Geeks’ godtaps into winningwell
While the past few years may seem pretty rubbish to most of the world, they’ve been fairly great if you’re a Norse god. The many cinematic adventures featuring Chris Hemsworth as Thor seem to have done so well for their image that Icelandic followers opened a temple to the gods in 2015, the first new one in a millennium.
At this peak of theological resurgence, British author ( and a god among geeks himself) Neil Gaiman uses the Nordic legends as the basis for his latest book. Inspired by the classic myths he read as child, Norse Mythology is a witty and breezy retelling of his favourite stories.
From The Sandman to American Gods, the Norse heroes and their myths have shown up in the Brit’s work for decades and although he re- treads familiar ground in some stories, Gaiman brings fresh life to the characters that bear little resemblance to his past iterations.
Beginning with the birth of the gods and Yggdrasil, the all- living tree, and moving through to Ragnarok ( that’s the end of the world, not the new Taika movie), he recounts the various adventures of Thor, Loki, Odin and company in a dozen loosely connected short stories.
The book is a constant delight, thanks largely to Gaiman’s clear passion for the project elevating the mostly traditional retellings. The adventures are helped by his trademark wit casually scattered throughout the stories.
Particular highlights including the squirrel god Ratatoskr, whose gossiping causes drama throughout the realms, and the various outbursts of Thor, portrayed as dim, violent and drunk throughout.
In another typical Gaiman- ism, his version of Ragnarok, despite being built up and teased throughout the stories, is one of the shorter entries in the book. He never has been one for theatrical final battles and here he again chooses to focus on the lighter character moments.
At times, the casual tone Gaiman takes means he doesn’t dig into the characters and events as much as he could have. It seems to have been written with an all- ages sensibility in mind but although the informal language and fast- paced nature makes for light reading, it can leave you wanting more. In saying that, even a subpar Gaiman is still better than most. Norse
Mythology’s jaunty trip through Asgard and beyond will likely become the go- to guide for anyone looking to tell their Balders from their Fenrirs, one still brimming with that Gaiman style even if it veers too closely to the traditional.