As with the past few novels, ‘Norse Mythology’ was generally well received. The overarching question asked was: Where was Neil Gaiman’s contribution to the canon. There was a sense that tales were well told and that length, language and introduction made for both an accessible and enjoyable read. The Gods are patently malicious, arbitrary and outright capricious. In that the author catches the sense and delivers.
Mortals are mere playthings and the nature of the Gods and their traits explains much about how a culture can perceive the natural world.
But the question remained – what did Gaiman add that did not already exist in the Norse Sagas already available? There seemed to be very little in characterisation or larger story arc – something we seem to feel we were promised in Gaiman’s introuction.
I think that everyone was glad for a conveyed sense of how the genealogies all fit together, and the getting a better understanding of what sits at the root of Wagner and the Germano-English days of the week. A few members – myself included – found the prose well delivered and would have been more than happy to keep reading a few more tales.
The world is clearly not logical, and the sooner we accept that there’re unquestionable rules that are set by our betters we can understand how humanity fits into this larger chessboard.
So, to recapitulate, the votes cast gave a very respectable 6.4sh…with Fergal (7), Jim (7), Joe (6), Shawn (7), Mike (5.5), Brian C (5), Declan (7). Respectable indeed.
The candidates brought forward then for our Non-Fiction read were:
Joe: Clare O’Dea: The Naked Swiss
Mike: Jimmy Carter: The Virtues of Aging and Doug Woodham: Art Collecting Today
Brian C: Intro by Neil Gaiman: The Moth
Fergal: Scale: Geoffrey West: Scale: The Universal Laws of Growth, Innovation, Sustainability, and the Pace of Life in Organisms, Cities, Economies, and Companies
And the winning read is: Joe’s cousin’s Book: The Naked Swiss: The Nation Behind 10 Myths!
Thanks all for a great discussion and lovely evening as always. Look forward to seeing you soon.