Heroes the Greek Myths Reimagined (Stephen Fry's Greek Myths, #2)

by Stephen Fry

In this sequel to the bestselling Mythos, legendary author and actor Stephen Fry moves from the exploits of the Olympian gods to the deeds of mortal heroes.

Perseus. Jason. Atalanta. Theseus. Heracles. Rediscover the thrills, grandeur, and unabashed fun of the Greek myths. Whether recounting a tender love affair or a heroic triumph, Fry deftly finds resonance with our own modern minds and hearts.

Illustrated throughout with classical art inspired by the myths, this gorgeous volume invites you to explore a captivating world with a brilliant storyteller as your guide.

- Each adventure is infused with Fry's distinctive voice and writing style.
- Connoisseurs of the Greek myths will appreciate this fresh-yet-reverential interpretation, while newcomers will feel welcome.
- Retellings brim with humor and emotion.

"Mostly Chiron saw in the child, and the young man he became, boundless courage, athleticism, intelligence, and ambition. He saw too lots of words beginning with 'self, ' which gave him pause. Self-belief, self-possession, self-righteousness, self-confidence, self-love. Perhaps these characteristics are as necessary to a hero as courage."

In Heroes, Fry draws out the humor and pathos in both tender love affairs and heroic battles, and reveals each myth's relevance for our own time.

- A collector's edition filled with classical art inspired by the myths and a luxe, foil-stamped jacket
- Perfect gift for mythology and history buffs, lovers of ancient Greece, art aficionados, and devoted fans of Stephen Fry
- Add it to the shelf with books like Circe by Madeline Miller, Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman, and Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes by Edith Hamilton

• ISBN13: 9781797201863
• Publish Date: 2 June 2020 (first published 1 November 2018)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Chronicle Books
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 368
• Language: English

Reviews

[annieb123]

Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

Heroes is the second volume of embellished retelling of the heroes of the Greek myths by the inimitable Stephen Fry. Released 2nd June 2020 by Chronicle Books, it's 352 pages and available in hardcover, audio (narrated by S.Fry himself), and ebook formats.

Stephen Fry is simply a treasure. He's erudite and genuinely funny, urbane but not stuffy. He's self deprecating and frighteningly intelligent but not above being naughtily delighted over a raunchy pun. No surprise, then, that he turned his prodigious writing talent to Greek mythology, this time the heroes of the myths: Perseus, Heracles, Bellerophon, Orpheus, Jason, Atalanta, Oedipus and Theseus. Readers will certainly be familiar with the basic stories; what's new are the asides and footnotes. There are comments on etymology and how the genesis of these stories disappears into our human prehistory. There are also plenty of linguistic asides, showing the threads between the origins of words which are used down through history to today.

There is plenty of truly bloody horrifically violent material in the Greek mythos, but he manages to extract the absurd, the comedic, the ridiculous, and give it his own twist, and in a few cases he left me gasping with laughter. There was a lot of obscure information with which I was unfamiliar, despite my unhealthy obsession with Bullfinch and Graves.

Loved this. Laughed so much. This would make a superlative classroom support book or recommended text for history, classics, group read, home library, etc. Good, well written, worthy historical commentary doesn't have to be boring. What a treasure Mr. Fry is.

Five stars. I'll be revisiting this one and the first volume, and I can't wait to get my grubby little paws on the next one.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.