It’s very close to the original tales, but a lot more condensed. It makes a great introduction to the basics of Norse Mythology. Gaiman picked out the best of the stories from the Eddas so they were all highly entertaining and familiar. Gaiman adds a lot of humour to the stories, especially with Thor who was hilarious in the book. I also loved the foreshadowing with Tyr and that he kept bringing up his unfortunate hand. The author managed to make these myths less bizarre than the originals, but at the same time less believable (if you can imagine). The condensed nature of the stories does make them a lot more whimsical and unexplained, whereas in the Eddas you can vaguely see where their ideas are coming from. It does therefore seem very magical and mythological in Gaiman’s version as opposed to a genuine belief. I like that aspect though, and It was a pleasure to be able to revisit the stories in a much shorter book. It’s basically the highlights of Norse Mythology, and I thoroughly enjoyed every story.