Odd and the Frost Giants

Odd and the Frost Giants is a 2008 novella by acclaimed fantasy author Neil Gaiman, illustrated by New York Times bestselling artist Chris Riddell. Odd and the Frost Giants was originally released for World Book Day in Great Britain, an annual event where children’s books are released at low prices to encourage reading. Neil Gaiman has written many other notable works of fantasy, including adult novels like Stardust and American Gods and children’s novels like Coraline and The Graveyard Book. Many of Gaiman’s books draw on myth and folklore. Odd and the Frost Giants takes place in Viking-era Norway and includes figures and events drawn from Norse mythology. Odd and the Frost Giants centers on the titular character, Odd, a young half-Scottish boy who lost his father and the use of one of his legs in quick succession. Odd leaves his village for the woods, where he finds three Norse gods transformed by a curse into animals. He decides to help them return to Asgard, the home of the gods, from which they have been exiled by a deceptive Frost Giant who is guarding the city walls.