‘The Greeks created gods that were in their image; warlike but creative, wise but ferocious, loving but jealous, tender but brutal, compassionate but vengeful’
Rating: 3 stars
Read: 6 December – 11 December, 2018
I’m not sure how to review this one. Do I discuss the myths themselves (did I like them?) or do I discuss how Fry retold them (although I haven’t read any of the actual Classics?). How do I know whether I disliked a myth, not because the myth itself was rubbish, but because the way Fry told it was? It’s a hard one, but I’ll try my best. So, if you didn’t know, Fry, a lover of Greek mythology, decided to re-tell some of the myths. He recently released another re-telling, Heroes: Mortals and Monsters, Quests and Adventures. I thought it’d be easier to start out with a modern re-telling before I dived into the Real, Heavy Stuff. I think Fry did a good job.
Initially, I found the myths so entertaining. I think Fry is an excellent story-teller and he definitely got the tone right. It wasn’t serious – it was rather quite playful. It suited the myths because they weren’t serious either. You get the feel that Fry is passionate about Greek mythology – he knows and understands these gods and their origins and wants to share that with his readers. I really enjoyed learning about the basics – the beginning, the second order and the Olympians. I found the stories so chaotic, excessive, funny, ridiculous, and generally a really fun read. They came at a right time (I am a massive ball of stress).
Bookish Byron 