Norse Mythology: The Gods, Goddesses, and Heroes Handbook: From Vikings to Valkyries, an Epic Who's Who in Old Norse Mythology (World Mythology and Folklore Series)

A fun and thoroughly interesting read!It's laid out perfectly for beginners like me in easy, bite-size chunks of information. Even so, I imagine those with more experience in Norse mythology will also find lots to enjoy in this volume! Dr. Fuller-Shafer navigates the complex and labyrinthine nature of these stories with ease. But she's not simply re-telling stories here - she also explains where these stories come from, who the characters are, what the primary texts are, and other important contextual information surrounding these stories. She also curates the stories and other information into helpful "Need to Know" and "Now You Know" sections, otherwise I think the length of this book would be incredibly long! I found the "Now You Know" sections particularly interesting - compelling fragments of trivia that relate to and enhance your understanding of a story you've just been reading.Written in a friendly, accessible, and colloquial fashion, this is a must for anyone with even a passing interest in this topic.

Big time recommend! This book has been a blessing to me as a high school mythology teacher, trying to gather background information on Norse Myth. The retold myths, move right along. I found the stories to be in turns funny and fascinating. It was particularly interesting to see the parallels between these myths and English words and contemporary traditions. As a severe Lord of the Rings nerd, I also appreciated the many details that explain how Tolkien built upon these older stories. The writing is clear, with just the right amount of snark to make me laugh out loud. Reading this helped me better understand the crazy world we live in.

There are many introductions to Norse mythology out there, but this is one of the best I’ve read. The author manages to relay stories from the Eddas and sagas in clear, entertaining prose without sacrificing accuracy. There are separate, illustrated entries for all the major characters of Norse legend, and each retells at least one of their stories. The book is small, pretty, and very faithful. I would highly recommend this as anyone’s first foray into Norse myth.

Between the creative and accessible literary style and the wonderful illustrations, this is a fantastic addition to any collection, and educational for all ages. Learn the key differences between the Poetic and Prose Edda. Take a journey through the history and meaning of many of the mythological characters now popularized through pop culture. Above all, Dr. Fuller-Shafer allows you to inhabit a world of the past while drawing striking parallels to our contemporary clime; learn while enjoying each chapter of this book and its truly fantastic, and many, illustrations. 5 stars!

My heritage is Norwegian so I always gravitate to this kind of book. I enjoyed learning more about Norse mythology - the book is easy to read and interesting.

This book is such a wonderful and accessible window into the world of Norse Mythology. Dr. Fuller-Shafer is a brilliant storyteller, taking these ancient myths and effortlessly making them relevant, interesting, and even tying them in with more current lore such as the Lord of the Rings. The illustrations that go along with each story are breath taking! The author and the illustrator clearly worked closely together and did their research to pass over stereotypes and the Disney-fication of these stories, and rather to bring us the most beautiful and epic versions - the original stories. Or at least, our best understanding of them.10/10, can't recommend highly enough.

I enjoyed this intro to Norse Mythology! I have always been fascinated with mythology, but the older I get and more I dive into fantasy books, the more I enjoy learning the original myths. It was what you would expect a book to be when it’s deemed a “handbook” and I enjoyed learning about the various “characters”Unfortunately I ran out of time / my adobe digital edition expired so I didn’t get a chance to finish the book in its entirety, but I feel that I got a really good idea of what the book was about and I enjoyed the parts I was able to finish.Thanks NetGalley, Kelsey Fuller-Shafer and Adam’s Media for the arc to read. All thoughts and opinions were mine!

I really enjoyed reading this book. It provides an excellent introduction to the various "factions", individuals, and creatures within Norse mythology, in an engaging and conversational style. I gained a better understanding of how the traditional mythology differs from popular renditions as well as the murky origins through oral history of this complex and beautiful mythos. It gives me a deeper appreciation of where some modern depictions of Vikings attempt to hew close to the traditional stories and helps me recognize when they're playing fast and loose with the culture. If you like watching movies or TV shows about vikings or mythological stories in general then this is a must read.

A simple book with all the basics you need to get you into this fascinating subject.

Everything I wanted to know about Norse mythology.