25
Jan
2010
Odd & the Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman
Odd, in this case, may indeed be odd, but that is not what his name implies. In Old Norse, it means “lucky.” Unfortunately for Odd, he’s not.
His father died at sea on a Viking raid. His mother remarried a jerk. Not long ago, Odd had an accident when tree fell on his leg, crushing it. He was able to use an axe and dig his leg out from under the tree, but he now walks in a permanent limp.
Nobody in his village seems to like him, so he takes his father’s axe and seeks refuge in his father’s old hunting cabin.
Not long into his newfound life as a hermit, a strange fox appears, seeming to want him to follow it. Turns out there’s a bear in need of some help.
Odd is able to help, and makes friends with the animals.
Except they’re not animals. They’re Gods.
And they’ve been kicked out of their Kingdom.
Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book. I read it to my niece over the course of a few days while I was home over the holidays. For me, who knows something about Norse mythology, it was really enjoyable to see how Gaiman crafted the characters of Odin, Thor, and Loki, as well as the often tense dynamics between them.
For my niece, who doesn’t know anything about mythology, it still a fun story, and perhaps a nice introduction to Norse myths.
However, I don’t know if I’d go out and buy this to read on my own. Maybe it’s because I’m still sort of new to reading YA/MG books as an adult…I’m still not sure I see the point. I’d be more inclined to go pick up a book of actual myths.
I do know that I would have loved it as a kid though.
Buy Odd and the Frost Giants on Amazon
If you like this book/author, you might like:
(my reviews in blue)
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordin
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
D’Aulaires’ Book of Norse Myths by Ingri D’Aulaire
Leif the Lucky by Ingri and Edgar d’Aulaire by Ingri and Edgar D’Aulaire
The Children of Odin: The Book of Northern Myths by Padraic Colum
Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling
The Magician’s Elephant by Kate DiCamillo
Other works by Neil Gaiman:
The Dangerous Alphabet
The Facts In The Case Of The Departure Of Miss Finch
Black Orchid
InterWorld
M Is for Magic
Signal to Noise
The Last Temptation
Smoke and Mirrors: Short Fictions and Illusions
Death: The High Cost of Living
Death: The Time of Your Life
Midnight Days
Harlequin Valentine
Fragile Things: Short Fictions and Wonders
Anansi Boys
Neverwhere: A Novel
Stardust
MirrorMask: The Illustrated Film Script of the Motion Picture
The Alchemy of MirrorMask
Don’t Panic: Douglas Adams & The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
Angels and Visitations: A Miscellany
The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish
The Sandman Vol. 1: Preludes and Nocturnes
The Sandman Vol. 2: The Doll’s House
The Sandman Vol. 3: Dream Country
The Sandman Vol. 4: Season of Mists
The Sandman Vol. 5: A Game of You
The Sandman Vol. 6: Fables and Reflections
The Sandman Vol. 7: Brief Lives
The Sandman Vol. 8: Worlds’ End
The Sandman Vol. 9: The Kindly Ones
The Sandman Vol. 10: The Wake
The Sandman: Endless Nights
A Walking Tour of the Shambles
The Books of Magic
Adventures in the Dream Trade
Creatures Of The Night
Violent Cases
Coraline Movie Tie-in Edition
Coraline: The Graphic Novel
The Graveyard Book
Absolute Death
Marvel 1602 Premiere HC
The Wolves in the Walls
Mr. Punch
American Gods: A Novel
With P. Craig Russel
With Terry Pratchett:
Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch
Aww. You unequivocally liked something! Gaiman is seriously up on world mythology.