Neil Gaiman - Kate Degelau-Pierce

It’s fine I guess?

I’ve been putting off writing this review because I’m not sure what to say about Norse Mythology. It’s…. fine? I neither especially loved or hated it. Thor is more of an idiot than in the Marvel movies and Loki is just as chaotic but less deliberately evil/angry. It’s short stories, and they were probably told around a campfire whilst drinking back in the year 1000. You can’t get too long of a story in that circumstance.

It’s a sold three stars: enjoyable, but I’d be surprised if I’ll remember it in six months.

It’s about a balance of power, not about winning

Good Omens is an old favorite.

There is good in the world, and there is evil. God has his agent on earth and so does the Devil. They’ve been here for awhile, influencing events. It becomes time for the apocalypse to come along; it doesn’t quite go the way anyone’s planned. Good Omens is more about the yin and the yang of the world – there has to be evil for there to be good and visa versa. Humans are comprised of both – why would God create the world like that if He or She wanted everyone to be good all the time? Hmmmm?

Recommended.

Ominous Oddness

What’s it about?
Trigger Warning is a set of poems and short stories by Neil Gaiman at his Neil Gaiman-iest. It’s full of reimagined fairy tales, leprechauns that aren’t quite what you’d expect, that sort of thing. It’s very good to read when you need a little snippet of ominous oddness.

Why should you read it?
Because you’re a Neil Gaiman fan, and this is him doing what he does. Did I forget to mention that there’s also a Doctor Who short story and Shadow from American Gods shows up in another? It’s weird and British and good for a vacation.

A supernatural adventure

What’s it about?
The Ocean at the End of the Lane is a series of unfortunate events wherein a bookish boy ends up having a supernatural adventure. Someone dies, a monster from somewhere that isn’t here comes here and terrorizes our bookish boy. He eventually bests the monster with the help of his friends who have been around since the beginning of the universe. Or so it is implied. It’s also kind of about a sporty father who doesn’t understand his bookish son terribly well and the son’s coming to terms with that.

Why should you read it?
Gaiman writes beautifully and the story is well-told and shorter than I’d expected, honestly. It’s not super-deep or revelatory but it is a lovely little story that makes you care about the characters, with Gaiman’s characteristic oddnesses. It checks all the boxes.