Book Review: Norse Mythology

Hey bookworms! I have been super busy lately! Trying to crush my May TBR pile and I only have about a week left. I was at Anime North in Toronto all weekend but I managed to get some reading done while at the Airbnb. I finished Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman last week and did this as part of a buddy read with a fellow booktuber named Amanda Reads.

Synopsis: Neil Gaiman, long inspired by ancient mythology in creating the fantastical realms of his fiction, presents a bravura rendition of the Norse gods and their world from their origin through their upheaval in Ragnarok.

In Norse Mythology, Gaiman stays true to the myths in envisioning the major Norse pantheon: Odin, the highest of the high, wise, daring, and cunning; Thor, Odin’s son, incredibly strong yet not the wisest of gods; and Loki—son of a giant—blood brother to Odin and a trickster and unsurpassable manipulator.

Gaiman fashions these primeval stories into a novelistic arc that begins with the genesis of the legendary nine worlds and delves into the exploits of deities, dwarfs, and giants. Through Gaiman’s deft and witty prose, these gods emerge with their fiercely competitive natures, their susceptibility to being duped and to duping others, and their tendency to let passion ignite their actions, making these long-ago myths breathe pungent life again.

This was a really fun book. Neil’s characters were all drawn from his love of mythology and a lot of it was based on the Marvel Comics characters.

My favorite Norse god was, of course, Loki, because of his mischievous ways. Thor was honestly kind of an airhead but I feel like that doesn’t differ much from the comic books. One thing I did say to Amanda when reading was that the Norse Gods are complete assholes. They take no one else’s feeling into regard and just do what they want and take what they want. The poor dwarfs (or dark elves as they are referred to) get the shit end of the stick a lot.

The style that these chapters were told in reminded me of a bedtime story being read to me by my parents. They were told as if it was a tale of bravery or to be a warning of something to fear.

The tale I enjoyed the most was about Fenrir the wolf and his strength. All the gods tried to come up with ways to keep him shackled so that he couldn’t escape because they feared his power and the tale is about them tricking Fenrir. It is full of deceit and lies which the gods are known for.

This was my first Neil Gaiman book that I have read and I would gladly read more of his work. He tells tales in a unique way and it left me wanting more.

Book Rating: 4.5/5

You can buy this book on Amazon and Book Depository or find it on Goodreads.

Disclaimer: I had this book in my collection for a while and decided to read and review it as part of a buddy read.

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I recently did the “Do I Have That Book?” tag and I had so much fun making this video! I would love if you could check it out and leave a like or comment what you thought!