2 authors have picked their favorite books about Norse gods and goddesses and why they recommend each book.
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The God: Tyr
S.T. Bende built her brand on the Elsker Saga, a series following the Norse God Ull, Thor’s step-son, but don’t sleep on her take on Tyr, the Norse God of War, either! Perfekt Order, the first book in the Ære Saga is a delightful, sweet romance take on what happens when Norse Gods come to earth and start mingling with mortals, upending our carefully ordered worlds.
The Norse gods enjoyed hiding their identities and fooling their enemies (usually with bloody results). Wynne Jones’ fantasy novel for young adults and above is a dazzling trickster tale set in modern England, its main character a wretchedly mistreated boy who has adventures with… She gives plenty of clues to work out the Norse identities, but the worst tricksters are only revealed unexpectedly on the last pages.
The best books for people with a passion for Norse myths and legends
This is a vigorous retelling of the last battle of the Norse gods and their enemies, how the gods tried to avert their doom, how they first met those who would kill almost all of them, and what happened after all the slaughter and destruction. The book has the size and format of a typical picture storybook but its powerful illustrations of threat and attack make it more suitable for an older audience.
The best books for people with a passion for Norse myths and legends
The God: Thor
Marvel doesn’t always get it right, mythologically speaking, but this all-ages title was a fantastic introduction to the superhero version of everyone’s favorite Norse God, Thor. Romantic and full of adventure, with peeks at Thor’s goat chariot and guest appearances by a handful of other superheroes along the way, paired with the gorgeously expressive artwork of Chris Samnee, this is definitely a graphic novel worth gifting to both the young and young at heart in your life—if you can find it to give!
This fun read, full of humor and adventure, is a mash-up of Viking lore and the story of Beowulf in a contemporary setting. Abby, grieving over the death of her mother, is also at a new school—not to mention training as the last of the Aesir warriors destined to hunt and kill Grendels. When a Grendel starts hunting her instead, Abby has a lot to unravel and conquer, fast.
I adore quirky stories that play with Western myths (heck, I wrote one), and this book has that in spades. For kids that love Norse mythology, this will provide smiles, snorts,…
The best new mythology-inspired middle grade fantasy—for kids who loved Percy Jackson
The Norse God: Vidar
Suspense, Horror, Romance, Adventure—this book has it all! Vidar’s steadfast search for the mortal woman he loved and lost, and the complications of her return as a cynical scientist at a research outpost in the modern world are both “wild and melancholy.” I love the idea of a god with such a loyal heart. This book gets bonus points for going all-in on Odin as the villain of the piece, but also features Loki in full Trickster form, and touches on many of the other gods of Asgard.
The God: Hermod
Dancing around the edges of Ragnarok with a focus on one of the most obscure gods he could find, Norse Code brings us into a world where the gods have adapted and adopted modern technology to gather warriors to Odin’s cause—defeating the forces of darkness and bringing about a new golden age to the world. Because van Eekhout approaches the myth of Ragnarok from Hermod’s perspective (along with a Valkyrie named Mist), he frees himself from the proscribed roles so many other gods are fated to play and offers us a fresh take on a well-known and…
In which Feste, the fool from Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night returns to Thirteenth Century Illyria to solve the mystery of Duke Orsino. And why is a fool investigating crime? Because he’s part of the Fool’s Guild, a group of fools, bards, and jugglers that act as secret agents to influence the politics of the day. Really. Exciting, well-researched, and plenty of puns, so what’s not to love? There are six books and a handful of stories in the series, and each one is a delight.
