Mythos
January 3, 2022 1:46 PM - Subscribe
From the US Publisher's website: "Here are the thrills, grandeur, and unabashed fun of the Greek myths, stylishly retold by Stephen Fry. The legendary writer, actor, and comedian breathes life into ancient tales, from Pandora's box to Prometheus's fire, and transforms the adventures of Zeus and the Olympians into emotionally resonant and deeply funny stories, without losing any of their original wonder. Classical artwork inspired by the myths and learned notes from the author offer rich cultural context."
I'm so glad you posted about this, and that zadcat mentioned the followups--I hadn't heard of any of them, but they sound like just the thing for me.
posted by theatro at 1:47 PM on January 4, 2022
posted by theatro at 1:47 PM on January 4, 2022
Thanks for this! My kid's been reading the Percy Jackson books and I was wondering about a book on Greek mythology she could read so that she could learn more about the various gods and heroes.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 6:26 PM on January 4, 2022
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 6:26 PM on January 4, 2022
Yeah this is pretty hard core, especially the first one. I wouldn’t give these to a kid younger than 10.
posted by bq at 7:58 PM on January 4, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by bq at 7:58 PM on January 4, 2022 [2 favorites]
I got on a myths and folklore kick a while back and Mythos was the real winner of the bunch. Neil Gaiman’s Norse Mythology and Maria Dahavana Headley’s Beowulf are close seconds if you want more, though they lacked some of the warmth of Mythos.
(A note on ages appropriateness; I would definitely do a pre-skim for kids younger than high school. I read D’Aulaires’ with my then-fifth grader, this would have been a lot for him.)
posted by tchemgrrl at 5:26 AM on January 5, 2022
(A note on ages appropriateness; I would definitely do a pre-skim for kids younger than high school. I read D’Aulaires’ with my then-fifth grader, this would have been a lot for him.)
posted by tchemgrrl at 5:26 AM on January 5, 2022
I agree with the others that I'd probably give the text a read myself before handing it to a young kid.
I can't tell y'all how much I'm enjoying this book. I've read a bunch of different versions of the Greek myths, but none since freshman year high school, and this is a very appealing cocktail. Fry's narrative voice is delightful, and he tells the stories in such a way that they remain consistent with earlier versions (for the most part), but with slight infusions of modern commentary on character motivations, notes on how the various gods, spirits, and mortals in the story have given us a multitude of place names and words, and a perceptible joy on Fry's part to be sharing these stories.
This is the first book I'm reading in the new year. Off to a good start, then.
posted by Ipsifendus at 1:00 PM on January 6, 2022
I can't tell y'all how much I'm enjoying this book. I've read a bunch of different versions of the Greek myths, but none since freshman year high school, and this is a very appealing cocktail. Fry's narrative voice is delightful, and he tells the stories in such a way that they remain consistent with earlier versions (for the most part), but with slight infusions of modern commentary on character motivations, notes on how the various gods, spirits, and mortals in the story have given us a multitude of place names and words, and a perceptible joy on Fry's part to be sharing these stories.
This is the first book I'm reading in the new year. Off to a good start, then.
posted by Ipsifendus at 1:00 PM on January 6, 2022
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He must have written these books with the intention of reading them aloud.
posted by zadcat at 6:01 PM on January 3, 2022