Name: Matthew Jackson's review of Heroes by Stephen Fry
Item: Heroes
Rating: 3.5
Author: Matthew Jackson

Stephen Fry

Heroes

A retelling of the legend of Troy. It is Zeus, the king of the gods, who triggers war when he asks the Trojan prince Paris to judge the fairest goddess of them all. Aphrodite bribes Paris with the heart of Helen, wife of King Menelaus of the Greeks, and naturally, nature takes its course

The Siege of Troy Retold

Troy

Vojtech

“It's so small,” he said, tucking the package under his arm, “and so crudely carved.”

“I know,” said Helen. “Like all sacred and truly precious objects it is very plain. Only profane things are beautiful.”

'I still don't understand why you have to leave?'

'My mother is not one to be refused,' said Achilles with a rueful smile. 'She has a strange bee buzzing in her ear. She is convinced there is a war coming and that if I fight in it I will be killed.'

'No, said Patroclus, 'but you are afraid of your mother.'

Matthew Jackson

The Greek myths are amongst the greatest stories ever told, passed down through millennia and inspiring writers and artists as varied as Shakespeare, Michelangelo, James Joyce and Walt Disney. They are embedded deeply in the traditions, tales and cultural DNA of the West. You'll fall in love with Zeus, marvel at the birth of Athena, wince at Cronus and Gaia's revenge on Ouranos, weep with King Midas and hunt with the beautiful and ferocious Artemis. Spellbinding, informative and moving, Stephen Fry's Mythosperfectly captures these stories for the modern age - in all their rich and deeply human relevance.

Mythos

War okay. Schön das mal wieder aufzufrischen aber ob ich da nun moderne Sprache brauche? Eher nicht.

Gerrit Wilbrandt 

Makes for a great entry point into Greek mythology. The book on focuses on telling myths as stories through the point of view of the characters, which are really brought to life. While this makes the book very accessible, there are some areas where you can tell that myths have been interpreted in a certain way and details potentially admitted, although the author is very forthcoming about that.

Overall a great place to start for anyone wanting to get into Greek mythology, but who finds most other books as difficult to get into.

Ryan Ellison

Makes for a great entry point into Greek mythology. The book on focuses on telling myths as stories through the point of view of the characters, which are really brought to life. While this makes the book very accessible, there are some areas where you can tell that myths have been interpreted in a certain way and details potentially admitted, although the author is very forthcoming about that.

Overall a great place to start for anyone wanting to get into Greek mythology, but who finds most other books as difficult to get into.

lala

Amongst all Greek Mythology retellings I'd call this one similar to Neil Gaiman's retelling of Norse Mythology. The approach that Fry took on writing this book is somehow, chronological, which is kind of a fresh approach to Greek Myths retellings. What's interesting in this retelling is that amidst the weirdness and sometimes, silly stories in Greek Mythology, Fry is able to tell it in a witty manner and play on the bizarreness of Greek Myths. The humor injected within how he told the stories is exceptional, and I appreciate that he refers to more modern approach to the problems posed in Greek Myth, such as including Nietzsche in Pandora's story, etc. I think Fry cherry-picked the most interesting story in Greek Myth and wove the stories into one coherent book. However, I do have to admit that he name drops so many names along the stories that it's weirdly annoying. Also, as someone who likes mythological accuracy, I prefer Edith Hamilton's Mythology since she always reveals the sources of the stories and the significance of each author's story. If you're looking for a casual read on Greek Mythology, I would recommend this book.

Teresa Bonifácio

I enjoyed this audiobook as I enjoyed Mythos. Stephen has a way of telling this stories that is at the same time funny and very very interesting. Some I already new from other perspective (Ariadne, Medusa, etc). Others I just knew the very basic. Greek mythology is always a good choice!

Opposed to Mythos and Heroes, Troy is a build up of stories that lead up to the Trojan War. Always told with Stephen Fry’s humor this book makes you take no sides as in this conflict is kind of difficult.

Apurva Chitnis

I really enjoyed this. I listened to the audiobook recording (narrated by Stephen Fry himself), and came in not knowing much about Greek mythology. I finished not remembering much (a lot happens to many people), but that was okay as I was enthralled by these stories. Stephen Fry has a knack for telling these myths accessibly and compellingly, and I had a lot of fun listening to him. So much so that I'm planning on reading his other books in this series - Mythos and Troy - as soon as I can get my hands on them!

Aamna

[Audiobook narrated by the man himself]

Trust Fry to keep you engaged as he goes on about something as tangled & bizarre as Greek mythology. Makes you wish you had better retention abilities.

Aaron J Mitchell

An accessible and enjoyable retelling of the siege of Troy that doesn't skimp over the mythical aspects as many retellings love to do.

vincent osvald

a hilarious retelling of my favourite topic

Matija

Jessica

Fun! If you can listen to it in an audiobook, Stephen Fry is an amazing story teller!

Ben Jenkins

Siya S

The audiobook, read by Stephen Fry himself, is absolutely stunning. And if you're like me in that of a Greek legends enthusiast but somewhat lacks the determination to go through the process of reading and memorizing everything by myself, this is definitely a way to go. 

I love that it begins from the very beginning, as in, the foundation and construction of the city and how the name has come about. The rest of the story has both ups and downs, but the way he compiled everything (such an immense and vast pool of information!) and made it into an enjoyable read is nothing short of a literary miracle. 

