I‘ve heard some version of nearly all of these stories already, but I’ve learned something new: that unfortunately not nearly as much of Norse mythology was preserved as Greco-Roman (or others), so our knowledge of the deities and their adventures is much more limited to start with.

Neil Gaiman retells the few tales we do know with the simplicity of the oral storytelling tradition, embellished with judiciously chosen details and light humor. It’s not Percy Jackson-level, but Ragnarokk (aka the end of our world, Midgard) kind of demonstrates the underlying darkness of Norse myths so Percy’s facetiousness would’ve been excessive. (Related: I’m loving Magnus Chase so far.) I don’t think I’d go so far as to say that this is a definitive guide, but as an introduction to Odin, Thor, Loki & company it’s not half bad.