Norse Mythology - Neil Gaiman - 9781408891957

<p><b>THE NO. 1 SUNDAY TIMES AND NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER FROM THE CO-AUTHOR OF GOOD OMENS, NOW A MAJOR AMAZON PRIME SERIES</b></p><p>'With the deftest of touches, the characters are once again brought to life' - <b>JOANNE HARRIS</b></p><p>'The halls of Valhalla have been crying out for Gaiman to tell their stories' - <b>OBSERVER</b></p><p>The great Norse myths, which have inspired so much of modern fiction, are dazzlingly retold by Neil Gaiman. Tales of dwarfs and frost giants, of treasure and magic, and of Asgard, home to the gods: Odin the all-father, highest and oldest of the Aesir; his mighty son Thor, whose hammer Mjollnir makes the mountain giants tremble; Loki, wily and handsome, reliably unreliable in his lusts; and Freya, more beautiful than the sun or the moon, who spurns those who seek to control her.<br>From the dawn of the world to the twilight of the gods, this is a thrilling, vivid retelling of the Norse myths from the award-winning, bestselling Neil Gaiman.</p><p>'Brilliant … Somehow he brings us close to this world of mountains and cataracts, monsters and elves' –&nbsp; <span style="font-style: italic;font-weight: bold;">Sunday Times Book of the Week</span></p><p>'It's virtually impossible to read more than ten words by Neil Gaiman and not wish he would tell you the rest of the story … The halls of Valhalla have been crying out for Gaiman to tell their stories to a new audience. Hopefully this collection will be just the beginning' –&nbsp; <span style="font-style: italic;font-weight: bold;">Natalie Haynes, Observer</span></p><p>'There have been countless retellings of the Norse myths, but few that give them the everyday immediacy of Neil Gaiman's wry, punchy phrasing and delivery. You feel that bumbling Thor, wise Odin, fabulous Freya and the wily Loki are part of him' –&nbsp; <span style="font-style: italic;font-weight: bold;">The Times</span></p><p>'Gaiman retells the Norse sagas in his own lucid, laid-back style, teasing out the humour and absurdity inherent in the source material … An honest retelling that betrays an abiding personal passion for the exploits of dim-witted Thor, mercurial Loki, bombastic Odin and the rest' –&nbsp; <span style="font-style: italic;font-weight: bold;">Financial Times</span></p><p>'Beautifully told and a lot of fun' –&nbsp; <span style="font-style: italic;font-weight: bold;">Mail on Sunday</span></p><p>'A bold undertaking … An excellent introduction to the stories that wield such great cultural significance' –&nbsp; <span style="font-style: italic;font-weight: bold;">Economist</span></p><p>'Gaiman's voice is engaging; often quirkily humorous … The author's affection for the characters shines out from every page, and the narrative, always crisp and direct, combines an adult's insight with a childlike sense of wonder at the magic of it all' –&nbsp; <span style="font-style: italic;font-weight: bold;">Joanne Harris, Spectator</span></p><p>'Gaiman's characteristically limpid, quick-running prose keeps the dramatic impetus of the medieval texts … His telling of the tales is for children and adults alike, and this is both right and wise, it being the property of genuine myth on many levels' –&nbsp; <span style="font-style: italic;font-weight: bold;">Ursula K. Le Guin, Guardian</span></p><p>'It's the perfect moment to become acquainted with Gaiman's eerie, fantastical writing. In his latest book, he recasts the Nordic sagas as gripping human dramas, putting flesh and blood on the slippery Loki, the hard-charging Odin and others' –&nbsp; <span style="font-style: italic;font-weight: bold;">Irish Independent</span></p><p>'His work draws you in and eats you up with new worlds and ideas' –&nbsp; <span style="font-style: italic;font-weight: bold;">Metro</span></p><p>'The ideal person to present these stories for a contemporary audience. He approaches the stories with a lightness of touch … There's humour throughout ****' –&nbsp; <span style="font-style: italic;font-weight: bold;">SFX</span></p><p>'See long-dead Nordic legends brought vividly to life in this latest [book] from the master of the dark fairytale' –&nbsp; <span style="font-style: italic;font-weight: bold;">National Geographic</span></p><p>Neil Gaiman has written highly acclaimed books for both children and adults and is the first author to have won both the Carnegie and Newbery Medals for the same work – The Graveyard Book. The L.A. Times has described his multi-million-selling graphic novel series Sandman as 'the greatest epic in the history of comic books'. Many of his books, including Coraline and Stardust, have been made into films; Neverwhere has been adapted for TV and radio; American Gods and Good Omens have been adapted into major TV series. He has also written two amazing episodes of Doctor Who and appeared in The Simpsons as himself. In 2013 he published his first adult novel for seven years, The Ocean at the End of the Lane, which received stellar reviews and was a bestseller around the world.</p>