Neil Gaiman’s retelling of the Norse myths is a lot of fun. In Norse Mythology, Gaiman blends the source material with a whimsical tone and a modern touch to present a highly entertaining collection of short stories loosely threaded together in chronological order from the world’s creation to its destruction during Ragnarok.
I am not sure I would soon revisit this book from cover to cover, but there is very little need to. Each story more or less stands on its own and Gaiman sprinkles imagery, trickery, and comedy throughout. This is honestly the kind of book that probably works well in audio formats, and that I could see children adoring at bed time. With few exceptions, Norse Mythology is all-ages fun while still being intelligent. Gaiman strikes the perfect balance between taking the mythology seriously and entertaining readers.
I don’t know how much each of these stories will stick in my memory long term (having just finished the book a few of them are already blurring together in my memory) but overall, I feel I have a much better appreciation for how different iconic characters, events, and locations from Norse Mythology all fit together.
A few stand out stories were: Freya’s Unusual Wedding, The Mead of Poets, The Apples of Immortality, and The Death of Balder.
The Once and Future Lit 