"Heroes: The Greek Myths Reimagined" by Stephen Fry is a brilliant retelling of the classic Greek myths. Fry's wit and storytelling prowess breathe new life into these ancient tales, making them accessible and engaging for modern readers. With his characteristic humor and deep appreciation for the source material, Fry brings the heroic figures of Greek mythology to vivid and relatable life. This book is a delightful journey into the world of gods, goddesses, and mortals, and a must-read for both mythology enthusiasts and newcomers alike. Fry's storytelling is a true treasure for anyone who loves a good yarn.

I was provided an advanced copy of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Stephen Fry has such an incredible range, from his comedy, to his science and history background, and to his story telling. Even if he wasn’t a public figure already, he is just such an impressive story teller. He captures these classic figures so well. Plus he has such a great story voice as well!

I could not open the file, it was either corrupted or incompatible with my software. Therefore, I can not provide a review. I enjoyed Fry’s first anthology of Greek myths and am looking forward to checking this book out from my library at some point.

Excellent book.
It has fired my interest in the classic stories.
Mr. Fry's writing is fun and exciting and makes these tales greta fun to discover.

Anything with Stephen Fry is an automatic yes for me. As someone who grew up fascinated with mythology, I enjoyed this book a lot. There is a great tempo and enough anecdotes to keep the reader interested throughout.

I seriously love these books by Stephen Fry. I think they are perfect for anyone wanting to get into reading more about mythology, or for anyone who loves Mr Fry.

Let me admit that while I don't find Stephen Fry particularly amusing, nor do I consider him to be a 'national treasure', I did like this light-hearted retelling of the Greek myths, written in a way which might appeal to those who might find other such books a tad 'dry'. I didn't find it quite as good as Mythos, but an engaging read nonetheless.
Thanks to the publisher for a review copy.

In this case, it was a good thing that I haven’t read the first book. Several reviewers on GR have remarked that this was a weak addition to Mr. Fry’s series about Greco-Roman mythology. And since, I really enjoyed reading this one, it can only get better from here!

Having said that, don’t begin reading this book, expecting a novel-like structure. It’s not a novel and has a lot of mileage to cover, which is why the author doesn’t go into too many details. Mainly, we get a whole lot of Hercules and Jason and bits about many others.

But then, this is Mr. Fry we’re talking about — have you heard him talk about Georgette Heyer? So, you can expect in-depth research and flawless recounting of the material that’s available. We also get some Fry-esque humor, which made me laugh out loud in many places.

So to conclude, I had a lot of fun reading this one.

An excellent, thorough, and humorous retelling of the Greek stories about the important early heroes from Pericles to Theseus. I love that so many of the men we find in other tales, epics, and stories get woven together in this rich book. It's a worthy companion to the earlier volume Mythos.

Stephen Fry has never disappointed in a literary sense before, and this newest tome is no exception. Heroes is a raucous and fully-realized retelling of the biggest names from Greek heroism...just a little more fleshed out and relatable. A companion-piece to his previously-published Mythos, I highly recommend Heroes to anyone who enjoys mythology or Stephen Fry.

Another remarkable narration and a clever collection of Greek myths, this time dedicated to (more often than not, the rise and fall of) the most legendary and celebrated heroes of ancient Greece (before the Trojan wars, to which the 3rd volume of this collection will be dedicated).
Some stories were inevitably more interesting and engaging than others. But that was to be expected of a collection that spans generations and countries.

What can Stephen Fry not do? This was entertaining, informative, and just pure fun. HIs way with words brings mythology to life.

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.

Stephen Fry does it again and creates a wonderful collection of stories that give us a look into the lives of the Greek Heroes that we have grew up learning about.

If you have read Mythos and loved it, I highly recommend giving this a read.

You can always count on Stephen Fry to provide you with great mythology. The writing is excellent and the illustrations are beautiful. Greek Mythology never gets old and these retelling are informative and well crafted.

