Rating: 
Summary: Readable, mostly accurate, and it has footnotes!
Review: Crossley-Holland has done a fine job retelling the Norse myths in language and images that a modern English reader can easily understand. While I have quibbles with some of his interpretations (he rather misreads Loki, for example), he gives ample notes at the back of the book, so the reader can easily trace the primary sources, and draw his own conclusions.This is the one book every public library with a mythology collection needs to have on the Norse myths. There simply isn't much else that is suitable. It is clear enough to give to a jr. high student with a good grasp of reading, but meaty enough that an adult will also enjoy it. It also belongs in the personal library of anyone with an interest in mythology, Vikings, Scandinavia or Asatru. For those who simply want a good overview, the extensive notes can be ignored. But, for anyone who wishes to go on to the Eddas, sagas and other rich, but daunting (to a beginner) sources, Crossley-Holland has given excellent pointers. He has managed a very nifty trick - to write a very good introduction to a difficult subject while not ignoring scholarship.
Rating: 
Summary: Myths Recast as Stories
Review: Even if you can read Icelandic, you still might want to read Holland's book. This is a great source for a retelling of the old Norse myths. Rather than merely translating, Holland decided to bring together all sources and "to retell the myths in new versions, and hope that they are both representative of the originals and full-blooded in their own right." I believe that he succeeded at the second task. I'm not enough of a scholar or time-traveller to judge his success at representing their original versions. This book serves as an excellent introduction to Norse mythology. Most of the major stories are present. Holland retells the stories in the first part of the book, then provides insight into sources and other interpretations for each story in the back. His index, bibliography, and glossary are quite useful. The myths are quite readable, suitable even for bedtime reading for older children. This book would make a great resource for a middle- or a high-school report. For those contemplating college level work, get direct translations of the Eddas and of Saxo Grammaticus. Even for college level work, Holland can serve as a roadmap to the primary sources. Where Holland fails (and he fails miserably), is his failure to unwrap the Vanic from the Aesic traditions in the myths. Metzner has shown in The Well of Remembrance: Rediscovering the Earth Wisdom Myths of Northern Europe that the uncritical blending of these two traditions gives a different character to Norse mythology. In spite of this failing, however, Holland's book serves as a good introduction to the subject and primes the reader for more research, either directly into the Eddas, or for the work of Metzner and of H. Ellis Davidson.
Rating:
Summary: Great, simplified collection
Review: I had been trying to find a quick, engrossing book so as to learn about Norse mythology. I hoped to find a collection of short, quick stories that I could read when I had a few minutes of spare time. This book is PERFECT for that! Also, the notes are great, providing a great deal of background.
Rating: 
Summary: An easy read
Review: I liked this book, especially since the author drew from sources beyond Snorri. However, at the same time the author took liberties with the stories by adding conversations between characters that didn't take place in the original versions. That's fine for story telling, but to discuss the text with others you have to be able to recognize the difference between what the author added to the stories and what was in the originals. I was also disappointed that he did not include the complete text of Havamal or Voluspa. Otherwise this was an enjoyable introduction to Norse mythology.
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining while educating....
Review: I picked this book up after I ran across many kindred websites suggesting this as text that would help one to understand norse mythology. Before C-H even begins the tales, he sets up a general overview for you so that you are "on familiar ground" when you are reading the myths and have an understanding of the layout of the worlds. What is even more pleasing is that he has a picture layout of the nine worlds (for those who like 'visuals'). The Myths were set up in a storytelling format that is easy to read and enjoy....in otherwords its not 'textbook' style. Also, he has a lot of notes for each tale at the back of the book that go into depth about all the texts he used in his retelling of the stories as well as some interpertation of what the stories were getting at. I highly recommend this book for those people who are interested in learning about norse mythology
Rating: 
Summary: not really a review for this book...
Review: I read kevin crossley-hollands book "viking! myths of gods and monster" which contains 17 of the myths from his "norse myths" book. For people looking for good stories this book is fine, and can provide some entertaining moments, but for those interested in learning about norse mythology, this book is utterly useless, and packed with fundamental errors, and i can only presume that the errors from "viking!..", comes from his "Norse myths" book. The biggest error is that he claims that Hel is the realm of the giants, and Niflheim is realm of the dead. Hel was in fact the realm of the dead (ruled by loki's offspring of the same name), and Niflheim is merely the cold land to the north. Hel might have been placed in Niflheim, but niflheim is not realm of the dead. What might have confused the author is that below Hel, is NiflHel which is where the people that dies in hel, goes. (Nifl means fog). Another error is that he claims that Bifrost is a flaming bridge, when in fact Bifrost is a rainbow bridge. he also fails to mention that Jotunheim is home of the giants (the giants are not actually giants. "Jætter" translates better to throlls or orcs) as opposed to hel being the realm of giants. The only one capable of becoming a giant is utgards-loki, by the help of magic as he does in the "thor's expedition to utgard" myth. All through the book there are errors in the myths and the ones i've mentioned and other errors, may seem unimportant to most people, but if an author wants to retell the myths of the norse, or any other, mythology, the first thing he should do, is to familiarize himself with the surroundings and the realms in which the myths take place, which this author fails miserably at. It's probably worth noting that im a dane, and have great passion for the norse mythology and ancient religion and as such am more sensitive to such blatant errors.
Rating:
Summary: An Awesome Book
Review: It is an awesome book. If you don't believe me and the other reviewers, go to the library and read it to see for yourself. It is definitely worth reading.
Rating:
Summary: An in-depth introduction
Review: The author starts off with a 25-page or so introduction to the myths, covering the Norse world, cosmology, the pantheon of Norse gods, the sources, and the general structure of the myths. The heart of the book consists of 32 myths, arranged in basically a chronological order - beginning with the creation of the world / Ymir, and ending with Ragnarok. This is followed by notes (of a more academic nature) keyed to each of the 32 stories, where he gives additional information, sources, parallels in other cultures, and interpretations. The writing style moves well, and the myths are told in a way that holds the reader's interest. Younger folks may well need to start with something a little simpler, like D'Aulaire or "Gods & Heroes from Viking Mythology" published by Schocken Books, but for adult readers looking for an intelligent introduction to Norse mythology, this book can't be beat.
Rating:
Summary: A Guide to Life: Pagan-Norse Style
Review: There really isn't any other book of Norse Myths like this on the market today. This book is the product of an attempt to bring the myths from various sources together into a coherent whole and at the same time imbue them with tough earthy Anglo-Saxon diction. Dr. Holland has brought his lifelong fascination for the Norse world into this book and shared it out to all his readers. There still is a very real 'Norse' or 'Anglo-Saxon' element in the English-speaking world's mentality and this book helps us access it. In my case, I came across this book in my early Twenties and I liked it so much I read it again and again, reading one of the thirty-three myths every day. There is something about the courage of the Norse outlook that I found and find appealing seeing how our lives are so fraught with silly worries and artificial fears. I really do think that the Northern spirit of bravery and the desire to seek out challenges for the sake of reputation and the ability to tell a good tale has played a large role in the development of science and of our civilization, and these Norse cultural ancestors of ours are the ones who gave us these qualities. This book helps us access these qualities and bring them into our lives.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent base for Norse Myths
Review: This book is by far one of the best Norse Myth books I have read. It goes into great detail to explain the different myths and the characters involved. If you're looking for a book that is more adult orientated, this would be it. I'd recommend this book for people really interested in Norse myths.
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