The Norse Myths, introduced and retold by Kevin Crossley-Holland, 4/5

These stories are epic and entertaining, but the re-tellings do not seem to be the product of adequately scholarly research for my taste.  From the beginning, I felt doubtful that the author actually had anything of unique value to offer or possessed an adequately respectful attitude towards what is a mighty and well-developed mythology.  I seriously question both the author’s qualifications to attempt such a work and his methods, especially the legitimacy of a non-native “re-telling” myths based on other people’s translations of the original material.  Overall, this felt like a money-maker, or at worst, fan-fiction, however, I have given the book a high rating based on the merit of the stories themselves, which seem to stand up pretty well under the treatment.

[Why I read it: random thrift store find.]