Odd and the Frost Giants

This is a story for kids and for adults, in typical Gaimon style. Odd is a twelve-year-old Norse boy with a twisted foot, a terrible step-dad, and an annoyingly constant smile. One winter that doesn’t seem to end he leaves home, only to make friends with a bear, fox, and an eagle. Of course, they are something much more than ordinary animals. And that’s all I’m going to tell you because I don’t want to spoil the fun.

Odd is a simple tale (and a short one), but it’s told with such elegance and power you’ll want to read it again and again. It brings up huge themes and resolves conflict in a clever way. The magical beings in this book are far from perfect. They are perhaps even more flawed than the human boy, Odd. That may be show more the point: that any being that seems all-powerful really has nothing on a clever human with the ability to grow and learn.

I might just have to read everything Neil Gaimon has ever written. He’s that good. I’ve picked up two books by him now, , and they were both fabulously written stories of almost mythical dimensions. I have to wonder what magic he works with the ones aimed at adults.

I highly recommend Odd and The Frost Giants for readers young and old. Plus it was really flippin’ cheap: The ebook is listed at $1.99 this month on Amazon. show less

A runt of a boy with a weak leg goes off into the forest to visit the cabin his father left behind and for a bit of a break from his harsh stepfather; on his way through the snow of the over-long winter, he runs into an eagle, a bear and a fox, and he soon realizes that they are not exactly what they seem.
A reread for me, but the first time round for Charlie (my 10-year-old son). He watched Good Omens with us and fell in love with it, and he's been interested in reading The Sandman for a couple of years now (he can read whatever he likes as long as he agrees to talk with me about it, but in this case we chatted about the potential scariness level of a few things and he decided on his own to wait a bit longer before giving it a go), and show more was really excited when I pulled this one off the shelf as a suggestion for our next bedtime read-aloud selection. He *loved* it, as he is also a huge fan of Norse mythology, and of course Gaiman absolutely shines at playing with myth. It seems pretty clear to me that he (Gaiman, not Charlie, although it's true with the kiddo as well) just simply loves mythology of any kind, and that love and reverence comes through so beautifully in his stories. And as a classicist who also loves all kinds of myths, that makes me happy. I think it's safe to say that a new Gaiman fan has been born in Charlie, and that makes me happy, too. show less

Fleeing from his abusive stepfather, Odd, a young Norse boy with an injured leg, runs away to his father's long-abandoned cabin in the woods. Here he encounters three animals - a fox, bear and eagle - that are actually three of the Norse gods - Loki, Thor and Odin, respectively - banished to Midgard (AKA Earth) after Loki was tricked into giving Mjollnir (Thor's magical hammer) to a Frost Giant. Determined to help, Odd sets out with the animal-gods to Asgard, where he convinces the Frost Giants to return to their home in Jotunheim...

This slim novella from Neil Gaiman, celebrated for his many works of fantasy for both children and adults, was an assigned text in the class on the history of children's literature that I took when getting show more my masters. It was part of the unit that examined the use of mythology in said literature. I found it immensely engaging, enjoying it from start to finish. Naturally, given my fondness for and interest in foxes in children's literature, my favorite figure was the vulpine Loki, who at one point lead Odd into the woods, looking very much like "an animal with a plan." How appropriate, both for Loki and for the fox! Recommended to middle-grade readers who enjoy fantasy fiction, and to Neil Gaiman fans who enjoy Neil Gaiman. show less

A very dear friend of mine didn't much care for this book -- left him with a genuine sense of "meh" -- but I really enjoyed it. Gaiman wrote it for World Book Day UK, which means that -- like the JK Rowling "textbooks" written for similar occasions years ago -- this is a slim little volume, rather than a conglomeration of Gaiman's usual depth. In fact, those who are in love with Gaiman's usual dense prose will find this mythic tale quite sparse on both details and believability -- but that's sort of the point. Gaiman has not written a novel here -- he has written a myth, and done rather an excellent job at it. Using the figures from Norse mythology -- shades of those more elaborately characterized individuals from American Gods and show more Anansi Boys -- and a boy-hero who is a little left of ordinary, Gaiman has spun a skinny tale that might be better aloud than on the page. On the other hand, the illustrations by Brett Helquist -- illustrator of the year, apparently -- make the words on the page visually effective, so perhaps it works on both levels.

As I mentioned, I quite like it, but the only way to know for sure is to try it for yourself -- since it takes hardly an hour to read, there's nothing to lose. :) show less

What a delightful counterpoint to [b:Norse Mythology|30809689|Norse Mythology|Neil Gaiman|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1473862693s/30809689.jpg|51396954]!

I mean, yes, it's written for middle-grade and Thor and Loki are cute and Odin is inscrutable as always and the frost giant is funny rather than scary because, after all, EVERYONE is afraid of Freya's tongue... but it's still a real delight!

I don't care what anyone says about Gaiman. The man can write a classy tale no matter where or what he's writing about. This is, after all, only a retelling of an old story, but it's a very particular and beautiful Odd viewpoint.

I'll definitely be reading this to my girl when she gets a little older. :) Heck. It might even be time now. :)

Odd is a Viking boy who doesn't quite fit in with a never-ceasing, and apparently infuriating, smile. When he runs away, he comes across some unusual animals that lead him on a quest to Asgard.

I liked Odd and his mom, but I wish everything in this story had been fleshed out a little more. I know that this was written for a special event and had to be short, so it's definitely understandable. It only took a few minutes to read and it was a good story.

** spoiler alert **

I'm never crazy about magical healing of the disabled in stories though, because most disabled people can't expect a magical healing by a goddess, and it just seems different than the fact that none of us are able to fly on brooms.

What a wonderfully imaginative story! Inspired by traditional Norse mythology, Gaiman has crafted a magical story of a young boy and how he helps the gods regain their city. Odd – yes, that’s his name as well as a description – has had pretty bad luck in life. His father died at sea, his leg was crushed by a falling tree, and his mother’s new husband doesn’t like him. So Odd steals away in the night and goes to his father’s old woodcutting hut. But his solitude is quickly invaded by a fox, a bear and an eagle. They are gods who have been transformed into animals and banished from their home by the Frost Giant. If Odd can’t help them regain their land, Spring will never come (for the Frost Giants likes it to be cold), and show more all the people will die.

I was enchanted and completely entertained by this inventive story. Odd is brave and smart, curious and kind, adventurous and tender. I’d love to read more stories about him. show less