Norse Mythology

By: Neil Gaiman

Narrated by: Neil Gaiman

Introducing an instant classic - master storyteller Neil Gaiman presents a dazzling version of the great Norse myths.

Neil Gaiman has long been inspired by ancient mythology in creating the fantastical realms of his fiction. Now he turns his attention back to the source, presenting a bravura rendition of the great northern tales. In Norse Mythology, Gaiman fashions primeval stories into a novelistic arc that begins with the genesis of the legendary nine worlds; delves into the exploits of the deities, dwarves, and giants; and culminates in Ragnarok, the twilight of the gods and the rebirth of a new time and people. Gaiman stays true to the myths while vividly reincarnating Odin, the highest of the high, wise, daring, and cunning; Thor, Odin's son, incredibly strong yet not the wisest of gods; and Loki, the son of a giant, a trickster and unsurpassable manipulator. From Gaiman's deft and witty prose emerge the gods with their fiercely competitive natures, their susceptibility to being duped and to duping others, and their tendency to let passion ignite their actions, making these long-ago myths breathe pungent life again.

Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook. Download the accompanying reference guide.©2017 Neil Gaiman (P)2017 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic reviews

"Neil Gaiman's retelling of Norse myths is destined to become a classic for both his sure-footed stories and his captivating performance.... The tales seem timeless, and Gaiman's melodic narration so strongly echoes the oral tradition of myths that it's as if the narrator has stepped out of the stories themselves." (AudioFile)

"In 'Norse Mythology,' Gaiman brings voice to the old myths so viscerally that listening to the audiobook every night for a week, I thought my bedroom might explode into Valhalla.... In fact the entire Norse pantheon, including dwarves and giants and demons, plays out as vividly as a novel or film.... Hearing the great myths spoken in a language from my present with a trace of ancient history physically broke me open, Gaiman's voice bringing the characters to life." (The New York Times Book Review)

Fun Stories from a Master Storyteller

Norse Mythology. Neil Gaiman. A project he’s been working on for 7 years, narrated by Gaiman himself. This book made me weak in the knees. Neil really lives this stuff, and you can tell he has a passion for the subject matter.

As he points out in the prologue, myths are an oral tradition and the best thing about them is how they change and evolve with each telling. And so they do here as Gaiman gives these ancient cultural stories a divine sense of character, and voices the plethora of monsters, humans, gods, and giants exceptionally well.

I swear, the moment you start listening to these intricate and enchanting tales you won’t want to leave the world that Neil has so deliberately crafted to be relatable, visionary, and entertaining.

Gaiman's Voice Breathes New Life into Old Myths

"Because," said Thor, "When something goes wrong, the first thing I think is, it is Loki's fault. It saves a lot of time."
- Neil Gaiman, Norse Mythology

Neil Gaiman telling Norse myths about Loki, Thor, Odin, Balder, etc., seems kinda right. Gaiman is the master of giving myths new life. He adapts, modernized, bastardizes, stretches and pulls them with his novels. Sometimes it works well (American Gods, etc) and other times not so well, but always it is entertaining. I wouldn't consider myself an uber-Gaiman fan, but I do enjoy his stuff. I'm also more of a Greek and Roman myth man myself, so I'm not as familiar with the stories, characters, and -- well -- myths of the North. But this was a good introduction. It was certainly done with Gaiman's pluck and voice. I full expect that Gaiman will turn out a couple more of these. My guess is we will see in the future Gaiman retelling:

1. Greek & Roman Myths
2. Celtic Myths
3. Egyptian Myths
4. American Indian Myths
5. Japanese Myths
6. Mayan Myths

He could totally milk it. His Norton publishers would love it. They could be sold individually or in a nicely boxed set. Libraries would buy it. Schools too. Think of what a long tail Edith Hamilton's book of myths had or Thomas Bulfinch.

Norse "history"

I find "creation stories" and "mythology" fascinating as it gives a view into what things were like in the time of stories. This book was an interesting spin in those stories and added some depth that I didn't know.

I especially liked the way that it was read in such a friendly fireplace chat manner.

Modern ReTelling of Norse Mythology Tales

This book is a great modern adaptation of key old Norse mythology stories. I do not believe all of the Norse stories are represented here, but many are, and of course all the humorous and action-oriented tales are included! Neil Gaiman might be better known for his novels, such as "American Gods", but he is also a really big fan of Morse mythology. I really appreciated the introduction by the author; it was great to hear Gaiman talking about how he first came across the stories and his advocation for retelling them.

These are great! I have learned more direct translations of "the Prose Edda" and "the Poetic Edda" before, but this is a modern retelling of them. I really enjoyed the freshness of this audio experience, but that might be in part because I already liked the original tales. While I of course will always advocate for studying translations that are closer to the originals, this could be a bridge that gets younger people or those that are less academically inclined interested in these tales.

As "Hamilton: The Musical" got a younger generation interested in American history, so too can exercises such as "Norse Mythology" get people interested in older texts. This is great to have if you are a fan of Norse mythology (especially Thor, Loki, and Odin), Old Norse, Nordic history and culture, Icelandic history and culture, as well as Viking history and culture. Because of the narrative structure of gods and creatures getting into trouble and having to cleverly get themselves into better situations, I would also recommend this to fans of other mythologies, such as Greek/Roman/Egyptian/Mesopotamian. Even if you've never read the Norse tales before, there is a lot to gain here.

The Audible narration is by Neil Gaiman himself, and while sometimes author-narration comes off as simply vanity reads, Gaiman performs these perfectly! He does different voices for different characters, and even Fenryr is done really well. Loki's delivery is PERFECT! The ridiculousness and humor of these were highlighted so well. What a joy. I'm not a fan of Gaiman's other work, so don't dismiss this if you're not a Gaiman fan.

These stories are great fun, and Neil Gaiman handles them well. I'll be re-reading this sometime and recommending to many.

I shall call this review "forgograster"

I very much liked the stories. it is funny, however, that everything is named in Norse Mythology!

Interesting and well performed

To be honest I wasn't really sure what to expect, but i liked this book. I've heard some of these stories before, but the versions in this book are easier to remember because of the great voice performance.

Also, it's always a sign of a good audiobook when you actually remember what you just heard :)

Marvelous

Learned so much about Norse mythology that I thought I already knew. Thrilled to know the full story now. Loved this book and highly recommend it!

Its Neil Gaiman

Not much else you need to say. narrates his own, always worth listening to. a master story teller and this time is no different

entertaining, culturally honest, well narrorated

a t. l e a s t f i f t e e n w o r d s

Amazing

If you’re a fan of Norse mythology you’ll absolutely love this book. I couldn’t stop listening to the stories of Thor and Loki, and all of the Gods. It ended and I found myself wanting more!