I started listening on my commute from work, and I actually drove in the slower lane so that I’d have more time with Fry’s wry narration. I wasn’t tempted by this book at all (I read children’s versions of Greek myths once upon a time, and all I remembered is the inexplicable weirdness of ancient Greeks, so I was good with leaving it at that), but a friend of mine was enjoying it, and apparently I have zero willpower to resist the “Oooh, shiny!” impulse, and library had audio, and Stephen Fry is awesome, and suddenly before I knew I was hooked. “He’s just hungry,” said Danaë, putting Perseus to her breast. “If that brat doesn’t stop screaming I’ll smother him with this cushion.” It was the brother of one of these damned maidservants of yours, wasn’t it?” “You are telling me-will someone please shut that baby up!-that it was Zeus?” “Father, I believe it was the King of Heaven himself who came to me.” “Who dared break into your chamber? Tell me his name and I shall have him gelded, tortured, and strangled with his own intestines.” The voice with the perfect accent and tone and inflections, the wit, the easily accessible conversational style and the excellent ability to common-sense those weird Ancient Greek heroes and gods into normal regular odd people - all that worked perfectly.

Stephen Fry is such a great narrator, and apparently a pretty great author as well. Aside from that change, you'll find everything you loved about Mythos remain same here. This added a much needed continuity compared to Mythos, and made the reading experience better in my opinion. Instead of a series of small, independent chapters, each hero has a series of chapters covering all the highlight from each of their journeys. 'Those who most understand their own limitations have the fewest.'Īlso, this second book felt more organized than Mythos. Greek Heroes might not be as funny as the Greek Gods, but the adventurous nature of their stories more than made up for it.

With Heroes, he descends from Mount Olympus to bring some stories about a set of well-known heroes from Greek Mythology, including Heracles, Theseus, and Perseus. 'It began, like many Greek stories, with some cattle rustling.'įry's awesome narrative requires little to no introduction: It's hilarious, entertaining, and even educational. Mythos - the first book - had been a ton a fun, and this one's no different. I've been waiting for a while now to resume Stephen Fry's Mythology series.

Heroes by stephen fry