and enjoyable to my yearning for mythology. I love mythology. Usually, I’m quite attached to Greek myths, so this was a great change-up.

Also, the glimmering, gold on black cover of Thor’s powerful hammer is breathtaking. Just saying. I fondled the cover with glee.

From the creation of Thor’s hammer, Mjolnir, to the end of the gods’ world-Ragnarok, there was both humor and seriousness. Most of all, it was magical. With dwarves and large wolves. I was so enthralled. I think the wolf-son of Loki-was actually my favorite character. What can I say? I’m a dog person.

I loved the imagery of Asgard, the world of the gods and the description set up alongside it. Gaiman has this way of explaining and showing and describing, and all of these things that make the images move in your mind, so that it’s easy to understand, yet in depth and smooth like the ocean. Cheesy way to describe it? Maybe. But, I like it and it’s suitable. He’s a real genius and it shouldn’t have taken 20 years just to read his work.

What really caught my eye was the way all of the stories tied together for an epic ending. I won’t give anything away, except to say that there’s a lot of blood and loss and rebirth. Simply wonderful. The gods were certainly not the ones we all know and love out of Thor.

Nope. Thor actually red hair. And Loki isn’t even Thor’s brother. He’d Odin’s brother. Might I add that Thor is basically the Kelso of the group. LOL. Not even kidding. It’s hilarious. Loki is basically Hyde, who gets away with shit by blaming somebody else. (If you haven’t watch That 70’s Show then go do it.)

AND THE GODS ARE SOME REAL JERKS. LOL. I was stunned by this. Granted, I figured there’d be selfishness and possibly some incest and weird family love, but whoa! They also brought all of the tragedy and mishaps upon themselves with their paranoia.

 

Overall

I fun and delightful read with many surprises. Doesn’t feel educational and partially because it’s not, though it is. Worth a read if you enjoy Gaiman and if you haven’t read any of his work yet, start with one of his novels to a feel and then read this one.

 

 

Quotables

“Now he understood magic. Now the world was his to control.” (p. 22)

“When something goes wrong, the first thing I always think is, it is Loki’s fault. It saves a lot of time.” (Thor, p. 52)

“That was the thing about Loki. You resented him even when you were at your most grateful, and you were grateful to him even when you hated him most.” (p. 67)

“Listen and you will learn.” (p. 269)

 

More to come soon…

-K.

 

P.S. Song today? The Heat of the Moment by Asia.

 

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