But audiobooks alone couldn't quench my thirst for knowledge. What I did was - I listen to the audiobook, then skimmed through the same parts later in the day, just to make sure I didn't miss the "fun" and the important parts. 

10/10 would do this again.

A little unconventional, especially if you've read older collections of myths but the style, when you got used to it, of telling the myths I already knew very well (at least most of them) made it very accessible. I think this might be the go to for people who don't like the pretentious, swollen type of language but really want to know more about the myths. I also did try out the audiobook and i love the narration so that is a recommendation i'd gladly make, too. 

I'm happy to still have Heroes to read even though I do slightly prefer the traditional way of telling these myths - just for the feeling. And the ego, to be honest. 

Leonie

A little unconventional, especially if you've read older collections of myths but the style, when you got used to it, of telling the myths I already knew very well (at least most of them) made it very accessible. I think this might be the go to for people who don't like the pretentious, swollen type of language but really want to know more about the myths. I also did try out the audiobook and i love the narration so that is a recommendation i'd gladly make, too. 

I'm happy to still have Heroes to read even though I do slightly prefer the traditional way of telling these myths - just for the feeling. And the ego, to be honest. 

Haley Murray

*3.5. Will definitely use this as one of my comfort audiobooks to listen to before bed.

found it a little bit drawn out but was a great introduction to greek mythology. portrayed the goddesses and gods in such a cool way, i was always daunted by the sheer volume of greek mythology that there is but this book did a fantastic job at not overloading you with names and info.

Megan Paterson

Every single bit as wonderful and witty as you would imagine.

Megan Johnson

A continuation of the amazing storytelling, humour and just overall brilliance of Stephen Fry. 
I have always enjoyed history and mythology and this is the best way to learn. Everything is so well explained and all links together in the best, well ordered, way. Next to read the history of Troy.

Celeste Richardson

Mythos is practically perfect in every way. 

I’ve adored Greek mythology since I was a child. I’ve also always been utterly charmed by Stephen Fry. The combination of these two things was an absolute delight. Fry’s writing is a perfect marriage of class and sass, and he gives the original source material tremendous respect while never taking those sources or himself too seriously. Take this line, for instance: “Gaia visited her daughter Mnemosyne, who was busy being unpronounceable.” Isn’t that just the right mix of informative and snarky? And the amount of word origin Fry included in this book was absolutely perfect. I learned tons of fun facts to share with friends and family but was never inundated to the point of boredom.
“Even meaning and destiny themselves can be read in ordinary things, if you have the gift.” 
These are pretty much all stories with which I’ve familiar since childhood. My editions of Edith Hamilton’s Mythology and Bulfinch’s Mythology are both ragged from countless rereads. But it’s been a few years since I spent time in Greece’s brilliant myths, and Fry’s Mythos looked like just the right way to revisit them. I couldn’t have been more right. Fry managed to breathe new life into these myths while still staying incredibly true to them. It requires a very deft hand to so impeccably balance freshness and timelessness, but that’s exactly what Fry managed to accomplish in this collection. Fry claims that: “The Greeks created gods that were in their image; warlike but creative, wise but ferocious, loving but jealous, tender but brutal, compassionate, but vengeful.” And I think that sentiment exactly captures why their myths are so much fun to read. They have all of the character flaws and failings of humans, but on a much grander and more eternal scale. Without these faults there would have been very few stories to tell.
“It is their refusal to see any divine beings as perfect, whole and complete of themselves, whether Zeus, Moros or Prometheus, that makes the Greeks so satisfying.” 
I can’t sing this book’s praises enough, and thus I’m going to keep this review short so I’m not just repeating said praises over and over again. Every single minute spent with Mythos was a pure and unadulterated delight. And getting to hear it read in Fry’s own superb voice made an already wonderful experience into something amazing. If you’re an audiobook listener, please give this one a try in that format. It’s one of the few books I’ve ever listened to that I know for a fact I’ll be listening to again and again. I had actually borrowed it from the library and returned it before I hit the halfway point, because I knew I needed to own it and have it downloaded on my phone forever. If you love mythology or Stephen Fry or both or even neither, you’ve got to give Mythos a read.

You can find  this review and more at Novel Notions.

Actual rating: 4.5 stars

This third book in Stephen Fry’s Great Mythology series is a recounting of events leading up to and comprising The Iliad. I adore how Fry gives us so much background material on these myths without it ever feeling overwhelming. This background brings in a richness and depth to the core story that would have been missing otherwise, but delivered in a way that feels like getting a peek behind the curtain instead of being assigned extra homework. The entire narrative flowed incredibly well and never felt like it lagged. I’ve read The Iliad multiple times in multiple translations, but this was by far the easiest time I had connecting with the story, and the most empathy I’ve felt for any of the cast. Fry has done an absolutely amazing job on every installment of this series, and I’m eagerly awaiting the next book. I just know his recounting of The Odyssey is going to be phenomenal.

Catherine Matheson

I listened to this as an audiobook and Stephen Fry does such a good job (no surprises there). You don't need any previous knowledge of Greek mythology and it goes way back to the start and introduces you to all the gods. Recommend for anyone with a basic level of knowledge in greek mythology and is wanting to learn more!

Marloes

A great follow-up on Mythos, and I have rated this 5* mostly on readibility and how much I enjoyed it. I do see, however, that all complexity and details that make the Greek Mythology so interesting are left out. It was no dealbreaker for me.

Matthew Jackson &
Heroes by Stephen Fry

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