Odd and the Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman Published by Bloomsbury on 8th September 2016
Genres: Action & Adventure, Adventure, Fairy Tales & Folklore, Fantasy & Magic, Fiction, Graphic Novel, Mythology, Young Adult
Pages: 120
Format: Hardcover
Source: Publisher
Goodreads
A thrilling, wintry Nordic epic from the truly magical combination of author Neil Gaiman and illustrator Chris Riddell, weaving a tale of legend, magic and adventure which will grip and enchant readers from beginning to end.
Odd, a young Viking boy, is left fatherless following a raid and in his icy, ancient world there is no mercy for an unlucky soul with a crushed foot and no one to protect him. Fleeing to the woods, Odd stumbles upon and releases a trapped bear . and then Odd's destiny begins to change. The eagle, bear and fox Odd encounters are Norse gods, trapped in animal form by the evil frost giants who have conquered Asgard, the city of the gods. Now our hero must reclaim Thor's hammer, outwit the frost giants and release the gods .
This new edition of Neil Gaiman’s Odd and the Frost Giants is beautifully illustrated by Chris Riddell. The drawings by Riddell perfectly assist in narrating the story of Odd, a young Viking boy who is taken on an adventure of mythological proportions after meeting a fox, a bear and an one eyed eagle deep in the forest.
Odd is a delightful character to follow as he tries to rescue Asgard from the Frost Giants. He’s more practical than I was expecting and that contrasted nicely with the contrariness of the Norse Gods. Assisted by Loki, Thor and Odin, Odd sets out on a journey to reclaim Thor’s magical hammer and end the eternal winter on his world.
This is such a fun book. The illustrations are gorgeous and added an extra element to the story. The Norse mythology is delivered in a way which does not overwhelm. The gods are wonderfully eccentric and their strong personalities shine no matter what form they are in.
Magical hammers and one eyed birds – Odd and the Frost Giants is a story for readers of all ages. This book has an almost fairy tale atmosphere. It’s well written, funny and at only 120 pages including illustrations, it is not intimidating to younger readers.
If you have read the book before – I highly recommend this edition. Chris Riddell has a way with translating Neil Gaiman’s words into artwork of a visual form. They have collaborated many times now (The Sleeper and the Spindle by Gaiman and illustrated by Riddell is just magnificent) and I can’t wait to see what they work on next.
Perfect for anyone who enjoys a different take on mythology or just good stories with fun characters, Odd and the Frost Giants is a lovely book and the pictures make the reading experience even more magical.
Many thanks to Bloomsbury Australia for the review copy.