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Mythos

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Mythos

Oh, my. . . .just like a box of expensive chocolates, I took my time with this one. One myth at a time, one tale, one adventure.

I have been drawn to myths, particularly the Greek versions since I first became aware of them. Superpowers, secret powers, human foibles made large in the persons of these Immortals. . .who go out and do crazy stuff you see your family and friends do. . . .and they have the trickiest resolutions. Ones that could come in handy for a little old human like me. Or you. Compelling stuff, myths. Right next to (religion????) (belief lifestyles of your own choosing???) (traditional tribal ways that determine who lives and who dies???) [insert your One True Way here]. Stephen Fry’s book, Mythos is fantastic!

All the main characters are considered, Zeus to Dionysus, and from there he dives into the springs and offsprings of the immortal/human/creature in nature combos that occur. With that storyteller's voice (I hear it in my head), he tells the stories of the whys in life: echoes, rosy breasts of male chaffinchs, where you can find Niobe still crying to this day over her 14 murdered children. . . . .and it is done in Stephen Fry style! He’s funny, coy, clever and a wordsmith who knows from whence his tools come. Ever since I first ran into footnotes in grade school, I have enjoyed them no end. Well, my friends, there are hundreds in this book – educating you, entertaining you with wry asides, pointing to further research areas if your interest is piqued. I cannot sing S Fry’s praises enough!

NOTE: As everyone should know, the Immortals get up to Adult Activities, and this isn’t a book for young children. Everyone Lays with everyone, hence the need for murderous solutions and punishments.

At the conclusion of the book are materials that thrill the heart of every casual researcher – a nod to their academic jellies, but nothing that is overstrong or smelling of thesis. Just enough for the lounge-chair reader to remember those days while they finger the end material: a very juicy afterward, acknowledgements, picture credits (OH! The Pictures are lovely – this book really will belong on your coffee table to show all who care your Erudite Sophistication!), and completely thorough index.

I cannot recommend Stephen Fry’s MYTHOS enough! I will be buying a number of copies for myself and my peeps when it is available. I do so hope that when the audio copies come out that he, Himself, Stephen Fry, is the voice we hear. One can dream.

A sincere thanks to Stephen Fry, Chronicle Books and NetGalley for this ARC to read and review.

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I received a complimentary ARC copy of Mythos by Stephen Fry from NetGalley and Chronicle Books in order to read and give an honest review.

I have been a fan of Stephen Fry for a long time. His books are always enjoyable, packed with flowing prose, interesting stories and rife with Fry’s sardonic wit.

In Mythos, Fry creates an informative, comedic and quirky retelling of Greek Myths the only way he can, brilliantly. One thing that is evident in Mythos is that Fry not only has a passion for his subject matter but a passion for language and storytelling in general. Fry’s Mythos is like sitting with a friend as he regales you with stories, adding little side notes such as the greek origins of many words and shares poems and plays inspired by the myths. He starts right at creation and takes us through we meet everyone from Kronus to Midas each brought to life with Fry’s unique storytelling.

I really enjoyed Mythos, although to some it may seem a bit self-indulgent of Fry I thought it was an incredibly unique take on the Greek Myths which many of us have tried and failed to digest. It’s a highly entertaining and informative read that I would highly recommend.

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I received this as an eARC to read for free in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and Chronicle Books for giving me access.

This was a wonderful retelling of the Greek Mythology that we have come to know. Stephen Fry writes it in a way that we can understand with a modern twist on language and dialog of characters.

You may have seen this book around before, but this is a collectible edition. Included are full color photos to further your reading experience. If you already read Mythos and loved it, I highly recommend adding this edition to your collection.

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Mythos is a retelling with etymological asides and historical nuggets told by the inimitable Stephen Fry. Originally published in 2017, this reformatting and re-release for American readers, out 27th Aug from Chronicle Books, is 352 pages and will be available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats.

Stephen Fry is simply a treasure. He's erudite and genuinely funny, urbane but not stuffy. He's self deprecating and frighteningly intelligent but not above being naughtily delighted over a raunchy pun. No surprise, then, that he turned his prodigious writing talent to Greek mythology. Most readers will be familiar with the basic stories; what's new are the asides and footnotes. There are comments on etymology and how the genesis of these stories disappears into our human prehistory. There are also plenty of linguistic asides, showing the threads between the origins of words which are used down through history to today.

There is plenty of truly bloody horrifically violent material in the Greek mythos, but Mr. Fry finds the absurd, the comedic and gives it his own twist, and in a few cases left me gasping with laughter. There was a lot of obscure information with which I was unfamiliar, despite my unhealthy obsession with Bullfinch and Graves. Case in point, the not-terribly-well-known sea goddess Doris (seriously. Doris). Even better, this volume is the first in a series.

Loved this. Laughed so much. This would make a superlative classroom support book or recommended text for history, classics, group read, home library, etc.

Five stars. I'll be revisiting this one again and again.

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This was such an enjoyable book to read! It is a lighter and chronological (as much as it can be) retelling of Greek mythology. By Stephen Fry who I love listening to. Hmm, maybe I should get the audiobook of this one. Anyway, as someone who read Greek/Roman mythology before it became a school requirement (Edith Hamilton edition of course), this was a fun revisit. And maybe something my son can read because the old books are not easy to read.

