bubbajones1221's review against another edition
5.0
Ah Stephen, you've done it again.
Realized how truly incorrect Disney's Hercules is hehe
Woohoo for the Orpheus story.
language: some
Realized how truly incorrect Disney's Hercules is hehe
Woohoo for the Orpheus story.
language: some
bronwynmb's review against another edition
4.0
Won through Goodreads in exchange for a review.
This is the second volume of Stephen Fry’s retellings of the Greek myths. While I did enjoy this - there are some good lines and modernized language - I’m not really sure who this book is for. If you’re a Stephen Fry fan, reading his books, you’ve probably already read or are otherwise familiar with these stories. If you’re not a fan, this entry being so much his version probably wouldn’t appeal anyway.
That all said, it is a good, accessible version of the myths and quite enjoyable overall. (But I think I still prefer Edith Hamilton’s book.)
This is the second volume of Stephen Fry’s retellings of the Greek myths. While I did enjoy this - there are some good lines and modernized language - I’m not really sure who this book is for. If you’re a Stephen Fry fan, reading his books, you’ve probably already read or are otherwise familiar with these stories. If you’re not a fan, this entry being so much his version probably wouldn’t appeal anyway.
That all said, it is a good, accessible version of the myths and quite enjoyable overall. (But I think I still prefer Edith Hamilton’s book.)
k_baney's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
elena171's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
alice94's review against another edition
3.0
Although I have managed to complete the reading of Mythos within a rather short period of time, this book I found I was barely able to finish. I need to complete things once I start them and for this reason I found myself finally being able to finish the book. However, the follow up 'Troy' is a book I have on my bookshelf and have read in rather a short period of time as well.
I think this may be because the topic of heroes in the Greek mythology is even more complex then that of Greek gods and the amount of people and places listed in the book made it particularly difficult for me to be able to follow the topic. I guess if you are more familiar with the stories of the heroes from those times then you are more likely to be able to follow the book in it's entirety quicker.
If the author, in this book particularly, broke it down more (maybe into two volumes) it would mean that readers were more able to follow the different plots of different heroes. Possibly an alternative would be to label the titles of the chapters listing the name of each hero at the beginning so if someone required to break it down for themselves they were able to break them down into various heroes. Also I do have to point out that the writing in this book is much smaller since it is almost half the size of the previous one which also might make the topic a little bit more difficult to read about.
Overall the book is very informative and it is a book that I will use possibly as a reference point in the future. If you are looking for a book to teach you the basics of Greek mythological heroes then this book is just the right book for you. But remember, you have to break it down yourself, so maybe use it as something you read half a chapter of everyday or something, rather then a book you read in one sitting.
"Aeetes watched with a frown. How this conceited youth could have withstood the blast of the oxens' breath was more then he could understand. It was displeasing too that the crowd should be so loudly and unmistakably on his side."
I think this may be because the topic of heroes in the Greek mythology is even more complex then that of Greek gods and the amount of people and places listed in the book made it particularly difficult for me to be able to follow the topic. I guess if you are more familiar with the stories of the heroes from those times then you are more likely to be able to follow the book in it's entirety quicker.
If the author, in this book particularly, broke it down more (maybe into two volumes) it would mean that readers were more able to follow the different plots of different heroes. Possibly an alternative would be to label the titles of the chapters listing the name of each hero at the beginning so if someone required to break it down for themselves they were able to break them down into various heroes. Also I do have to point out that the writing in this book is much smaller since it is almost half the size of the previous one which also might make the topic a little bit more difficult to read about.
Overall the book is very informative and it is a book that I will use possibly as a reference point in the future. If you are looking for a book to teach you the basics of Greek mythological heroes then this book is just the right book for you. But remember, you have to break it down yourself, so maybe use it as something you read half a chapter of everyday or something, rather then a book you read in one sitting.
"Aeetes watched with a frown. How this conceited youth could have withstood the blast of the oxens' breath was more then he could understand. It was displeasing too that the crowd should be so loudly and unmistakably on his side."
polyphonic_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5
demelzavandermeulen's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
opheliablack's review against another edition
5.0
Please note; my star rating on any book is completely subjective and limited to the label for each star.
1 Star I didn’t like it
2 Stars It was okay
3 Stars I liked it
4 Stars I really liked it
5 Stars It was amazing!
If I do actually have something to say about a book other than what my enjoyment factor was, I will write a review and share my thoughts. If I say I didn’t like a book but there wasn’t anything about it that I thought needed to be shared, then that’s it, I just didn’t like it.
If you’d like to start a discussion about a book or you’d like an actual review, ask any question you like and I’ll be happy to try and comply/respond.
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1 Star I didn’t like it
2 Stars It was okay
3 Stars I liked it
4 Stars I really liked it
5 Stars It was amazing!
If I do actually have something to say about a book other than what my enjoyment factor was, I will write a review and share my thoughts. If I say I didn’t like a book but there wasn’t anything about it that I thought needed to be shared, then that’s it, I just didn’t like it.
If you’d like to start a discussion about a book or you’d like an actual review, ask any question you like and I’ll be happy to try and comply/respond.
Additional note; I do not feed the trolls. If you don’t have something constructive to say, or if you can’t say it in a respectful way, you won’t get a response from me. Ever.