When Byatt was asked to retell a myth, she chose Ragnarok. What’s lovely about this is how personal that story is her – the frame of this book is herself reading it as a child during World War II, and how closely that story of ending mirrored what was going on in the world around her.
The imagery in the tales is lovely – I particularly loved the description of Randrasill, the kelp equivalent of the World Tree Yggdrasil. I also liked her take on Loki.
But what I really did enjoy was the framing. You could use this is a primary resource for the home front in the war – it’s such an interesting contrast to the older story. And it is funny, having recently read another variation of a Ragnarok that’s come to pass how flexible that story is.