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The Norse Myths, by Kevin Crossley-Holland is one of the most accurate and enjoyable retellings of Northern European lore available. Pulling information directly from the Poetic Edda and the Prose Edda, the author succeeds in capturing the stories for today's readers without sacrificing meaning or completely re-inventing them. For readers who are looking for a stepping stone into the denser material, this book is even more perfect because of the expansive notes in it. Each myth has notes in which the author explains why he retold the story the way he did and exactly where he pulled the material from, making it extremely easy to find the original text and compare for yourself. For the more casual mythology reader, his characterizations are very enjoyable. I particularly loved the travel stories of Thor and Loki, and I was always looking forward to Loki's next mischievous trick. This collection proved to be a nice break from the normal dry or overly watered-down myth retelling, and I highly recommend it.
HPB Staff Review