NG AR YA YR NOVELS

Title: Stardust
Author: Neil Gaiman
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: William Morrow
Release Date: February 1, 1999
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 256

Living in a Victorian countryside town overshadowed by a imposing stone barrier, Tristran is compelled to retrieve a fallen star for the woman he loves and crosses to the wondrous other side of the barrier, where he encounters dangerous rivals for the star. 80,000 first printing.

WrensReads Review:

Funny story: When this movie came out, my friend Jessica and I went to see it. We brought with us gushers, cookie dough and spoons and expected a full theatre. It was completely empty. We ended up sitting in the isle and running around the whole time. Yes I was in middle school.

I have always been a fan of the movie, because I have always liked weird movies and books. The books way of telling the story though is a new favorite of mine. The stories differ and the endings are vaguely different as well, but it is still the magical place that Gaiman created.

He tells the story as if he is reading it to you in a library full of other eager ears. You would believe this story to be written around the time that C.S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien wrote their stories. It has the same feel as their stories, though leans more towards Lewis (it is written lighter than Tolkien).

Fallen Stars, Quest, Witches, Power-Hungry Princes, True Love, etc. This story truly has it all. There isn’t a bad thing to honestly say about it. There isn’t really a way to explain it either. Just trust me when I say you should read this book. It is a gem in our day and age.

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Title: Norse Mythology
Author: Neil Gaiman
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Release Date: February 7, 2017
Format: Audiobook
Pages: 304

Introducing an instant classic—master storyteller Neil Gaiman presents a dazzling version of the great Norse myths.

Neil Gaiman has long been inspired by ancient mythology in creating the fantastical realms of his fiction. Now he turns his attention back to the source, presenting a bravura rendition of the great northern tales.

In Norse Mythology, Gaiman stays true to the myths in envisioning the major Norse pantheon: Odin, the highest of the high, wise, daring, and cunning; Thor, Odin’s son, incredibly strong yet not the wisest of gods; and Loki, son of a giant, blood brother to Odin and a trickster and unsurpassable manipulator.

Gaiman fashions these primeval stories into a novelistic arc that begins with the genesis of the legendary nine worlds and delves into the exploits of deities, dwarfs, and giants. Once, when Thor’s hammer is stolen, Thor must disguise himself as a woman, difficult with his beard and huge appetite, to steal it back. More poignant is the tale in which the blood of Kvasir, the most sagacious of gods, is turned into a mead that infuses drinkers with poetry. The work culminates in Ragnarok, the twilight of the gods and rebirth of a new time and people.

Through Gaiman’s deft and witty prose emerge these gods with their fiercely competitive natures, their susceptibility to being duped and to duping others, and their tendency to let passion ignite their actions, making these long-ago myths breathe pungent life again.

WrensReads Review:

Has anyone else watched and loved the New Zealand fantasy comedy/drama television The Almighty Johnsons?

Well, you really should. Here’s the synopsis: The Almighty Johnsons is a new South Pacific Pictures comedy-drama series about four brothers, raised in heartland New Zealand, who also happen to be the living incarnations of Norse Gods. They even have their own super-god-powers. Sort of – it’s just that their powers aren’t actually all that powerful. Well, not yet – but that could all change soon….

It’s so funny. And has everything to do with Norse Mythology. I watched the show a few years ago on a recommendation and I absolutely loved it. Neil Gaiman’s retellings of a lot of the legends of the Norse gods has me all hyped up again about these beautiful stories.

Neil did nothing but HONOR the legends and myths of the Norse gods. We have Odin the chief divinity of the Norse pantheon, Thor god of thunder (that’s right, he isn’t just a Marvel Avenger), Loki the god of trickery (he makes a few appearances too), and many more gods and goddess (like Figg and Freya!).

If you like the tall tales that are mythological stories, then you will love that Neil Gaiman did. He did a lot of research for this and it paid off. He’s a great story teller, and he even reads the story phenomenally.

I am just in awe.

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