'Heroes' is a great follow up to Mythos. It will be a must-read for all fans of Greek Mythology. The stories are short and focus on the human characters of the myths.

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* Pretty good book tbh I don't care much for myths as im finding out but wasn't bad

Greek Mythology is an enduring favourite of mine. It forms the origin point for most of my passion: reading, history, language, mythology in general, adaptations, traveling. I'm not quite sure which direction my life would have taken, had I not discovered (been introduced to) these Greek myths at the tender age of 7. So of course both Heroes and its predecessor Mythos would have peaked my interest straightaway. Thanks to Chronicle Book and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I've had a major soft spot for Stephen Fry for years. I can trace back this love to three different things: the TV show Quite Interesting, in which he dispenses puns and random facts with the jollity of a favourite uncle, his riotous and hilarious sketch show with Hugh Laurie, A Bit of Fry & Laurie, and his ease and love for language, evident in both of the former. It is the latter which drew me to both Mythos and Heroes, as the Greek myths and legends are already deeply embedded in my mind. I was wondering what twist he would bring to them, how he would reimagine the myths that so permeate Western culture. As he says at the end of the book, the heroes were the ones that sanitized the world, removed the monsters and horrors and made it a home for humans, rather than gods. In the view of their intense labor, Fry undertakes to show their humanity.

Covered in Heroes are Herakles, Perseus, Theseus, Atalanta, Oedipus and Jason. It is especially the inclusion of Atalanta I greatly enjoyed. While the others are established heroes, or at least established leading men, Atalanta doesn't always get the attention she deserves. (I also appreciated Fry's respect for Medea, a character easily vilified.) Fry's retelling of Herakles was oddly touching, as he highlights the emotional honesty that defines Herakles. He's not sly like Odysseus, but he is straightforward. Aside from perhaps Oedipus, he is the hero to suffer the most, to endure the most. Fry explores both his rage and his honour in full, which made for quite a few touching moments.

It is clear from Heroes that Fry has a very strong familiarity and understanding of the Greek myths, which allows him to familiarize them for the reader. I had the same response at first that I had to Mythos, an odd sense of betrayal at how straightforward and simple he had made these myths. I quickly began to appreciate, however, the importance of making these tales more accessible and more available. In Fry's Heroes the young men and woman are stubborn teenagers, as embarrassed to find out about their origins as any child is to think of their own making. They are as obsessed with each other as we are with them. As I also listened to the audiobook, I was amused by the different accents Fry gives his characters, choosing to make some of them Scots, for example. It made the stories even more enjoyable, having them read to you by Fry himself.

Anyone with a love for Fry and Greek mythology will find Heroes utterly charming. Although his reimaginations might not be for everyone, they do broaden the access to these myths and for that I am grateful.

This review will be live on A Universe in Words from 7/22/2020

This title takes me back to when I was much younger. My brother had a paperback book of Greek heroes. And then a friend of the family lent me a series of books on Greek myths and heroes a couple of years later. So Heroes is a refreshing return to a different time. Stephen Fry has done a very admirable job of bringing the tales of Perseus, Heracles, Bellerphon, Orpheus, Jason, Atalanta, Oedipus, and Theseus to life for present-day readers. The tales flow well and the footnotes provide the right amount of additional knowledge. Do take the time to venture back to the age of heroes for some entertainment and enlightenment.

Thanks Netgalley for the chance to read this!

One must acquire a taste for Fry’s versions of age-old myths and stories and once you have it, it becomes a thirst to be quenched by his clever and irreverent prose. Here, it’s the human (or mostly human) heroes who get the Fry treatment. Heroes, demi-gods, half humans, beasts - they all benefit from the wit with which Fry tells these stories. What a way to introduce a new generation of readers to glorious mythology of Ancient Greece! Well done.

As enjoyable as the first book. Greek myths have always been intriguing to me, and I love this author's version of the tales.