Would you listen to Norse Mythology again? Why?
Definitely. I read an advance
copy of the book before hearing this, and I enjoy the experience of
learning about a body of lore I had remained unfamiliar with for far too
long in my life. Neil Gaiman is at ease with the corpus after many
years of immersion, from his boyhood on.
What other book might you compare Norse Mythology to and why?
The retellings of myth by such as
Robert Graves or Edith Hamilton for the Greeks, or the Celts by Frank
Delaney or Marie Heaney. That is, they make the stories into our own
diction, and they encourage as Gaiman does to relate them in turn to
each other under the stars.
Which scene was your favorite?
The ending. Terrible and
unfortunately relevant, in an era of melting icecaps and "sunny day
flooding." Ragnarok is horrible, and the apocalyptic climax betters the
stories in Revelation.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
Yes, but two or three are more
likely as it's nearly seven hours. Neil Gaiman takes up a rather
mid-Atlantic accent and the narrative pace is steady. It's appropriate
for the effect.
Any additional comments?
Recommended for a family, as the
stories teach us about trickery and truth, honesty and betrayal. Not
sure if the pantheon are role models all, but it's instructive to
consider gods and goddesses as if archetypes from one's culture, and
less supernatural and apart from people. The name recognition Gaiman
holds will surely find new audiences for these ancient quests. (
Audible US 2/7/17)
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