Heroes: The Greek Myths Reimagined

I have always loved Stephen Fry and continue to enjoy his works in this the second volume of his take on Greek Myths. Let me say this is not a re-imagining and more of a retelling with Stephen Fry's sense of wit, intelligence and wonderful asides. I've found myself delighted time and time again reading through these stories and I ALWAYS make sure to hit the footnotes. This book makes me smile every day that I open it, and I cannot thank the author enough for that wonderful joy.

I love Fry's reworking of the Greek myths. He is consistently entertaining. This is one book where the audio is a better bet. Although well illustrated, the typography is ill chosen. Small text with too-generous margins and footnotes in a oddly grayed-out sans serif.

If you are reading this you probably read Mythos first and know whether or not Heroes is for you. I personally loved mythos and remember vaguely wondering why the stories of the heroes weren’t included. It was a complaint I had that I didn’t think much about as the book was already a fairly good length and had a focused structure I enjoyed.I was pleasantly surprised when I saw the sequel had released and addressed my question. One of the reasons I picked up Mythos is that it appealed to me as a one off read rather than a drawn out series, so of course it turns out a trilogy was planned all along and I simply wasn’t paying attention.I don’t think these books are written for those who don’t already have an interest in mythology. They don’t shy away from the sometimes awkward or inconsistent points in the tales but Fry does a good job of always making sure the story is the star. My biggest complaint about the myths is one that I’m sure will have some rolling their eyes. Reading them back to back is a little depressing given that almost all of the stories end so tragically. Unlike in mythos the stars of this book are very human and suffer fates the immortals tended to avoid in the end. There’s nothing wrong with a classic greek tragedy, I guess I just didn’t think about what it would be like to read so many so close together.I still very much enjoyed the book and will of course finish the trilogy once the Iliad is released, I’ll just make sure the next book I choose to read is on the lighter and happier side.

I enjoyed this book—and it predecessor, Mythos—a great deal. It tells the intertwined stories of the various Geek heroes clearly and amusingly, without either turning them into children's stories or getting bogged down in sources and complications. (It does not slight sources; it just does not overcomplicate the narrative with philological details.) The voice is contemporary, and that is usually an advantage. At times the references to popular culture seem a bit intrusive, but mostly they work. What could be a dryasdust report on ancient texts becomes a really good read.

Though my first degrees were in history, my exposure to the Greek myths was so poorly conducted in university that I happily ignored them for the following half century or so. Simply on the strength of having seen Mr. Fry on television led me to purchase the first book in his trilogy; that happy outcome led to getting this one. He faced a challenge, what with the various perspectives on the myths which make building a unified whole difficult. But he succeeds even when that unification has to be left, at least in part, undone. More than that, he makes the myths come alive - this is both entertaining and educational. As a Westerner, my values, to at least some degree, were shaped by the Greeks - for good or ill, these ideas about justice and courage and all the rest are still with us. And, beyond all that, this is a damned good read. And, yes, I purchased the third book. Highly recommended.

Title: "Heroes: Greek Myths Reimagined"Missing subtitle: "It's like your back in 7th grade!"I've read three pages, 262-265, and browsed the rest. Ready for return. This reads like a elementary school reading lesson. And I haven't read mythological renderings that were 80% dialog: He said... They answered... She claimed... He shouted..."Yes, your majesty. I'd call it maybe a mild hobble."Pelias grabbed the herald by the throat. "Did you just say that he was wearing one sandal?""Yes, sire..."x 300 pages...

A beautiful book with gorgeous re-tellings of the Greek myths. Stephen has such a beautiful and succinct way of showing the myths in all their original glory while re-kindling our passion for them again with his intelligent humor and careful research. A must-read for all Stephen Fry fans, Greek mythology fans, and fans of reading.

If you’re a fan of Neil Gaiman’s treatment of Norse mythology, you’ll love Stephen’s take on Greek mythology. Outstanding writing and obvious devotion to research.

Greek myths with a Stephen Fry touch, what could be better?

Lovely book