I really liked Stephen's writing style and how he made me immersed into each story of Greek Mythology.

The reason for 3 stars is that i heard the stories multiple times and this feels like the same story being repeated back to me. Hope second book in this series change that. ( )

This reviews the audiobook read by the author.
I love Stephen Fry. I loved his excellent reading of The Hitchhiker's Guide and loved his book voice for the movie. I have his readings of the Sherlock Holmes canon and the Max Carrados stories and love them. I do think he's trying a bit too hard here. Writing-wise, the alliteration got to me. A little alliteration ... goes a long way.
I love mythology. Books of myths, Greek and northern European, were favorites of mine as a child. I devoured Ovid's Metamorphoses as a young adult (as they are now called). The Iliad is my favorite book to hate (well, the stupidity of the people in it). I'm not keen on tinkering with these archetypes. Madeline Miller drove me nuts with The Song of Achilles and I refuse to have the Odyssey ruined by reading Circe. In breathing contemporary life into the characters, Fry gilded the lily. I liked the lily as it was. I don't mean the Greek gods are fussing with cellphones or any foolishness like that. It's more their dialog that bothered me.
Writing and reading his own work might have been a bit too much. I used to believe that poets should never read their own material - until I heard Chuck Sullivan read his. That Fry is such a great reader should have made this another exception. Somehow knowing that he also wrote it was a distraction.
I can easily see the merit in this book. Young people might find this a wonderful introduction to Greek myths, language, and culture if they weren't already smitten by it. Or perhaps even if they were. The freshness of the dialog might make it more accessible to them and could draw them to the next level of obsession.
As an old devotee, I wasn't able to rejoice in it. And that's the worst that I can say: it didn't make me rejoice. And I really wanted to. It wasn't a trial to listen to, I just wasn't hugging myself with glee.

Quite enjoyable and a fun read.
The edition that I have was not available in the United States at the time I purchased it at an event at which the author was appearing, and I was able to get it signed/autographed.
The history, myths, and theologies of that period of time we call the Axial Age has been fascinating to me for some time. This book is well worth the time spent engrossed in the dialogue and tales.
Interestingly enough, I had taken this book with me on a cruise, and somewhere in the neighborhood of Nassau, Bahamas was close to the end when sat in on a passenger activity for a trivia contest (fun times for those of similar interests!) and one of the questions asked a question that (being restricted from using smartphones and Googling the answer...) as soon as I heard it casually picked up my book, looked an the index, and found the answer (yeah, I know, not in the spirit of the game, but we lost anyway...) that revolved around Narcissus and Echo. ( )

Stephen Fry’s take on Greek Mythology is just plain fun. Springing from his own childhood love of Greek Myths and injected with a humorous modern sensibility, the stories come alive. Fry’s MYTHOS shakes off the dust and makes the stories feel immediate and as valid as any other myths we live by. He has fun with the stories but never makes fun of them—allowing them to maintain their dignity and importance as the foundational elements of the Roman and Christian myths that followed (as well as the building blocks for language itself). There is very little analysis--just story after story offering delight. For a more scholarly approach Edith Hamilton’s MYTHOLOGY is accessible and fantastic. ( )

What adjectives come to your mind when you hear the term "mythology"? Grand, boring, complicated, confusing, fascinating, rich, outdated, rubbish...? Any mythology is bound to evoke extreme reactions because of the vastness and unfamiliarity ingrained into its essence. Stephen Fry strives to make at least one mythology a bit easier for us all: the Greek mythology.

Mythos conveys the story of Greek mythology from its version of creation to its various gods and olympians and titans, to the various progeny of these beings and their stories in turn. The scope of the book is huge. And yet, Fry makes it completely simple, accessible, and most importantly, enjoyable. He imbues his writing with his fantastic sense of humour, leading to a book that is equally entertaining and enlightening.

His research deserves mention. To take the complicated generational hierarchy of the plethora of Greek myth figures and organise them in a structured form isn't easy. But Fry does a wonderful job. The twisted family trees still create confusion but not to the usual extent.

Fry doesn't just restrict the book to mythological narration but also expounds on the etymological roots of modern words present in the Greek gods' names. Wherever applicable, he even points out similarities between Greek mythology and Biblical mythology. This connect between the past legends and modern language, and between various mythical stories is massive and shows how deeply impactful and interconnected all mythologies are.

You might not be able to read this book in one go, not just because of its sheer length, but also because you will get bogged down by the abundance of names. But take up a few chapters a day and you will certainly enjoy the fun-filled narration. I wish someone can take up Indian mythology and present it in such a delightful manner. This is especially required for the younger generation of readers who seem to consider the various mythological retellings as the gospel truth and never bother to read the original tomes as they are considered boring and complicated.

If possible, go for the audio version of this book. Stephen Fry himself narrates the audiobook, and being the thespian that he is, he performs the role of a lifetime. What a wonderful experience it was to hear him bring the various characters to life with his eloquent acting and funny voices! I'm sure I would have loved it even if I had read it because it is so well written and quite hilarious. But Fry took it a whole new level with his narration. And that's why the 5 stars. 1 star exclusively for Stephen Fry's performance. The book merited 4.5 stars by itself but as I can't exceed 5 stars, it gets the complete rating. Does it mean that I am now an expert on Greek mythology? Far from it! :P It just means that I enjoyed my journey with the book for as long as it lasted. I read it for entertainment, not education, and the book provided me with more than enough of entertainment!


***********************
Join me on the Facebook group, Readers Forever!, for more reviews, book-related discussions and fun.
Follow me on Instagram: RoshReviews ( )