Author: Neil Gaiman
ISBN: 9781408886809
Format: Paperback
Published: March 2017
Recommended Price: R350.00
“Before the beginning there was nothing” – and from that point of departure, Neil Gaiman takes the reader on a journey through Norse legends in his latest offering, Norse Mythology.
Gaiman takes the reader back to the mythological characters, where Thor is strong with a good heart, but does not use his brain as much as he does his muscle. Odin is the all-father, but even his ability to see into the future is shaky at the best, which often leads the gods to make rather questionable moral decisions.
Loki, the god of mischief stays true to form, creating mishief which more often than not brings the comic relief. Other gods also make an appearence, such as Frey and Freya.
Gaiman’s Norse Mythology tells origin stories, how the world was created, how it will end, how Odin came by his wisdom and Thor by his trusty hammer, Mjollnir. Laugh out loud in Freya’s unusual wedding (picturing Chris Hemsworth as Thor in this story increased the laugh-out-loud quotient dramatically), The apples of immortality where Loki’s tricks once again back fire on him and Thor’s journey to the land of giants.
The mead of the poets and The death of Balder are two of the sadder stories in the collection.
Norse Mythology is a compendium of stories that can be read as individual stories, or from cover to cover as a story of the beginning of the world to Ragnarok, when the world is destined to end.
And is a welcome addition to any mythology lover’s book collection, or someone who just wants fun and adventure in their reading.
About the author:
Neil Gaiman is the author of the New York Times bestselling The Ocean at the End of the Lane, The Graveyard Book, Coraline, Neverwhere, The View from the Cheap Seats and The Sandman series of graphic novels, among many other works of fiction. Many of his works, including Coraline and Stardust, have been made into movies. His bestselling novel, American Gods will debut on television screens in 2017.