NORSE MYTHOLOGY by Neil Gaiman
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The world began in fire, ice, and mist. This is also how it will end. The gods who formed the earth by slaying a giant will in turn be slain by giants, and thus will end the reign of the Aesir and the Vanir, the gods of Asgard. But before the end of the world, the gods went (or perhaps are still going) on adventures that still capture the imagination.
Neil Gaiman breathes life into the ancient stories of the Norse gods, embracing their crass and ignominious qualities along with their cleverness and nobility. The characters and stories he explores are complex and humorous, told with his characteristic narrative style and masterful world-building. In contrast with many mythologies, the Norse tales focus on the gods and their enemies, the giants, almost exclusively. The gods fight their own battles rather than enlisting mortal heroes. Although all of the tales are distinct and–as Gaiman notes in his introduction–occasionally contradictory, still a story arc sweeps from the world’s creation to its destruction and rebirth. The short tales, however, make this book an ideal audiobook to listen to during start and stop activities, such as a commute, and the author’s reading of the audiobook is, as always, superb.
Highly recommended to mythology fans and fantasy fans!
Susan the Librarian 