This was an excellent and comprehensive history of Ancient Greek myth that never once felt like a history. Stephen Fry’s narrative voice comes through so clearly that the entire chronicle of the classical ages of the gods feels like a story. So many stories told individually are masterfully woven into a mostly chronological timeline. My favorite part are not the myths almost all of which I’ve read or heard before, but fries, consistent breaking of the fourth wall to directly address the way in which these stories live on with us. Despite so much information all I could think at the end was, I can’t believe it’s already over. I have all the incentive I need to pick up the next in the series, Heroes.

Ancient myths were a way of explaining the world before science removed some of that mystery. Stephen Fry’s retelling of these myths, with illustrations by Jesús Sotés, is a magical introduction to these classic stories. Fry is smart, funny, and an excellent writer, making the myths less intimidating and much more interesting than expected. He draws attention to how these stories formed the beliefs many of us still hold today.

I loved the written myths, but the artwork -- this book would make a great gift!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Beautifully illustrated edition of Stephen Fry's collection of Greek myths. Witty writing that's easy to read and be engaged with even for those who don't have a lot of knowledge about greek mythology (like me, for example).

Herein be all the bits and bobs of Myths. . . mostly Greek, with the occasional call out to how other cultures related to the Greats of Olympus (how a Roman would refer to a Greek's Hera as Juno), as told by the splendid, myth-keen Stephen Fry.

He covers it all from Chaos to complex social problems like Midas, Gordian Knots. He doesn't miss the big tales or the little ones. And the footnotes! My favorite parts are the SF asides - and not just for humor - the man is brilliant. You will learn something even if you just let the book fall open in your lap - BOOM - read the page, and the footnote, and you've earned a nugget right there!

The book entire is wrapped up in the stylized art of Jesús Sotés, who renders in color, shape and line his take on whatever sits in within section or page Stephen Fry has unpacked for his readers. Be it Sisyphus and his Career Rock, Nymphs becoming Nature, or that handsome all-powerful face spread in gold, blue and white across the cover, and splashed throughout his work intrigues and draws one in. The visuals sweep and swing with movement, or can present a stop so sudden it almost vibrates with surprise - emotion is caught in this illustrator's work. The book becomes even more compelling.

The endpapers of a book like this - much like an accessible encyclopedia - can be taken in parts and Stephen Fry's are thorough and even-handed, making sure his readers are clear on where his biases lean (or don't lean). He offers Appendices, a robust Afterword, tender Acknowledgements, and a meticulous Index. I do love a good index. Saves so much time when you know what you know, but you just need one more tidbit on Tmolus and the lydian mode.

This is not just any book. It is a treat and treasure for readers who are ever seeking more about myths of the Greeks, and a few others. This will satisfy and please.

*A sincere thank you to Stephen Fry, Chronicle Books, and NetGalley for an ARC to read and independently review.*

In Stephen Fry's "Mythos: The Illustrated Edition," ancient stories come alive through colorful visuals and Fry's captivating prose. This masterful retelling of Greek mythology invites readers on an enchanting journey through the cosmos of gods, heroes, and monsters.

Lovers of Greek Mythology, this book is for you! What an amazing and thorough recounting of Ancient Greco-Roman myths.

First off, Fry’s tone and style is incredible. Engaging, witty, and with an incredibly dry sense of humor, this book is a delight to read. American high school students are often given excerpts of myths to read, and I firmly believe we should swap all material for Fry’s. The intelligent yet conversational tone of his writing style make it accessible and informative.

The amount of research and dedication that went into this novel is astounding. Fry covers everything. EVERYTHING. This is the new source of Greek mythology, in my humble opinion.

The illustrations in this book are beautiful and unique. They added to and elevated the tales, without taking over.

Overall, if you are a lover of Greek mythology, you need to get your hands on this.

*I did receive an advanced reader copy of this book from the publisher, for which I am very grateful.

