Norse Mythology

Neil Gaiman

Feb 2017 · Bloomsbury Publishing

About this eBook

THE NO. 1 SUNDAY TIMES AND NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER FROM THE AUTHOR OF NETFLIX HIT THE SANDMAN

'With the deftest of touches, the characters are once again brought to life' JOANNE HARRIS
'The halls of Valhalla have been crying out for Gaiman to tell their stories' OBSERVER

The great Norse myths, which have inspired so much of modern fiction, are dazzlingly retold by Neil Gaiman. Tales of dwarfs and frost giants, of treasure and magic, and of Asgard, home to the gods: Odin the all-father, highest and oldest of the Aesir; his mighty son Thor, whose hammer Mjollnir makes the mountain giants tremble; Loki, wily and handsome, reliably unreliable in his lusts; and Freya, more beautiful than the sun or the moon, who spurns those who seek to control her.

From the dawn of the world to the twilight of the gods, this is a thrilling, vivid retelling of the Norse myths from the award-winning, bestselling Neil Gaiman.

*This book has been printed with two different cover designs. We are unable to accept requests for a specific cover. The different covers will be assigned to orders at random*

Ratings and reviews

Absolutely phenomenal book for people looking to get into norse mythology. While it may not be 100 percent accurate, it will help you with the main myth as it goes in a well structured order and will help with the terms and names of different gods, giants, and landmarks.

There are some books that just take you by surprise, and for me, Neil Gaiman’s Norse Mythology was one of them! I’ve always been interested in the different kinds of mythology, especially Greek, Roman, Egyptian and Norse. My interest and love for Norse grew with the Thor movies (which I now know aren’t fully accurate?) and after watching Thor: Ragnarok (three times in theatres) it’s become something of a new obsession. Still, I don’t read much of either non-fiction or short story collections, but it was Neil Gaiman AND Norse Mythology and so, when Bloomsbury India offered me the chance to read their newly published (gorgeous and shiny) paperback edition, I jumped. MY THOUGHTS: 1. If there was one thing I didn’t expect this book to be, it was funny. There was so much humour involved in the retellings of these myths and it really made me fall in love! “There were things Thor did when something was wrong. The first thing he did was ask himself if what happened was Loki’s fault.” ~ “Your head,” said Brokk. “If we win this contest, we get your head, Loki. There’s a lot of things going on in that head of yours, and I have no doubt that Eitri could make a wonderful device out of it. A thinking machine, perhaps” 2. The book was enlightening. I LOVED learning more about Thor, Loki, Odin, Ragnarok, how the world came to be, their children, their cunning and bloodlust and EVERYTHING else. It was an in-depth collection of some of the most fascinating tales in Norse Mythology that Neil Gaiman brought to life. 3. There were SO MANY interesting tales in the books, and facts I didn’t learn in the movies including: - Where Thor got Mjollnir from, Fenris (the huge wolf we see in Thor: Ragnarok) and where he came from, Loki’s shapeshifting, the real foretold Ragnarok, how the Nine Realms came to be and I LOVED IT SO MUCH. 4. There was also a short story where Thor had to dress up as a bride and IT WAS THE FUNNIEST THING I’VE EVER READ. It totally made my day. 5. Let me just end by saying that (because who doesn’t judge books by their covers. Or endpapers, if you’re hardcore) this new paperback edition is STUNNING. I love the shine, the art AND the endpapers and I can’t wait for more from Neil Gaiman. A true Norse Masterpiece that is enlightening, just the right amounts of funny and an overall heartfelt collection of stories that will make you smile. 4.5 stars.

It's written in a deliberately simple prose because the subtlety and nuance that runs through the interactions of the Gods themselves and the rest of these nine worlds is difficult to convey to a general readership ...if you are dissatisfied read it again ...he makes me laugh ...good thing

About the author

Neil Gaiman has written highly acclaimed books for children and adults and is the first author to have won the Carnegie and Newbery Medals for the same work – The Graveyard Book. The Sleeper and the Spindle, illustrated by Chris Riddell, won the 2016 Kate Greenaway Medal. His novel, American Gods, has been adapted into a major television series.