Davin is nearly done, and I'm about 2/3s thru, so it seems like time. The Norse myths were the ones I loved best as a child, but I can see in the years since my tolerance for gods has waned.
I finished it last night.
As far as the writing goes, I really like it. I was fond of Norse Mythology and Gaiman made the stories I remember make a bit more sense even though there is still some hand waving to ignore the parts that don't make sense.
The stories for me were partly enjoyable. I liked his version of the illusionist giant.
I never liked how the mythology "ended," I always thought that part was not part of the "real" story. In my mind, Ragnarok is still yet to happen. I also thought that the Christians had something to do with the "ending" where all the gods die.
I only mostly like Loki, I'd like him more if he wasn't such a dick. I always felt like everyone was too forgiving of him.
It was a fun read for me.
Quote from: Davin on August 11, 2017, 03:03:26 PM
I only mostly like Loki, I'd like him more if he wasn't such a dick. I always felt like everyone was too forgiving of him.
Loki is a trickster god. They tend to be smart and personable, so they are often forgiven for those times they act like a dick. I really don't think it is Loki's fault that the people around him didn't have enough sense to look skeptically at the advice Loki gave them. I was continually astounded that everyone pretty much said, "Oh, that sounds like a good plan" and ran with Loki's advice, even if they had been on the receiving end of tricks previously.
I liked the little elves who made the hammer and the sword.
I hate to admit it, esp. since the Norse myths were my favorites as a kid, but this re-telling never engaged me. I don't know whether to blame Gaiman for this (not a writer whose style I enjoy, and I found his slight modernization of the gods' behavior more off-putting than edgy) or myself (my ability to tolerate gods depicted as venal human assholes with super-powers has waned decidedly over the years). I think I'll split the difference and blame both of us equally.
Although I enjoyed the book, I had a difficult time staying involved in the stories. I was astonished at the stupidity of the Norse gods. About the time I really got drawn into one of the stories, one of the gods would display the critical thinking skills of a teenager in a slasher flick, and follow Loki's advice without a second thought. Perhaps Gaiman was more influenced by the depiction of Loki, Thor, and Odin from the Marvel movies than he thought.
Quote from: Velma on August 13, 2017, 06:59:26 AM
Although I enjoyed the book, I had a difficult time staying involved in the stories. I was astonished at the stupidity of the Norse gods. About the time I really got drawn into one of the stories, one of the gods would display the critical thinking skills of a teenager in a slasher flick, and follow Loki's advice without a second thought. Perhaps Gaiman was more influenced by the depiction of Loki, Thor, and Odin from the Marvel movies than he thought.
That was a stumbling block for me too -- I kept thinking, "Really? You're going to follow Mr. My Schemes Always Backfire? Again?"
I enjoyed this book because it's been a long time since I've read these stories...have to admit as a young adult I was more interested with Greek Mythology over the Norse, but this was a fun read. Took to reading most of the book early in the morning before my day began.
By the way it made perfect sense to me that Thor fails to lift a kat during his trials of strength, because it turns out to be neither kat nor a human weakness, but a giant snake. (Because of course, kats are evil)
Again that was fun.
Ha, by complete coincidence I just read this too. I enjoyed it overall, though I was unclear on Loki's motivation for killing Bader. Was he just being an asshole for the sake of it?
Quote from: Firebird on August 25, 2017, 06:49:51 PM
Ha, by complete coincidence I just read this too. I enjoyed it overall, though I was unclear on Loki's motivation for killing Bader. Was he just being an asshole for the sake of it?
I think yes, but I also think motivations don't matter very much in myths.
Quote from: Velma on August 12, 2017, 08:26:53 AM
Loki is a trickster god. They tend to be smart and personable, so they are often forgiven for those times they act like a dick. I really don't think it is Loki's fault that the people around him didn't have enough sense to look skeptically at the advice Loki gave them. I was continually astounded that everyone pretty much said, "Oh, that sounds like a good plan" and ran with Loki's advice, even if they had been on the receiving end of tricks previously.
He is the equivalent of Hermes, so I appreciate his naughtiness. I especially like his antics in Götterdämmerung - Wagner could be funny when he needed to be.