Norse Myths

December 1, 2017

Gr 7 Up-A collection of tales of the Norse gods and goddesses through the eyes and ears of Gylfi-a king of Sweden who "knew a great deal more than most men and women because he listened to storytellers and because he was curious and had a good memory." Gylfi searches for more knowledge about the legends by journeying on foot across the rainbow bridge (Bifrost) to Asgard-home to the deities-disguised as a "stumbling, fumbling" tramp called Gangleri. A man juggling "seven glittering knives" leads the king/tramp into Valhalla, where three wise kings on three high seats gladly answer his questions about the 13 gods and 13 goddesses and Viking history. The tales in this volume are somewhat smoother retellings of those in the author's Norse Myths: Gods of the Vikings. When Gylfi returns as an old man, the three kings prophesy the end of the Norse world in a great war between good and evil and the beginnings of a new civilization. This stunning volume, heavily illustrated with somewhat gruesome, predominantly black acrylic and ink paintings in block print and silhouette style, provides an excellent introduction to Norse mythology. VERDICT A good choice for middle and high school collections.-Susan Scheps, formerly at Shaker Public Library, OH

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2018
This handsome, hefty volume provides readers a comprehensive retelling of Norse mythology. A master of myths and legends, Crossley-Holland accessibly relays a multitude of myths, from the world's creation to eventual destruction. The striking acrylic and ink illustrations--mostly black-and-white silhouettes with occasional color highlights--emphasize the dark nature of the stories. Glos.

(Copyright 2018 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

Starred review from October 15, 2017
Grades 7-10 *Starred Review* When he was a boy, Crossley-Holland writes, reading Norse myths made him yell and laugh and cry. Today, though the Carnegie Medalwinning author's imaginative retellings of these ancient stories may still foster yelling and crying, there will be precious little laughing, as the myths are somber in tone and heroic in execution. They begin, logically, with the beginning of the world, and end, tragically, with the death of the gods, but with the hopeful hint of a new beginning. The principal players in these timeless tales are Odin, ruler of the gods; Thor, his mighty, hammer-wielding son; and the shape-shifting trickster god Loki. It is the clever Loki who is the most interesting of the three as he evolves from an antic, sometimes annoying presence to a jealous, vengeful being that brings about the death of Balder, the most beautiful and beloved of the gods. Crossley-Holland's inspired text is straightforward and largely unadorned in a way that makes it timeless. Meanwhile, Love's eye-popping expressionist illustrations, rendered in acrylics and ink, decorate almost every page, beautifully creating an often sinister atmosphere that expands the tone of the text. Together words and pictures work to memorable effect, doubtlessly inspiring their young readers to yell and cry. The myths have seldom been better served.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)

October 1, 2017
Twenty tales of gods, giants, and dwarfs, of mighty feats and epic trickery.Veteran storysmith Crossley-Holland has presented versions of these extracts from the Prose Edda before, but here he recasts them into stately retellings that get extra measures of menace and gloom from the heavy shadows and big, indistinct figures that Love places on nearly every double-columned spread. Opening with tributes to the myths and to Snorri Sturluson, their medieval Icelandic recorder, the author moves on to the stories themselves. He includes such familiar episodes as the building of Asgard's walls, Thor's "wedding," (which, what with its closing massacre, comes off as more grimdark than humorous, as played elsewhere), and the death of Balder within the frame story of the Swedish king Gylfi's sojourns to Valhalla. There he hears from a mysterious, enthroned trio (some of the original source's Christian inflections are left in for observant readers to notice) of Yggdrasil, the nine worlds, and, finally, the deaths of Odin and the rest. The major themes of deceit and violence play louder here than loyalty, justice, or some other positive value, and women (along with Bragi, the "pink cheeked and girlish" god of poetry) are relegated to minor roles. Still, the tales are colored as much by their depictions of courage in the face of certain ultimate doom as by the illustrations and are thus powerful in emotional resonance--not to mention chock-full of bold deeds, glittering treasures, and scary monsters.Lavishly illustrated and strongly atmospheric--as well suited for reading aloud as alone. (schematic of the nine worlds, cast of characters) (Myths. 11-13)

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Starred review from October 9, 2017
The brutal, mischievous, and fascinating stories of Norse mythology unfold in lively and dramatic retellings, which introduce the gods and goddesses of Asgard, as well as the dwarves and giants of Midgard and Jotunheim. Trickery, betrayals, journeys, and transformations fill these 20 tales, and the panoply of mythological figures loom large in Love’s nightmarish silhouettes—mottled and sharp-edged, they look as though they’ve been carved from rock. A sense of foreboding and old world magic permeates the collection; readers new to these ancient stories may well react as Crossley-Holland did, as he explains in the book’s foreword: “When I first read these stories as a boy, I yelled and laughed and cried a little, and I knew myself a bit better.” Ages 10–up.