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Stephen Fry

Heroes: The myths of the Ancient Greek heroes retold (Stephen Fry’s Greek Myths, 2) Paperback – 27 Jun. 2019

by Stephen Fry (Author)

5,300 ratings

Book 2 of 3: Stephen Fry's Greek Myths

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IMAGINE SANDALS ON YOUR FEET, A SWORD IN YOUR HAND, HOT SUN BEATING DOWN ON YOUR BRONZE HELMET. ENTER THE WORLD OF STEPHEN FRY'S SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER, HEROES

'An odyssey through Greek mythology. Brilliant . . . all hail Stephen Fry' Daily Mail
___________

Few mere mortals have ever embarked on such bold and heart-stirring adventures, overcome myriad monstrous perils, or outwitted scheming vengeful gods, quite as stylishly and triumphantly as Greek heroes.

In this companion to his bestselling Mythos, Stephen Fry brilliantly retells these dramatic, funny, tragic and timeless tales.

Join Jason aboard the Argo as he quests for the Golden Fleece. See Atalanta - who was raised by bears - outrun any man before being tricked with golden apples. Witness wily Oedipus solve the riddle of the Sphinx and discover how Bellerophon captures the winged horse Pegasus to help him slay the monster Chimera.

Filled with white-knuckle chases and battles, impossible puzzles and riddles, acts of base cowardice and real bravery, not to mention murders and selfless sacrifices, Heroes is the story of what we mortals are truly capable of - at our worst and our very best.

OrderTROY now, Stephen Fry's bewitching retelling of the most legendary story ever told

'A romp through the lives of ancient Greek gods. Fry is at his story-telling best . . . the gods will be pleased' Times

'Assured and engaging. The pace is lively, the jokes are genuinely funny' Guardian

'An Olympian feat. The gods seem to be smiling on Fry - his myths are definitely a hit' Evening Standard

'Just as delightful and difficult to put down as the first. Heroes makes the stories relatable without skimping on the gory details, or sacrificing the truths of the myth. It's rich, it's funny and you'll feel like you've learned a lot' Herald

Praise for Mythos:

'Ebullient and funny' Times

'Entertaining and edifying' Daily Telegraph

'A rollicking good read' Independent

'The Greek gods of the past become relatable as pop culture, modern literature and music are woven throughout. Joyfully informal yet full of the literary legacy' Guardian

Print length

496 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Penguin
Publication date

27 Jun. 2019
Dimensions

12.9 x 3.2 x 19.8 cm
ISBN-10

1405940360
ISBN-13

978-1405940368
See all details

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From the Publisher


Heracles Possibly the most famous of all the Greek heroes, Heracles was the epitome of bravery and strength, undertaking the twelve Labours . . .	Perseus Son of Zeus and the mortal Danaë, Perseus was the legendary demigod who bravely beheaded the dreaded Medusa and rescued Andromeda from the sea monster Cetus . . .	Cepheus The King of Ethiopia and husband of Cassiopeia was tragically forced to sacrifice his daughter Andromeda in order to appease the vengeful god Poseidon . . .	Cassiopeia The arrogant and vain queen brought the wrath of Poseidon upon their kingdom when she boasted that her and her daughter Andromeda were more beautiful than all the Nereids . . .

Also out now . . .

Step into Stephen Fry's bewitching retelling of the legend of Troy, the oldest and greatest story ever told

Product description

Review

This is a spirited retelling of stories that Fry clearly knows and loves ― The Times

Assured and engaging. The pace is lively, the jokes are genuinely funny, and Fry once again proves himself a master of great learning worn lightly ― Guardian

Here, indeed, be monsters, myriad adventures and machinating gods. Fry is a personable and passionate narrator ― Mail on Sunday

Just as delightful and difficult to put down as the first. Heroes makes the stories relatable without skimping on the gory details, or sacrificing the truths of the myth. It's rich, it's funny and you'll feel like you've learned a lot ― Herald

