I struggled to figure out the point of this book.

I understand that Gaiman has a love for the Norse myths, but this project, which essentially re-writes those myths with a Gaiman gloss, seems indulgent to me. Not that I’m familiar with the source material (the Edda), but from what I could tell from a quick skim of the internet, there is nothing new or revolutionary or revisionist about these stories. When Gaiman said he wanted to be true to the original tales, he means it. So if you’re familiar with the source material I’m not sure how much you’ll get out of this book other than the curiosity of what bits Gaiman changes and how he retells some famous Norse moments.

Having said that, if you haven’t read the source material, which may be most of us, it is entertaining and if the book leads people to the Edda that can’t be a bad thing. Personally, though, I’d rather read original Gaiman than something that requires a microwave.