Now that we’ve had our introductions, let’s get the action started and see who comes out on top! And in the third corner (I’ve had a triangular ring specially built for this review), we’ve got 800-year-old Sagas of the Icelanders, translated into English by roughly a dozen modern scholars. In the second corner, we’ve got everyone’s sci-fi flavour of the decade, Neil Gaiman, with a modern retelling of Norse Mythology. In the first corner, we’ve got Hollywood heavyweight (he played Sherlock Holmes’ older brother, Mycroft, in recent films) Stephen Fry with Mythos, a modern retelling of Greek myth.
I look forward to the next installment.This is a triple review–a Mexican standoff, if you will–between Stephen Fry, Neil Gaiman and a Viking horde (backed up by nearly a dozen translators). Fry knows his subject well enough to skewer the gods with 21st century wit and humor. The irreverence, however, is a light blanket over some serious and thorough research. His irreverent and saucy retelling of Greek mythology is quite possibly the most hilarious thing I’ve read this year. I have found that Fry’s work is an acquired taste and his humor not always appreciated by those who like their literature unadulterated and traditional. Illustrated throughout with classical art inspired by the myths, and wrapped up with a textured and foiled case, this collector’s edition is worthy of the intense devotion fans feel about both Stephen Fry and the Greek myths. He draws out the humor and pathos in the gods’ quarrels and love affairs, and reveals the myths’ relevance for our own time. Each adventure is infused with Fry’s distinctive voice, which perfectly balances genuine love for the material and a wry, modern perspective. In this first installment of a projected trilogy, he begins with the birth of the cosmos, and leads readers on a romp through the stories of the Olympians: wise Athena, imperious Hera, fleet-footed Hermes, and impulsive Zeus. From the Publisher: Rediscover the thrills, grandeur, and unabashed fun of the Greek myths-stylishly retold by beloved author and actor Stephen Fry.
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