“You see?' said Prometheus. 'It is your fate to be Heracles the hero, burdened with labours, yet it is also your choice. You choose to submit to it. Such is the paradox of living. We willingly accept that we have no will.”

Heroes by Stephen Fry is a gift, his Great Mythology series in general is a gift. I have loved the Greeks since I was kid, but in school it was barely touched upon. There is a lot of history and stories to wade through and I will happily let Fry do all the work for me, he's chosen cleverly to split the stories to make it easier for the reader. Book one focused on the birth and general histories of the Gods leaving room for further books to focus on other parts, and I'm glad he did. A lot of these hero stories are familiar to me, but I might not have known the whole thing, or known where the went after completing the task they're most famous for.

I also listened to this as an audiobook and I loved it, it might not be to everyone's taste though. Fry has written this with his distinct British quirky sense of humour, which translates whilst reading, but really comes into its own when he's narrating. Does he give his characters accents they would never of had, yes. Does it matter?? To me, no. It adds to the humour, adds to the silliness. I'd rather that then he butcher a Greek accent.

I can't wait for the next instalment Troy, which I've actually pre-ordered. Something I never do, but you know...when in lockdown. I was hoping it would be a book focused on the monsters and the baddies, but since watching the BBC adaptation and learning there was a lot more behind the story I'm really looking forward to it.

I was highly entertained and I may have accidentally learned a few things, though I wouldn’t let a student use it as a reference. I suspect it’s a different experience in audio format, but for a print book it might be a case of too much of a good thing. I found my interest flagging in the last 100 pages.

Anyone who hasn’t heard of the Greek gods or the myths associated with them must have been hiding out in a barren wasteland. I’m no stranger to them having learned about them in school and then reading all kinds of books about them over the years. But this book by Stephen Fry is not only comprehensive from the very beginning of their reign onwards, but it’s funny as fuck, too. Because, you know, Stephen Fry.

I had no idea how often Zeus stuck his dick in gods and mortals alike. Sweet Baby Jane, that guy was a Class A Horndog. But you know who else was? Poseidon and Hermes. But do you ever hear about their wild debauchery? Noooooooo. You know who the stand up guy was? Hades. Go figure, right? Anyway, there were a fuckton of offspring from these gods and it all gets a bit confusing. I don’t know how anyone could keep them all straight, but Stephen Fry lays it all out and covers it all with a warm fuzzy blanket of humor. I recommend this book to anyone who has even the slightest interest in Greek Mythology.

Greek mythology with Stephen Fry style in language. 

So Zeus do a lot of sex and got a lot of goddess and women pregnant. 

Dialogue is funny as talked like they are drunk. 

A lot of incest and stories of jealous gods. As expected. 

It also reflected on how the Greek culture, the important of hospitality and manner of the guest. 

Enjoyable but slow read. As it is not a continuous story but many many stories thrown together.  

Zeus and Ganymede- well, Zeus did kidnapped him. But then Zeus give him immorality and a role as a cup bearer. 

100+ pages to the finish and my first bingo. 

Zeus is a corny god that Hera is a jealous goddess.

Men created stories, gods are like humans that kill, eat and mate. 

Some gods are beautiful, some are beautiful and smart. 

So far so good in the retelling of old tales. A story of where gods come from. All gods are from the imagination of humans. 

Like Harry Potters, stories provide a guide for values. The good are going to win because they are good. The bad are powerful, cruel and wicked but would still lost in the end because they are bad. 

Reading this for Free Square.