#9 in Myths & legends
Odd and the Frost Giants
- 128
- Pages
- about 2.5 h
- Reading time
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Editor’s note Odd is a Viking boy with a leg crushed by a tree, a dead father and a name that in his language means the tip of a blade; he leaves his village one spring that will not come and meets in the forest a bear, a fox and an eagle who turn out to be Thor, Loki and Odin, transformed and thrown out of Asgard by a frost giant who now sits there and has stopped the seasons. Neil Gaiman wrote it in 2008 for World Book Day in Britain, which meant it had to be short and cheap, and the plain, dry telling is the point; the edition of 2016 with Chris Riddell’s illustrations is the one to have. A hundred pages, for eight and up, and the best way into the Norse gods before his Norse Mythology.
About the book
Odd and the Frost Giants (2008) is a World Book Day book by Neil Gaiman. It draws on Norse mythology and also the historical Vikings.
Where the score comes from
The sources average 8.0 across 147 ratings — not yet many, so the reader vote carries 49% of the weight and the rest pulls toward the Myths & legends average of 8.2. That is how 8.0 comes out.
| Source | Average | Ratings | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open Library | 8.6 | 10 | 7% |
| Hardcover | 8.0 | 137 | 93% |
Reader voices
The most-liked reviews on Hardcover (credited to their authors).
“A fun, quick read. The writing is Neil Gaiman's typical simple, storytelling style with that light touch of quirkiness. The audiobook version is highly recommended - books read by the author are always enjoyable, and Neil Gaiman has a fantastic reading voice. Nothing really struck…”
“This is a charming tale, almost a myth. It's a quick and excellent read (well, it is geared to a 10-year-old audience) with timeless qualities.”
Frequently asked
How long is Odd and the Frost Giants?
It has 128 pages — shorter than 98% of the ranked books in Myths & legends.
In this book
Themes this book shares with others — each leads to the best books on it.
If you liked this
Same shelf — Myths & legends — with scores between 7.9 and 8.4, closest to this book.
