I need help identifying a book I read in the 90s or early aughts. My Google-fu has failed me. Help me StackExchange, you're my only hope.
Anyway... Here's what I remember. Like the title says, it was a collection of short stories about how the old gods are adapting (or failing to adapt) to the modern world. It had a framing device that a newly formed god was being shown these events by a guardian angel/teacher, so he can understand how the gods fit in and what his place is. Beyond that I remember three specific elements.
During one of the framing episodes, the new god meets one of the Japanese goddesses and is attracted to her. But his teacher pulls him away, telling him to focus.
In one of the short stories, two gods are dueling by summoning champions. For one round the champions were 'giants'. One god summons an old style giant; super tall humanoid in fur pelts and carrying a club. The other god summons a battleship, which proceeds to easily blast the giant with its guns and missiles. I think the story was used to show why the gods needed to adapt and what happened if they didn't.
In one of the short stories, a soldier dies and goes to Valhalla. But he quickly gets sick of the endless fighting. He is resuscitated, and thinks it might all be a dream, until the Valkyrie who brought him to Valhalla shows up as a nurse, and tells him not many people have a chance to make it to Valhalla twice. He decides he is going to try to die peacefully of old age, because Hel can't be worse then Valhalla.
Anyone remember this, or have the Google-fu to find it (assuming I'm not mixing up multiple books)?
(I'm putting the Norse Gods tag because Valhalla and a Valkyrie are the only things I remember for sure. Except an unknown Japanese goddess, and there is no Japanese gods/myths tag.)
