Heroes - Stephen Fry

I read the first book in Stephen Fry’s Great Mythology, Mythos, earlier this year and absolutely loved it (you can find my review if you scroll back). The first instalment featured mainly the Greek deities - this second book, Heroes, focuses on the mortals who performed amazing acts of bravery and treachery.

Stephen Fry brilliantly - and hilariously - narrates this series of adventures, ranging from Jason’s quest on board the Argo to Perseus’ killing of the terrifying half-man-half-bull, the Minotaur, in the labyrinth. The book is categorised as fiction but I believe it tows the line with non-fiction as Fry tells the tales in such a chatty, anecdotal way.

The wonderful thing about these books is that they’re heavy on the facts, but you don’t really notice it. I found myself learning so much yet it was such an easy read. Probably the trickiest thing to grasp is the different names, and figuring out who’s who in the story or family - there are a LOT of names! But Fry is great at reminding you where you’ve heard the name before and how it ties in to a previous chapter.

My favourite stories to read were definitely that of Medusa, the Minotaur, and Atalanta - who was raised by bears and could outrun any man until she was tricked by golden apples. Dialogue (how Fry might imagine the dialogue played out, perhaps after a G&T or two) is added into the stories in such a dry and funny way, and really brings the tales to life.

If you haven’t read either of Stephen Fry’s Great Mythology books yet, I highly encourage you to do so. I’m tempted to say he has a third book coming out later this year, but I could be mistaken - if you know, please do confirm!