Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Heroes: Mortals and Monsters, Quests and Adventures by Stephen Fry

18 reviews

sarabookshelf's review against another edition

adventurous funny informative

4.5

A fun, engaging and understandable retelling of Greek myths related to some of the most important ancient Greek heroes that I enjoyed even more than Mythos. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Incest, Rape, and Violence

siobhanward's review against another edition

funny informative medium-paced

4.0

I like Fry's take on Greek mythology, and this covered a lot of stories I knew of vaguely, but didn't actually know the full story (Heracles, Oedipus). Fry has a great sense of humour and brings it to his retellings of myths. This was particularly fun as an audiobook, as Fry reads the stories himself. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

majestictrilobite's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Gore, Incest, Infidelity, Rape, Suicide, Violence, Excrement, Trafficking, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Alcohol

voldycat's review against another edition

adventurous lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Violence

Moderate: Incest, Violence, Xenophobia, Murder, Pregnancy, and War

Minor: Slavery and Suicide

hiddeninfantasy's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny lighthearted reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death, Death, Genocide, Gore, Infidelity, Rape, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Pregnancy, and Abandonment

bookcheshirecat's review against another edition

informative slow-paced

4.0

“You see?' said Prometheus. 'It is your fate to be Heracles the hero, burdened with labours, yet it is also your choice. You choose to submit to it. Such is the paradox of living. We willingly accept that we have no will.” 

➽ Stephen Fry is taking a deeper look at the Greek Heroes in this book! I liked that there are different sections dedicated to some of the popular heroes we know of but also others that might not be as well known. There is also a heroine included and it was nice to see a woman's story, as most heroes are usually men. The author always manages to make their stories sound so interesting and I liked learning something new about them. The discussion of what makes a hero and how almost all of their lives end in tragedy was so interesting to me! The question of fate, agency and free will also frequently comes up, as there is often a prophecy invoking a new hero! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Incest, Infidelity, Rape, Sexism, Slavery, Suicide, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail

tuesdaye's review against another edition

funny informative reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Minor: Death, Incest, Mental illness, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Murder, and War

beccaruthe's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny informative lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Incest, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Excrement, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail

anka_not_anchor's review against another edition

funny informative fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Absolutely loved this. Just as good as Mythos. Accessible mythology with no prentitiousness whatsoever. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, and Blood

rzh's review against another edition

adventurous funny informative medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

an endearing, deeply informative and riveting retelling of some of the best ancient greek myths. i loved the footnotes and the background information, and fry occasionally taking creative license with each story adds colour and dimensions to the stories that black-and-white recountings or translations do not. the genealogical sections were at times hard to follow but fry does make it about as clear as possible! really really enjoyed this. 4 stars 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Gore, and Violence

Moderate: Child death, Death, Infidelity, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, and War