Norse Mythology: Slip-cased Edition

by James Shepherd (Editor)

Many of the stories from Norse mythology have been handed down through the centuries in the oral tradition and most derive from Iceland. This thrilling collection of tales will transport readers to the realms of Asgard, where the gods such as Thor, Odin and Freya live, and Midgard, the home of humankind, that together form the cosmological tree of Yggdrasil. Filled with dramatic stories of dark deeds, cunning and war as well as love, compassion and humour, the Norse mythologies have influenced countless generations of writers and artists in various media - from Marvel Comics' Avengers to Manga creations and J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, as well as the renowned novel and TV series Game of Thrones and the composer Richard Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen. Contains more than 30 tales of Norse mythology. This handsome edition is produced in a slipcase, making it an ideal collector's edition or gift. Contains a variety of delightful black and white line illustrations.

Genres: Mythology, Nonfiction, Classics, History

384 pages, Hardcover

First published January 16, 2018

Reviews

[8stitches 9lives · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a big fan of Norse Mythology so this book seemed perfect for me. I enjoyed reading the stories and thought it was a great collection, although I did have an issue with the fact that parts of the stories had been removed, namely the sexual aspects which were either completely downplayed or not there at all. I find this hard to understand. Unless the book was written with children in mind but that is not alluded to in the synopsis. I am a firm believer that these myths and legends should be told in full so this was a little disppointing for me. Omitting certain parts isn't okay in stories that have been told for centuries. I will say that I appreciated the illustrations as they complemented the narrative. This is an ideal introduction for children and I feel it would do better being marketed to that audience rather than adults who will likely wish to read the tales in their entirety.

Many thanks to Arcturus Digital for an ARC. I was not required to post a review and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

[N.N. Heaven · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was so excited to read Norse Mythology as I’m a huge fan of world mythology and folklore. I’ve spent years studying Greek Mythology but haven’t delved into the fascinating myths that feature the gods of Asgard. I’m somewhat familiar with Odin, Thor and Loki thanks mainly to Marvel.

The myths in this compilation offer a wide range of adventures, gods, magical creatures and even some romance. While there are quite a few stories here, I found the flow disjointed and I had a hard time with it. I also didn’t care for how violent/sexual parts of the myths were not included. Is this for children or adults? The blurb doesn’t make mention but if the intention of this collection is geared for children, then this is a four-star book. But according to the publisher/authors, it is shelved in adult mythology/folklore. Disappointing.

If you want a clean version of Norse Mythology, pick this collection up today.

Disclaimer: I received a copy from Arcturus Publishing via Netgalley in the hopes I’d review it.

My Rating: 3 stars

Reviewed by: Mrs. N

[Nicki Markus · Rating 3 out of 5]

My favourite thing about Norse Mythology was the scope the collection, which encompassed both Eddas, the Völsunga saga, the Ragnar Loðbrók stories, and other tales. There were also some pleasing illustrations. However, what let down this work for me was the unfathomable sanitising of the stories. Had this been a work aimed solely at children, I might have understood it, but that wasn't the impression I got. Why, then, were the more sexual aspects of some of the tales underplayed or written out completely? It hardly seemed an accurate representation of the stories to miss out such key elements. That did put me off the book as a whole, despite its other good qualities. I might recommend if you wanted to introduce a child to the mythology for first time, but as an adult, wanting a full version of the mythology, I can only give this three stars.

I received this book as a free eBook ARC via NetGalley.

[Charlotte Lepage · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was interesting, but I like Greek mythology better. Also why remove all the sex stuff?? Is it a kids book??

[Andy N · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice introduction to Norse mythology with illustrations that complement these 30 tales perfectly.

This collection of stories runs through the adventures and misadventures of gods and mystical creatures. Taking places both in Asgard, the realm of the gods and Midgard, home of Men, these are myths that have been told through the centuries and influenced each culture of the world differently. From cunning mischiefs, romance to humour and war, you’ll fall into this old world and the beautiful illustrations will help you give a face to mystical characters that you know and might not know yet.

The language is simple, easy to follow and understand. However, I think this book isn’t classified properly. As an adult, I would expect a more classical language and its expressions, like Old English. I felt this was written for a younger audience and not only because of the language. The sexual and violent bits are missing. For me, it’s a good book to introduce Norse mythology to children and middle-graders. For teens and adults, might feel like the stories are somehow lacking. These legends, much like the Grimm fairytales, should be told as they are, especially the missing parts are essential to the general message of the tale.

