Short and sweet — helpful for keeping track of who’s who in Norse mythology, though if you want the actual myths you won’t find all that many of them here.

It sounds dumb/naive to say I don’t remember there being so many deaths in Riordan-verse; maybe it’s just that I last read Magnus Chase, in whose mythology death isn’t permanent. Still, I’m honestly quite angry that a certain demigod hero isn’t getting his happy ending, and that he had been broken up with recently and never got resolution in that regard.

My nerd side, however, is simultaneously enjoying all the different forms of prophecy we’re getting in this series (crosswords? brilliant), and all the different Oracles who aren’t as famous as Delphi.

The art is pretty great, but the storytelling is pretty ordinary. I appreciate how comprehensive this collection is - there were some myths and tangents/epilogues I've never come across - but it reeks of patriarchy. Even though some blame goes to the original myths, wherein women are portrayed almost exclusively as blushing war prizes (ie, Helen) and sometimes make it possible for the hero to complete his quest because she's madly in love with him (Medea, Hippolyta, Ariadne, etc, etc) or as hideously demonic (Medusa, Echidna) or simply the hero's objective (Persephone, Eurydice); even the major goddesses, including Artemis and Aphrodite, are diminished in these retellings.

Since the Persephone myth is one of my favorites, I was particularly irked by this version - she's referred to constantly as "cold" and sulky (not just in her own myth but in others that involve Hades, of which there are many), and they chose the most illogical way to deal with the pomegranate seeds: she knew better than to eat them, but "unknowingly" did anyway. (What?)

I get that this is supposed to be a children's book, but overall I was just not impressed by how the myths are simplified and selectively sanitized. On a lighter note, it cracked me up every time they say that Zeus "married" another girl [and had a child], since as we all know Zeus is probably the least faithful of the pantheon, which is really saying something; I don't remember if the Greeks were down with polygamy (I want to say no, since Jason had to get rid of Medusa to marry the princess) but either way ... wow.

2.5 stars.

Honestly, I was tempted to DNF at so many points — the writing style really doesn’t work for me (in my mind it reads as awkward, stilted rather than lyrical) and that’s often a dealbreaker, as is the fact that it’s quite hard to tell the narrators’ voices apart without a little more context. (Props for the confidence it takes not to label the POV for each chapter, but it would’ve helped significantly.) Honestly, Lira and Elian not only sound the same but think the same, with their royal arrogance and entitlement and reluctant bloodlust; maybe it’s purposeful, but it doesn’t work for me. There’s also far too much philosophizing, on all the topics and in all the progressions you’d expect given the context.

That said, the story itself is interesting — loosely inspired by The Little Mermaid, but with pirates and sirens (and mermaids an afterthought) and royalty and treasure and magic and violence, even mild gore. It’s not nearly as sensual as I think it‘s trying to be, which is probably for the better because brute force is a much stronger motif throughout the story.

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.

Wow. Greco-Roman mythology, like many other cultures, has a tendency to gloss over the accomplishments and contributions of women — so this Circe narrative was really awesome for that alone. She’s a well-developed character in her own right, complex and likable; I also really enjoyed reading a different version of familiar myths and characters. (I originally wrote “deities,” but I agree with Circe that while they play an important narrative role, the mortals shine much brighter.) Typically I’m kinda picky about my endings: this one was just this side of sappy, and while I like closure I can’t say that I love when authors feel the need to chronicle the characters’ lives to happily ever after and/or death.

Way too much overt/explicit worldbuilding - for me personally, it's easier to get "into" the 'verse when it's based on subtle details throughout the story. And as a Capricorn, I'm not excessively pleased with the treatment we got. Decent premise and plot, but some poor execution

Spoiler

e.g., the love triangle

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Not half bad, and the tough/hardened narrator attitude fit the situation. Short and not outstandingly great, but a decently executed story.