Of course, books like this to me is best taken in bites and not in 1 sitting.

Thank you NetGalley and Chronicle Books for the copy of this book!

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Rats! This book was archived before I sent it to my kindle. I’ll look for a physical copy when it comes out.

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Greek Mythology need I say more? It's one of few best books out there that gives illustrations with a background story of each God/Goddess that I've come across. The cover is beautiful. I recommend this book for all ages.

This is my honest opinion.

Rating 4.5

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If you are wondering how to make classic stories interesting again, Fry's brain is the one to pick. So often the Greek mythology stories are retold in the same boring way, but MYTHOS really made them interesting again.

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Even though I downloaded this ebook, when I came to read it, it said it had already expired so I didn’t get to read it

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An excellent telling of so many of the Greek myths of the gods & goddesses and their dealings with humans. To these are added a fair number of tales of humans but not of the Greek heroes (in a different book).

It's a delightful & comprehensive retelling full of wit and humor.

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I enjoyed how beautiful this book is, inside and out. The content is of course great because it is Greek mythology. You can never go wrong with Greek Mythology. Stephen Fry did a fantastic job, I am thoroughly impressed.

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Stephen Fry has given us a wonderful interpretation of the stories of the Greek gods, from the Titans to the Olympians. Easy to read, and you can hear the master story teller's voice as he describes the different situations. Also take note of the footnotes, as they add a nice touch of humor at times. It did get a bit repetitive at times though, and had to go back and reread a few parts to stay on track. Otherwise, one I highly recommend if you want to read more about the Greek gods, and looking for a more light hearted view of the different characters. Fun read by a great writer and actor.

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I'm planning a holiday in Greece later this year and was keen to remind myself of the Greek myths and legends I'd loved as a child, and this was just the book to deliver them. Told in a typical Stephen Fry style (even better as an audio book I imagine) it retold age old stories often with a contemporary twist and some really helpful footnotes.
Thank you to netgalley and Chronicle books for an advance copy of this book.

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This is a book that will definitely be found on my bookshelf. I love Greek Mythology. The main thing I appreciated about this book is it contains a vast amount of narrative, which isn't all terribly common among other mythology references. It also covers a wide arch of myths, while some aren't in grand detail, I really appreciate the craft of Stephen Fry's storytelling. If you're a fan of Greek mythology, you'll want to add this to your collection.

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If you like Greek mythology and dry British humor this is the book for you. Stephen Fry retells the old myths with a modern voice. This is not blasphemy, but an essential part of how the originals were supposed to be understood. In the oral tradition of storytelling, each myth would have been adapted by the teller for the audience. The plot points are all met but the speaker adds their own flair and that is what has been done here. The myths of the old gods are fresh again; this is a wonderful addition to any collection.

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Thank you to NetGalley and Chronicle Books for this amazing book! I have always been fascinated by Greek mythology and the first bon-fiction book I was offered was a book about Greek mythology.
Of course, that one was most traditional and extremely different from this gem! Stephen Fry’s voice, sarcasm, exhilarating humour, his turns of phrases, the way he writes like he talks, his modern perspective make it a work worth reading even if you think you know everything about Greek myths!
I cannot wait to read the two next instalments and warmly recommend the first book in the collection.
#Mythos #NetGalleyFrance

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The Greek myths retold, by Stephen Fry this time. As you might know, I looove mythology, from Percy Jackson to Gaiman’s Norse Mythology. I adore all kinds of mythology books and can easily get lost in all those stories. I must say that the Greek ones are my favorite so far, and this book really helped with that.

I also listened to Mythos as an audiobook, which was a great experience. It was one of the first audiobooks I ever listened to (after continuing American Gods with a physical copy, I think. Or before.. I don’t remember), and I loved it. It was read by Stephen Fry himself, which was even greater. He has a nice voice to listen to, and because it’s his own book, he knew exactly how to tell everything.

What I really liked was how Fry explained some things by making references to the current world and way of living. It made me help understand it easier, and it was a great addition to the myths. He also put it all to a quite accurate timeline, which was nice to read. It definitely helped me to see the great view of them all.

I don’t have a particular favorite myth that he told, but to be honest, there’s a lot in this book. Overall, it was great to read/listen to, and I think I might read the physical book too one day 🙂

We also found the second book, Heroes, in the bookstore! we immediately bought it and found out that it had only been out for a day or so, so that was really nice 🙂 I haven’t read that one yet, but I surely will!

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An interesting (re-)telling of the classic Greek myths, in Fry´s distinct casual-but-academic style. Lots of fascinating footnotes, particularly etymological ones.

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Loved this! This book, while nonfiction, is easily accessible and makes it easy to read about mythology. Stephen Fry adds a fun element to the myths and retells them with flair and fun!

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This is wonderfully written. Stephen Fry’s voice really shine. The vibe is more or less light-hearted, witty narration of a legendary soap opera, which, at first, is novel and fun, but after a while got boring and became a chore to read. I thoroughly enjoyed maybe the first third or half, but then it’s just more of the same formula: elaborate, dramatic stories, often about characters I’ve never heard of and don’t care about. This is well done, and if you’re into mythology or soap operas or epic melodrama, you’ll probably love it. This just isn’t for me.

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