Overall, it’s a good read with great illustrations. I would recommend it as an introductory book for children and middle-graders on Norse mythology.

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher Sirius Entertainment and the author for allowing me to read and review a digital copy of this book.

[Dylan Katthagen · Rating 4 out of 5]

With the Avengers, many of us have heard of the gods - Thor, Loki and Odin. Or maybe we are familiar with the names Ragnar Lothbrok, Rolf, and Aslog, from the Netflix series (Vikings)? Either way, it was truly great to dive into the ancient legends themselves to see where all of these characters and their stories originally came from. It was particularly interesting to read the many similarities between Norse mythology and Christianity. In fact, with Odin's promise that the way of the Vikings - their stories, their heroes and their gods - would eventually die out and be superseded by a new faith and a new creation brought about by the son of god (Baldr), is it any wonder that Norse mythology submitted to Christianity in the Middle Ages? Whatever your beliefs, I highly recommend these stories (especially the Edda Tales), not only because of their influence on the western world, but because they are beautiful pieces of ancient literature that are filled with gods, heroes, giants and monsters. And who doesn't love that? 4/5.

[Kati · Rating 3 out of 5]

V severské mytologii v ještě větším měřítku než v té antické platí "Pýcha předchází pád." Většina padlých hrdinů vůbec zemřít nemusela, kdyby naslouchala hlasu rozumu namísto své hrdosti. Nepochopím. Na druhou stranu, taky nejsem hrdina, že.

Kniha je rovněž složena z vyprávění více autorů, takže se stávalo, že jedna kapitola vyvracela události druhé, viz osud obra Tjaziho: na konci jedné kapitoly uhořel, hned v další ho prý zabil Thór. Jistě, legendy mají různé verze, to je však třeba zohlednit nebo přinejmenším zmínit v textu, jako to dělá kupříkladu Stephen Fry ve svých knihách o antické mytologii.

Co se týká českého vydání, je škoda, že neprošlo pozornější editací. Hned v první větě hrubka. Text očividně prošel grafickou úpravou, nikdo se ale neobtěžoval upravit ostránkování v seznamu kapitol na začátku. Dost odbyté, což je škoda.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did enjoy this book of Norse mythology for the most part. It helped me become more familiar with the tales of Odin, Thor, Loki, and the other Norse gods, and with viking tales. The editing is pretty terrible, with the punctuation being all over the place and people's names being spelled differently from sentence to sentence. My main gripe, however, is that most of the stories are well-told and kept me interested, with the exception of those written by Edward Ernest Kellett. I found his writing vague and uninteresting, and I almost gave up on this book before deciding to continue plodding on until the next author. Overall, not a bad collection of stories, but could be better.

[roxi Net · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've loved Norse Mythology since I was a kid -- sure, Greek and Roman was fun, but Norse Mythology to me was just so much more...foreign, I suppose. Reading Norse Mythology by James Shepherd brought those memories of me in my local library's mythology section. This book made me remember so many stories I had forgotten as well as stories; I'm grateful to have been able to receive the galley and read (re-read) these stories.

[Jamie Pinkerton · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first half of this, Tales from the Eddas, was my favorite. Love me some Loki. I got a wee bored with the sagas. Everything seemed to repeat itself. King marries princess, kills all the kin, someone gets revenge, etc....

[Eve · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was a gift from a friend of mine. I love mythology! This is a good book but it has definitely been censored, for what reason is unknown. I am a strong believer that one to strive to keep the myths as true to the original as possible.

[Caleb · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a beautiful book, with a good collection of ancient Norse stories and tales. Perfect for anyone who is being introduced to the sagas and Norse mythology. Those who already own many of the sagas and the Prose Edda however, have likely read most or all of this book.

[Stefuto · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Stars because there are many more myths in this book than the other 2 books with Norse Myths that I recently read. And those new myths are not about the gods but the human heroes of the Vikings. Unfortunately it's not a great retelling of the myths.

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

#NorseMythology #NetGalley

A complete anthology of myths and legends of the Norsemen that will delight any age reader.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting grouping, some things were left out though...

[Louise Duckworth · Rating 3 out of 5]

started off well then ok....

[Janet Armentani]

Did not finish

[Barbora Zapletalová · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stejně jako Antická mytologie to byla perfektní knížka pro milovníky mýtů, bájí a pověstí. Ačkoli musím říct, že Antická mytologie u mě pořád ještě lehce vede.

[Ming's fantasy myth library · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a challenging book, I like some of the familiar stories, but it is so difficult for me to be invested in stories written in old English language