O'Connor combines the story of Hephaistos with Prometheus in this volume about the Olympians. The art work over this series has improved as has the storytelling. If you like this series, you will enjoy this volume.

I have been a fan of the Olympians graphic novel series and have enjoyed watching the Greek gods and goddesses and their myths come alive. Unfortunately, Hephaistos is my least favorite volume so far. The dialogue which started as polished orators who recounted the rise of the Olympians and followed the stories of Prometheus soon derailed into modern colloquialism, which was really jarring and took me out of the story. While Hephaistos is the headliner of this graphic novel, the focus was much more on Prometheus' betrayal and the gift of fire to humanity. Unlike the narration, the illustrations of the panels remain consistently vibrant and full of action, humor, and subtlety especially where innuendos are involved with Aphrodite's affairs. Overall a disappointing volume in an otherwise great series.

It’s time to get to know Hephaistos, son of Zeus and Hera, rejected by Hera but then accepted back to Mount Olympus when his family realized his crafty skills were highly desirable. He shares ups and downs of his life while fixing Prometheus to a rock as punishment for upsetting Zeus. Along the way some of Prometheus’ story and Pandora’s are shared too.

Boy, Hephaistos’ story just highlights how dysfunctional Zeus and Hera’s family is. Poor guy is rejected by his mother because she thinks he’s too ugly at birth, and then he loses his wife to his brother, and then he gets banished again for telling his dad to calm down (because Zeus can’t handle the truth). Hephaistos may be the most sane and mature one of the Mount Olympus lot. All that said, it isn’t really a fun read but it is a memorable way to learn your Greek mythology and O’Connor is quite skilled in how he puts these together. I also liked that O’Connor wove in Prometheus’ story and Pandora’s story too. It worked really well. Definitely recommended for middle school on up studying Greek mythology. I know I have many students who love this series and can’t wait for this book to come out (though they’ll be sad to hear this is the next to last one).

Notes on content [Based on ARC]: One minor swear word. A couple couples kissing on page. Ares and Aphrodite are caught in bed together (while Aphrodite is married to Hephaistos), but they are fully clothed. Some nude figures in various illustrations but shadows and other things are strategically placed so nothing is showing. The war of the titans is briefly mentioned and shown. Some animal innards shown in a sacrifice to the gods. Dionysos gets Hephaistos drunk (not depicted as a good thing).

I received an ARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

We currently own all of this series, both at home and at our library. I like that it’s quick and to the point, some added romance and drama (in true Greek god(dess) fashion, gorgeous art work, followed by thought provoking questions. My favorite thing about this book as well as the rest in the series, is how engaging it is, there isn’t one part of it that isn’t drawing you in. Great work O’Connor, also it’s amazing to see your work progress over the years!

Amazing!
1. First thing I want to say is that the artwork in the book is amazing as usual. When I first start reading these books (Olympians), the first thing I notice was the artworks; it captivated me, and enticed me to read all the books. So even if you don’t like to read, just take one good look at the artwork, and you will want to read this book.
2. The way the author structure this book was amazing! This got to be my favorite so far as it basically like a authority figure and a crinimal telling each other their story before the crinimal is jailed away forever.
3. So do I recommend this book to anyone for it artwork, brilliant structure, and interesting tone? The answer is yes.

O'Connor, George. Hephaistos: God of Fire. First Second, 2019.

This eleventh installment in George O'Connor's Olympians series focuses on Hephaistos, with a side plot surrounding the story of Prometheus. Full-color illustrations draw the eye to the page, and the action-filled plot will have readers turning pages to discover what happens next. The end matter includes information about various titans and gods and other information regarding particular panels throughout the story.

The Olympians graphic novels are very easy to read and fairly short, but they provide an appropriate amount of backstory about each of the various gods and goddesses. I always make sure my library has one copy of each of the titles in this series as it circulates well. It is popular with fans of the Percy Jackson series but also with kids who simply enjoy mythology. I like that this title can tie in to the nonfiction section of the library as well and may lead kids to read books outside of their normal comfort zone. Recommended

Recommended for: tweens
Red Flags: "mild fantasy peril;" Hephaistos and Dionysus have a drinking party at one point and Hephaistos gets fairly drunk
Overall Rating: 4/5 stars

I received a complimentary copy of this book through Netgalley for the purpose of review.

I'm always thrilled when George O'Connor expands his excellent Olympians series. The latest addition, Hephaistos, continues his tradition of excellence. We'll be ordering this book for our library the moment it is available.

I've enjoyed every single book in this series. As a school librarian I can say that the books never sit on the shelf. Always a waiting/hold list going. Students are still very interested in mythology and this us one of the best books/series I've found that brings the stories to younger students.

I honestly learned more in this volume than I have for a long time. This is definitely in the top 3 favorite of this series for me.

I really liked hearing about Hephaestus' story, I knew basically nothing about it previously. And I'm glad we finally got to see Dionysus.

I'll definitely be buying a finished paper copy of this when it comes out! The last page had blank speech bubbles so I need to see how it ends!

A great introduction to Hephaistos for children. I love this series, we'll definitely be purchasing this one for our children's section.

This latest installment in the Olympian Series is certain to be in demand in my Media Center.
Hephaistos is thrown from the top of Mt. Olympus and luckily caught and, then, raised by Thetis and Eurynome on the island of Lemnos. He is bullied by his brothers and sisters but cooks up a plan to prove them wrong..
The story will appeal to those same students who have devoured O'Connor's previous books. Mythology seems to have a wide intrigue for the older elementary students as does "Hephaistos."