Books like The Quiet is Loud — picked by fans

CN Crawford is one of my favourite authors. I know the pen-name includes 2 authors – a man and wife team who co-author the books but to make it easy, here I’ll refer to ‘them’ as ‘her’.

Her books are really fast-paced. This series was steeped in Scandinavian mythology and folklore which I loved. But it also contained lots of references to cultural tropes in our own modern world which I also loved. The dialogue is always really clever and funny.

There is a badass female lead who can do magic and kick butt. And there’s also an enemies-to-lovers romance at the centre of the plot. It’s highly addictive and I loved all three books. I couldn’t put them down.

The first volume of a series that eventually ran to three books. It opens with the main character, Ted, caught in an explosion out among the prairie oil rigs and badly shaken up when he faces a Norse fire god who announces he is about to burn the world. Ted wants his old life back, but now the creatures of Norse myology stalk among us.

If you think you might enjoy the characters from Norse mythology in a gritty modern mid-Canada setting, this one is for you. Described as a serious fantasy for grownups. I have to admit I ended up buying all three books as they became available.

This is a vigorous retelling of the last battle of the Norse gods and their enemies, how the gods tried to avert their doom, how they first met those who would kill almost all of them, and what happened after all the slaughter and destruction. The book has the size and format of a typical picture storybook but its powerful illustrations of threat and attack make it more suitable for an older audience.

If you’re looking for a comprehensive reference book on the Norse deities, this is the title to get. In addition to describing the historical context and importance of Scandinavian mythology, the book alphabetically lists, describes, and explains the gods, the goddesses, as well as important mythological artifacts and creatures. It also has a section for additional resources and an excellent index. This is the book I find myself referring back to over and over again to make sure I’ve got my details right in my own writing.

This volume covers a lot of ground, from myths of the gods to hero tales to historical figures and the discovery of America. It stands out for me because of the illustrations, which range from ancient Norse carvings to superhero films. Above all, the book abounds with fine nineteenth and early twentieth-century book illustrations and a host of paintings from the Renaissance onwards, a feast for the eyes.

Do you know who Karel Čapek is? Did you know he invented the word robot? Do you love Norse mythology given to you with a twist? Well, The Life Engineered gives you robots modeled on Karel Čapek’s designs, a faster-than-light travel system you’ve probably never seen or heard of, and a civilization of robots (chapeks) modeled on Norse mythology trying to continue existing while waiting for the expected return of humans.

From the moment I started, I was learning new concepts and ways to imagine science-fiction norms like those described above. And that cover? So much humanity in a single picture of a robot. Read this book, and then go check out the sequel Arch-Android on Inkshares.com. The little science-fiction-loving kid in you will be very happy you did.

The D'Aulaire's book is a visual feast of stories from the land of ice, fire and Viking culture. The tales are well-told and exciting. It comes with lively illustrations which offer children who haven't encountered Thor, Odin, Freya or Loki before, a panorama of this marvelous world and the many adventures of the Norse Gods.

Riordan had me at Norse mythology. Love it! Written in the usual tongue-in-cheek humor I’m used to with the author’s style, I loved the way he rebranded Norse myths to fit into the young adult genre he’s so famous for writing. It begins as homeless Magnus Chase (cousin to Annabeth from The Lightning Thief) is plucked from the real world (he literally dies) and taken to Hotel Valhalla, where he’s put through the gantlet over and over again (and dies many times in the process) until he teams up with an unlikely (and likable) diverse cast of characters who embark on a journey to recover his birthright—the Sword of Summer. However, what Magnus doesn’t count on is finding out the truth about who he really is, and his place in Asgard. 

I found this slim volume of mythology tales at a museum in Reykjavík, Iceland. It’s a quick read, but what sets it apart from other books are the beautiful black and white illustrations (by Freydís Kristjánsdóttir), the concise, yet extensive, description of how the Vikings believed the world was created, and the summary of the gods, their lineage, and their roles in Norse mythology. If you want to quickly read up on Viking deities and sound wise about them at dinner parties, this is the book to get. 

I loved the entire series, but this book stands out, at least for me, as the most entertaining of them all.

The idea that Thor can be separated from his hammer was what really caught my interest. I especially loved how Thor assembled a diverse team to search for the hammer.

What was especially interesting and appealing to me was the mix between Norse mythology and the world and how they interacted. It made me laugh hard at some point, and I especially loved the personality of the characters. I really enjoyed the mixing of humor and adventure against the Norse mythology background.