And it was not every day that you got to follow a fox. He had no plans, other than a general determination never to return to the village. It was, Odd concluded, an animal with a plan. It was red-orange, like flame, and it took a dancing step or two towards Odd, and turned away, then looked back at Odd as if it were inviting him to follow. When it saw that Odd was watching, it jumped into the air, as if it were trying to show off, and retreated a little way, and then stopped. Its muzzle was narrow, its ears were pricked and sharp, and its expression was calculating and sly. He flees to the woods, to his father’s old cabin, and soon comes across a fox that seems to be trying to tell him something. Unable to walk properly with his crushed foot, and certainly unable to step into a proper viking role, Odd is ridiculed by the people of the town, and by his new step-father. Odd loses his father and, in stepping up to take over his father’s duties, is injured. That’s a remarkable feat given the deep characterization of both Odd and the trio of gods, the dramatic quest to save their worlds, and a nice smattering of information about Norse culture and religion that will certainly send many readers searching for more.BOOK REVIEW: Odd and the Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Chris Riddell Indeed, this short novel, written originally for World Book Day in the UK, tops out at a little over 100 pages.

Elegant full-page captioned illustrations, one per chapter, highlight key events and add hints of setting to the trim text. The overly confident gods are fortunate to have stumbled into calm, clever, creative Odd, and Odd’s own luck seems to be changing for the better in this compact myth-based adventure. The three turn out to be Norse gods Loki, Thor, and Odin in disguise, and they are trying to outwit the troll giants who have taken over Asgard and caused this permanent winter. His run-in with a fox, eagle, and bear who are discussing the unnaturally long winter is a bit less expected, but Odd takes it in stride. Odd’s decision to venture out on his own, even at such a young age, therefore isn’t much of a surprise. Life has not been kind to twelve-year-old Odd, who has always felt somewhat apart from the rest of his small Scandinavian village he’s felt even more distance since his father’s death, his own crippling injury around the same time, and his mother’s remarriage to a man who can’t hold his drink (and who brought along seven additional children).

Odd and the frost giants review