by Neil Gaiman, read by Neil Gaiman
HarperFestival, 2009
GENRE: Fantasy, Mythic Fiction
HONORS: None known
REVIEW: Odd is a
strange and clever young boy living in a village where it seems winter may
never end making everyone miserable. To escape the grumpy villagers, Odd flees
to the forest where he encounters and befriends the unlikely trio of a fox,
eagle and bear who he soon discovers are not mere animals, but the Norse gods
Odin, Loki and Thor who had been transformed into animals and banished to Earth
by the Frost Giants. Odd agrees to help the gods regain control of Asgard and
put an end to the eternal winter, but the journey will definitely not be an
easy one.
OPINION: This is
the book that made me really very aware of mythic fiction. I didn’t think much
of Greek Myth retellings, but the use of Norse Mythology intrigued me and made
me want to further investigate this phenomenon of mythic fiction. I listened to
this as an audiobook, which was read by the author himself. I always enjoy
hearing books read by the author they way they intended them to be heard.
IDEAS: Include
these in a mythic fiction display. Relate the story and its use of Norse gods
like Thor and Loki to other popular uses of these gods, such as the Avengers.
Use the book in conjunction with a lesson on world mythology.
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