Fry brilliantly retells the dramatic, funny, tragic and timeless tales of these heroic men and women in all their grit and glory. Filled with white-knuckle chases and twisted labyrinths, impossible puzzles and blood-curdling monsters ― Northern Ireland Homes & Lifestyle

Just as delightful and difficult to put down as the first. It makes stories relatable without skimping on the gory details ― Sunday Life

Rich, funny and you'll feel like you've learned a lot along the way ― Eastern Daily Press

Tales of fatal flaws, perilous journeys and shining acts of heroism are told with gusto and young and old will be engrossed. The audiobook is an absolute gem too, read by the author who has a winning way of bringing these epic tales to life ― Western Morning News

Joyfully informal yet full of the literary legacy. The Greek gods of the past become relatable ― Guardian (on 'Mythos')

Thebest thing he's written since his superb first novel . . . entertaining and edifying ― Telegraph (on 'Mythos')

A rollicking good read ― Independent (on 'Mythos')

Perfect for the 21st Century. Ebullient, funny, Fry retellsthe Greek myths with elegance ― The Times (on 'Mythos')

A wondrous new immersion in ancient stories we only thought we knew. Brilliant, funny, erudite, inventive, surprising and enthralling -- Richard North Patterson (on 'Mythos')

Fry makes the stories relatable without skimping on the wonderful gory details, or sacrificing the traditional truths of the myth ― i (The paper for today)

Stephen Fry has created a magnificent book. Humorous, but with serious stories told with wit and erudition. This is a book that will delight readers of all ages. Fry's writing is never less than delightful ― Moorlander

Fry is a natural storyteller and his lively retellings make for an entertaining read ― Hannah Beckerman, Observer

The comedian and polymath retells age-old Greek myths in dramatic, modernised style ― i

One of the nation's favourite intellectuals retells the epic myths of the Greek heroes in his own unique and very enjoyable way ― Cambridge Independent

Ebullient and funny ― The Times

Entertaining and edifying ― Daily Telegraph

A rollicking good read ― Independent

Fry exhibits enormous erudition and enthusiasm ― Mail on Sunday

From the Back Cover

The dazzling companion volume to the bestselling Mythos. There are heroes- and then there are Greek heroes. Filled with white-knuckle chases and battles, impossible puzzles and riddles, acts of base cowardice and real bravery, not to mention murders and selfless sacrifices. Few mortals have ever embarked on such bold and heart-sitting adventures, overcome myriad monstrous perils, or outwitted scheming vengeful gods, quite as stylishly and triumphantly as Greek heroes. Join Jason aboard the Argo as he quest

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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Penguin; 1st edition (27 Jun. 2019)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 496 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1405940360
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1405940368
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 12.9 x 3.2 x 19.8 cm

Best Sellers Rank: 1,384 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- 4 in Anthropological Folklore
- 5 in Mystical Poetry
- 5 in Folklore (Books)

Customer reviews:
5,300 ratings

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The Muffin Man

Fry is a Storyteller

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 27 January 2019

Verified Purchase

This is a lively, light-hearted, clever and camp telling of the Greeks myths. There are people on here whinging about this book being for 'beginners' - these bores couldn't be further from the spirit of Greek mythical storytelling. Fry is a compelling narrator, embellishing the tales with interesting cultural vignettes. Bravo!

56 people found this helpful

Helpful

Age of Heroes

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 23 June 2019

Verified Purchase

Every few generations so someone gives us a newer retelling of the Greek myths. Language changes and accordingly older written tales do not always engage the reader as they may of once had done. With this in mind Stephen Fry has already given us Mythos, which helped many to know the creation myths of Ancient Greece, and with this book he now takes us into the Age of Heroes, with a set of retellings of famous tales.

