Norse Mythology
Ratings771
Average rating4
More straightforward than I was expecting, but will be a good intro to Norse mythology for the kids some day
The first day of listening I thought I was not going to enjoy the book because I'd get confused by the names and terms of another culture but one day I discovered that the sequencing of the stories and the author's built-in pauses to build personalities and connections between person and person and item to person, made it easy for me to see in my mind's eye these people and items and their history, when mentioned later.And of course I always enjoy listening to Mr. Gaiman read his own work. Here is another book I'd enjoy, like [b:Mythos: The Greek Myths Retold 35074096 Mythos The Greek Myths Retold (Stephen Fry's Great Mythology, #1) Stephen Fry https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1502518360l/35074096.SY75.jpg 56371760], to have read to me each night.
really fun read - especially good if you listen to the audio version (because it is read by neil, himself). some of the stories are incredibly entertaining and beautifully described and a few are middling and hard to follow, but overall worth the time. the audio is especially great for a long drive with loved ones.
Neil Gaiman did he own rendering of these myths from stories that are handed down in generations of retellings. The stories were really interesting about Odin, Loki, Thor etc. I had heard of the Norse Gods before but never in detail like this. Plus I listened to this and Neil Gaiman really narrates very well.
I am a really big fan of mythology no matter which mythology. I know quite a lot about Greek mythology and wanted to know more about Norse one because I started getting into it to write a paper and then spend a year in Norway. And to be honest the cover was perfect !
Although I really liked because it was really well written : easy to understand and more written like a story than a textbook, which I was a little afraid of. But I really think that I made the right choice by listening to it as an audio book rather that read it as a physical book. Neil Gaiman is a really good narrator. It was a really good invitation to Norse mythology that I recommend for this who are interested.
a nice collection of short stories. it does have a flow from beginning to end so it doesn't feel too disjointed.
i enjoyed it, i liked Gaiman's style (as usual) and characters but i just think this short-story style of book isn't my favourite. a solid book if that's what you're into.
Me han gustado los relatos, sobretodo como relatos sueltos.
Si tuviera que calificarlos como relatos consecutivos que siguen una línea temporal, cambiaría la valoración.
Desde mi punto de vista, los relatos no están descritos con un vínculo claro entre ellos.
En los últimos de hace referencia a acontecimientos anteriores, pero de una forma que, al menos a mí, me resulta confusa.
Los relatos son muy entretenidos. Los hay divertidos, los hay curiosos, y los hay más sangrientos!
So, I kinda knew what I was getting into when I started this one, but just in case let me reiterate that this isn't a novel– yes, it has an overarching theme that starts with the beginning of things and how things will be at Ragnarok, but this is an anthology of Norse myths. Gaiman has retold some Norse myths and they are pretty interesting. I wasn't always interested though and noticed I was zoning out a lot, but I think my like for him as a narrator helped me continue on. There are quite a few funny moments and I like how he portrays Loki and how much people hate him – but again, I found myself zoning out all the time. Which is why the 3 star rating.
Norse mythology is weird as hell (the content, not this book).
It's mostly Thor being stupid. Ie. “Me strong, me have hammer, me drink beer.”
Or Odin being wise. Ie. “I gave my eye for wisdom but literally stop zero of these incidents.”
Or Loki being a genuine POS. Ie. “I continue to “prank” people when I'm bored/annoyed and people die but it's whatever...”
With that being said I only really had experience with Greek and Roman mythology so I enjoyed learning these stories and as Gaiman said, the way he outlined this book really did feel almost like a linear storyline.
Listened to this via audible and Neil Gaiman has a pretty sick voice if anyone is wondering.
Clever, fairly entertaining. My favorite story was “Freya's Unusual Wedding,” in which Loki gets to repeatedly say, “Shut up, Thor.” For the “book of mythology or folklore” category.
[b:Norse Mythology 37903770 Norse Mythology Neil Gaiman https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1516128292l/37903770.SX50.jpg 51396954]I like Thor So Much MoreI am the resident book worm in our home. I have a nine-year-old nephew and sometimes getting him to read means getting him to pick out what I read while he does his thirty minutes. After him picking this book I didn't stop until I was done. This is an excellent set of stories, and Gaiman is nothing if not an excellent storyteller. I did not have much to compare this book to, as I'm relatively unfamiliar with the Norse Myths, but I think I enjoyed it even more as a result. It is highly readable, one story at a time or stringing several together. I love my Greek stories so going through and reading some of the Norse ones was a treat for me. I should have my nephew pick more books for me. Great book, and one that I think it will be easy to return to time and again in the future.
Good book. The audiobook was amazing and I loved that it was read by the author
An enjoyable collection of stories. The audiobook was narrated by Neil Gaiman himself, so it was a lovely touch. Unfortunately it only felt as a collection of short stories to me and not as something organic that made me feel for the characters. However Thor and Loki were hilarious xD
Recommended to both experts and newbies
I never cared about our mythology or really read anything about it. I remember a quick chat in school about Tor and Odin but that's it. Yet I felt like I knew a lot about these stories. Things came to me when I read them. Where did I learn this?
A never ending winter and an army of the dead? Someone else has read these stories... also, winter is coming.
This was a fun string of tales from Norse Mythology that are well told, but there weren't really any unique perspectives or stylistic flourishes.
The Norse God legends are as strange and twisted as the Greek and Roman. It's still interesting. There are gruesome descriptions and events and humorous personalities presented in Neil Gaiman's retelling.
Liked it. Didn't love it. Expected it to be more of a ‘one story' book but it were multiple stories. Not a fan of that. Still enjoyable
“Cuando llegaron, se dirigieron al Valhalla, la gran fortaleza de los que han muerto en combate. En el Valhalla de Odín viven los einherjar, «los que luchan solos», todos los hombres que han caído con honor desde el principio de los tiempos. Sus almas son recogidas en el campo de batalla por las valquirias, guerreras a las que Odín ha confiado la tarea de llevar las almas de los muertos con honor al lugar de su definitiva recompensa.”
Las historias incluídas en este libro han sido seleccionadas por Gaiman luego de combinar diferentes versiones de los mitos en prosa y en verso. El resultado es nada menos que un viaje extraordinario al fantástico mundo de los dioses de Asgard, los vanir y los aesir, desde el inicio de los tiempos hasta el final de todo: el Ragnarok.
Odín, sabio y padre de todos; Thor, fuerte y vigoroso, aunque no muy brillante; Loki, cruel y astuto. Es gracias a Loki que realmente todo es más interesante, es el autor de todos los infortunios de los dioses. Aunque muchas de las historias se han perdido en el tiempo, la mitología nórdica se ha convertido en mi favorita hasta el momento.
Debí leerlo antes de jugar God of War y no al revés. Ahora todo encaja mejor que antes.
“Ragnarok” por Fakelore
This was fun and entertaining but I'm also not sure how to review. It's definitely perfect as an introduction to Norse mythology. It was nice to learn about the stories of Odin, Thor and Loki and their shenanigans. Loki is the highlight of the book, because he is ultimately responsible for most of the problems but also part of the solutions.
But, these are just little tales about some incidents and there is a continuity but not a definite narrative structure. I guess I was expecting something more. The audiobook is wonderful though and Neil Gaiman's voice is perfect for narrating these stories.
An evening's read that I have been looking forward to. I have read and enjoyed Stardust by Neil Gaiman before, and I have a small interest in mythology.
I'm not sure I would reread it, but I enjoyed the experience and thought it was well written.