Book excerpt: Valhalla and its pantheon of gods and heroes have always fascinated readers, whether it is how these tales illuminate the Viking world or influence cultural touchstones like J. R. R. Tolkien, whose Middle Earth is heavily indebted to Germanic and Norse mythology, as well as Hollywood and comics culture.In Tales of Valhalla, the Whittocks have dramatically retold these rich stories and set them in context within the wider Viking world. Including both myths—stories, usually religious, which explain origins, why things are as they are, the nature of the spiritual—and legends—stories which attempt to explain historical events and may involve historical characters but are told in a non-historical way and often include supernatural events—Tales of Valhalla is an accessible and lively volume that brings these hallmarks of world literature to a new generation.