Norse Myths

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.