Here then we have Jason and the Argonauts, and their quest for the Golden Fleece, the Labours of Heracles (better known to many as Hercules), Theseus, Atalantis, Perseus, Oedipus, Bellerophon and Orpheus amongst other incidents and characters. Of course along with that we have the Gods helping or not certain people, along with all the different monsters and other elements of the tales.

I know that some people advise people to read the book by Robert Graves, and yes it is good for all the different variations to stories, however at the same time Graves tried to force down our throats his theories on religion and such like, which do not stand up to scrutiny – and have never done so. With a book like this you get the stories in an easily digestible form for those who are always rushing about, and also at times it is mentioned about variations from other sources. By keeping to the stories Fry obviously doesn’t make the mistakes that Graves made, and with regards to thoughts on myths and legends, there is a little piece at the back of this book where the author gives us some basic ideas on the theories of myths and the different ways they have been interpreted.

Along with maps, and other illustrations including paintings and pottery and sculpture this book has a lot to offer the general reader and is sure to do well with younger and older readers. The Greek myths are a part of our heritage, as indeed for all of Western Europe, and plays, films, books and games are still inspired by them, so they are important to know and sometimes I am surprised by the ignorance of them even by older people. Saying something the other month about the riddle of the Sphinx, which is told here, I was surprised that my parents did not know the most famous of all riddles.

Giving you some hours of reading pleasure there are lists of various characters and so on here, as well as other books mentioned that you may wish to peruse if you wish to find out more about the stories that are retold here, which at times you will notice, the author has injected some humour into.

35 people found this helpful

Helpful

richard bowler

I'm sorry Stephen I just couldn't read this

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 15 September 2020

Verified Purchase

I wanted an easy to read selection of some of the most popular Greek myths for my wife who has never read them. I also wanted to read them again. I should have checked the reviews before I bought this and the first book Mythos. There is a particularly accurate one in the Guardian. It is basically whether you like Stephen Fry's writing style (drole, Wodehouse-like) and whether you feel this style brings the myths to life and into the modern age.

Unfortunately I do not like this writing style at all - I prefer simple and direct rather than verbose - and in particular I hated the attempt to be drole with such ancient myths that have survived so long. So I purchased Edith Hamilton's famous version Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes. This is much more what I was after. Simple prose, sensitive to the original poet's style, and a great range of stories.

My mistake - should have read the reviews before buying. Each to his own. Some people will love it.

17 people found this helpful

Helpful

Skirts the surface of these complex and interesting tales

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 11 July 2019

Verified Purchase

I am a big fan of a Greek myth and Stephen Fry is an excellent storyteller. This is a fairly straight telling of the ancient myths with an injection of irreverent humour here and there – it is very much in the tone we would expect from the good-naturedly learned Mr Fry.
I have to admit though, that my attention started to flag as we reached the halfway point. Too many of the stories selected followed a very similar narrative pattern (evil uncle/dashing young hero), and with no overarching story thread to pull it all together it does not seem to be going anywhere. It is a book best read in small bursts so you don't start thinking it dull.
As I said I am a big fan of Greek myths (especially Homer – but if I get started on that we will be here all day, the interest lies, perhaps, in not just the story being told, but what the way the story is told tells us about how people long ago thought and felt), and I love the more involved, relaxed storytelling of Madeline Miller or Margaret Atwood (The Penelopaid), this seems thin and dry in comparison, just skirting the surface of these complex and interesting tales.

21 people found this helpful

Helpful

Heroes

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 19 June 2019

Verified Purchase

These are absolutely wonderful retellings of Greek mythology. I’m now ordering the first volume, Mythos, to get some of the earlier tales, and I’m hoping Stephen Fry doesn’t stop here with Heroes but goes on to give us retellings of Homer’s Odyssey & Iliad and Virgil’s Aeneid, stories I’d certainly look forward to reading in the future.

I don’t think I’ve read retellings this good for a long time, perhaps since David Kossoff retold the Bible stories, which now seems very long ago indeed. Highly recommended.

I hope you find my review helpful.

7 people found this helpful

Helpful

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