Mythos by Stephen Fry

Greek Myths Reimagined #1

Mythos was included as one of Libro.fm‘s advanced listening copies for booksellers and as I was in the mood for something a little different for my evening listening (and I’ve always loved Stephen Fry), I figured it was a good one to try out!

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Synopsis

From the Front Flap:
Rediscover the thrills, grandeur, and unabashed fun of the Greek myths – stylishly retold by Stephen Fry. This comedian breathes new life into beloved tales. From Persephone’s pomegranate seeds to Prometheus’s fire, from devious divine schemes to immortal love affairs, Fry draws out the humor and pathos in each story and reveals its relevance for our own time. 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.

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Review

I always find a good myth retelling to be quite fun. I have a whole section of books on my shelves for retellings and, when going through them before writing this post, was pleasantly surprised by how many were retold from myths. Though, admittedly, I haven’t read all of them yet (Circe and Song of Achilles are top of my fiction TBR pile).

Mythos hits all the big myths of Greek mythology, from the creation of Earth and the story of Gaia, the titans and Zeus, to Zeus’ many affairs with gods, demi-gods and humans, to the founding stories of Greek cities like Athens. For someone who always had an interest in mythology, I was delighted to find that it was a rough fifty/fifty split between myths I had previously known and myths that were new to me.

Where Neil Gaiman’s Norse Mythology felt flat and dull, Stephen Fry infuses a great amount of wit and humor into his retellings which, when then also read by him, had me laughing out loud. The actual book is also absolutely gorgeous and full of color illustrations/paintings of the myths in the book.

Overall, it’s a fun book. I’ve been struggling with my reading lately, nothing has really caught my eye or attention in the last few weeks, nor have my writing juices been flowing as freely as I would like. Hopefully I’ll get back in the writing grove soon and writing reviews about books that I like won’t feel quite so challenging anymore.

Rating: 8 out of 10

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