Stephen Fry’s Mythos was an incredible tour de force as Fry broke into writing about mythology, specifically the Greek origin myths and tales of the Olympians. In Heroes, he moves on through the Greek mythological timeline to cover tales of demi-gods, monsters, and, most importantly, mortal heroes. Does this second book stand up to the quality of the first? Can Fry bring his humor and wit to tales that are often filled with tragedy?
After reading (and reviewing) Fry’s first book in this mythology series, Mythos, I knew I would end up reading the remainder of the series. I picked this book up to take a break from some of my modern sci-fi/fantasy and immerse myself in the speculative fiction of the ancient world.
Heroes was written by Stephen Fry (author’s website and Amazon profile showing his other books), an actor, comedian, writer, and audiobook narrator (famously for the UK versions of the Harry Potter audiobooks). Heroes was released on November 1, 2018. The paperback comes in at 415 pages long.
“You see?’ said Prometheus. ‘It is your fate to be Heracles the hero, burdened with labors, 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.”
Fry continues to show an outstanding ability to craft a fun, coherent narrative out of disparate ancient myths. He took source materials that are conflicting and often contradictory concerning his subjects, and he was able to tell a story that was entertaining and clear from beginning to end.
When reading Heroes, I felt like I connected with the heroes more than I ever had before. I also learned so many details about some of them that I did not know before. Some stories were brand new to me which made them even more intriguing. Yet, what I thought was most interesting was seeing the interconnections between the stories for the first time. Knowing the story of Icarus is one thing; seeing the story of Icarus play out in context within the larger story of Theseus adds so much more.
About the only critique I could add is the huge number of named characters (though that is hardly Fry’s fault since he is just telling old stories anew). Even though I had some familiarity with many of the myths, I did get lost at times because of the sheer number of characters. In fairness, Fry does warn a few times in the book that there will be lots of characters, and he suggests not to get too hung up on trying to remember them all.
Conclusion
Heroes continues the Fry’s excellent series, and I can wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone. The stories are interesting and thought-provoking. The storytelling is fun and informative. The tone simultaneously conveys humor and tragedy. I strongly suggest reading this book and connecting with these ancient stories. Ancient people struggled with many of the same human failings we struggle with today, and reading their stories can help connect with the long line of human thought and culture.
You should read this if …
- You like to read. I doubt any reader would fail to enjoy this book.
- You want to learn and be inspired by tales of ancient heroes
- You enjoy some humor in your reading. Fry is such a great comedic storyteller.