I own the audiobook version of this book voiced by the one and only Stephen Fry, and I was pumped to see an illustrated written version! This is an incredible book, an extreme feat to put together, but this book adds illustrations and makes the Greek myths accessible to young people. I would buy this book for all the kids in my life. Note this doesn’t distill the stories down — it includes all the text from the full book and adds the illustrations. Truly it’s best bang for the buck for the whole family to enjoy.

Stephen Fry does an amazing job putting his creativity and wit into his retellings of Greek mythology. I’ve always been really into Greek mythology but have been intimidated with the amount of stories that are out there. Fry perfectly organizes them in timeline order and gives the snippets that are most entertaining with a funny twist on them, making them easy to read and memorable. It was also so interesting to read about how a lot of these stories lead to certain terms and beliefs that we still hold today. The illustrations were also beautiful and fit in well with their respective stories Can’t wait to read more by Fry!

Pros: I listened to the non-illustrated version of this book several years ago and thought it was fantastic storytelling. The illustrations in this version add so much to the retellings of the myths and, to borrow a phrase from a younger generation, fit the "vibes" of the myths. I think this would be a fantastic book to give as a gift.

Cons: None that I can think of.

Thank you to NetGalley and Chronicle Books for the opportunity to read this book.

Reading this book was such a good experience. I was familiarized with most of the myths and revisiting them with the gorgeous illustrations was amazing. Although the selection of a few myths weren’t to my liking, this was a fun book to read. If you’re looking for a collection of Greek myths and want to slowly dive into mythology, this might be for you. Thank you NetGalley for providing me a copy of the book.

**Thank you for the ARC!! All opinions are completely my own.** 4 stars. Incredible illustrations. Clear and easy to follow prose.

Stunning, detailed, witty and comprehensive. With the illustrations this would make a great gift sure to captivate any reader!

Thank you to Chronicle Books for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Mythos is a book that I will never hesitate to recommend. Stephen Fry's prose is enough to make even the most skeptical reader of mythology fall deeply in love with its flawed—and, ironically, very human—characters. While I've always enjoyed the stories of Greek mythology, the wittiness of Fry's writing is candid and so engaging that I believe it is the best account of the Greek myths that I have read. The illustrations by Jesús Sotés only add to the stories, complementing the writing with truly divine scenes, transcending the mortal realm and reminding the reader of the astonishing fact that these stories have been passed down for hundreds of generations.

I wasn't sure I'd like the illustrations because of the limited colors but it's truly stunning. It's the kind of book you could pick up and page through every day to pick your new favorite picture.
Of course, the reason I asked for this was because I've heard so much about the stories. Greek mythology is such a detailed subject, with thousands of details in stories that have made it into every area of popular culture. And it was just as good as I've heard, with fantastic retellings of all these stories.
I would recommend this book for libraries,as a gift, and for everyone who loves books and culture. It's a real treasure. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this

I flipped through this book on my iPad while listening to Fry narrate the audio version--best reading experience ever! I will be purchasing the hard cover as soon as possible.

Already fell in love with Greek mythology when I first stumbled upon the original copy, but now the illustrations just further bring these myths to life.

Mythos: The Illustrated Edition by Stephen Fry is a perfect book to add to your collection. I have loved each and every book by Fry and this beautifully illustrated edition to the series is no different. Fantastically done!

This is an absolutely stunning edition of Stephen Fry's Mythology stories. This edition really brings it to life!

I absolutely love how the author went about telling Greek mythology stories in a way that was fun and easy to read and understand. The stories were told in a timeline that was easy to follow and entertaining. I enjoyed the artwork that accompanied some of the stories. The art was relevant and showed a snapshot of a part of the story. I also liked the author added additional information at the end of the book. It was interesting to get some perspective and background information on the sources the author used as well as get additional information about the myths from the story. Just FYI, I received this as an ARC and this is my honest review of the book.

I love Mythos and was over the moon excited when I saw that it would be illustrated. Initially I thought the artwork was beautiful and it is… just maybe not for this book. I feel like maybe a different art style would have complimented the stories better? It felt like a let down compared to other illustrated editions of books I’ve read lately. 3 stars because the story is of course great but the rest was a disappointment.