New Book Review - Norse Mythology

Book - Norse Mythology 
Writer - Neil Gaiman   
Published By - W. W. Norton & Company
 
Mythology or rather stories dealing with regional folklore and ancient religious belief have always fascinated me, well at least since I can remember. And the Norse version or rather Scandinavian myths have been one of my favorites in this regard. On the other hand Neil Gaiman is also an author I am quite fond of from my previous experience. And, thankfully this book delivers on almost all grounds.

Over the years I have read my share of different versions of the norther mythology dealing their gods and their adventure. Then again, this is written by Neil Gaiman, one of the living legends of modern fantasy famous for his unique and imaginative writing style and his passionate and engrossing world building.

The characters have always been the greatest aspect of Norse Mythology. I mean, who doesn't love Thor, Loki or even Odin for that matter. And Gaiman does keep a tight leash on them while writing about them in an accessible for all-ages version of their stories. He through his mystic prose made me want to know more about some of the minor characters (I even used the internet for some) and that is a feat of great credit in my book.

The most fun part about the storytelling is that Neil tries to, in his own way, maintain a kind of chronology in the stories. There is a definite beginning, a series of tales in which the characters are fleshed out and we find out more about them, and all of these ends in a final conflict of the glorious battles at Ragnarok. Although most of these tales are already known by me, Gaiman's version is really worth reading and adds flavor to these iconic characters and their grand adventures.

In criticism, Gaiman did try to make some parts a bit too child friendly and that drained some of the fun out of it for me. And reading this book made me feel that some parts are missing, leaving me a bit unsatisfied. Nevertheless, this is another memorable work by Neil Gaiman, which I finished in a flash and due to its strong origins is quite re-readable as well.

This one gets 4 out of 5 stars.