Fantasy

Heroes: Mortals and Monsters, Quests and Adventures

Heroes: Mortals and Monsters, Quests and Adventures

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-04-05 12:53:28
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Stephen Fry
  • ISBN：1405940360
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Summary

Mortals and Monsters。 Quests and Adventures 。 。 。
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There are Heroes - and then there are Greek Heroes。

Few mere mortals have ever embarked on such bold and heart-stirring adventures， overcome myriad monstrous perils， or outwitted scheming vengeful gods， quite as stylishly and triumphantly as Greek heroes。

In this companion to his bestselling Mythos， Stephen Fry brilliantly retells these dramatic， funny， tragic and timeless tales。 Join Jason aboard the Argo as he quests for the Golden Fleece。 See Atalanta - who was raised by bears - outrun any man before being tricked with golden apples。 Witness wily Oedipus solve the riddle of the Sphinx and discover how Bellerophon captures the winged horse Pegasus to help him slay the monster Chimera。

Filled with white-knuckle chases and battles， impossible puzzles and riddles， acts of base cowardice and real bravery， not to mention murders and selfless sacrifices， Heroes is the story of what we mortals are truly capable of - at our worst and our very best。
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'Ebullient and funny' The Times

'Entertaining and edifying' Daily Telegraph

'A rollicking good read' Independent

'Fry exhibits enormous erudition and enthusiasm' Mail on Sunday

'The Greek gods of the past become relatable as pop culture， modern literature and music are woven throughout。 Joyfully informal yet full of the literary legacy' Guardian

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Reviews

M Pereira ，

Okay an admission from me。 I am reading Stephen Fry's great mythology backwards。 I read the Trojan War story first， and then this， and now I'm reading mythos。 But this looks like a better order I think。I started with the Trojan War according to Stephen Fry: an historical conflict that has some consistency and possible historical basis。 This story on Heroes by contrast is more firmly about events that have less evidence to back it up: less evidence of a real Heracles or an Argonaut party on adven Okay an admission from me。 I am reading Stephen Fry's great mythology backwards。 I read the Trojan War story first， and then this， and now I'm reading mythos。 But this looks like a better order I think。I started with the Trojan War according to Stephen Fry: an historical conflict that has some consistency and possible historical basis。 This story on Heroes by contrast is more firmly about events that have less evidence to back it up: less evidence of a real Heracles or an Argonaut party on adventures。 We go from history to legend and the last book is very firmly mythology。 The truth of these stories are not about historical accuracy or fact， but the truth of human character， in their excellences。 These heroes show extremes of great character and also extremes of flaws too。 Although Heracles is the strongest of them all， he was still not the quickest of wit。 Stephen Fry captures the accurate depictions of the Orpheus mythology in that the heroes were people of veneration， but they weren't Gods。 They were definitely Flawed （so were the Gods， but we'll get to that in the next review！）I really liked this book。 I was listening to it as an audiobook while I was unwell and this was something that maybe mature youngsters could read perhaps with supervision or approval from parents。 Sometimes it gets a bit saucy。 There's a comfort about Stephen Fry's account of heroes from a different time and an era when social standards are different。 There are little points when Fry reminds us that we are the modern day audience and makes a little present day reference to make sure we are definitely not taking some perspective of some ivory tower classicist。 I'm looking forward to Mythos。 。。。more

Sahitya ，

Stephen Fry’s narration style is definitely a lot of fun and this was nice to listen to as expected。 But as I’m very unfamiliar with Greek mythology， I really couldn’t keep track of the heroes whose stories were being told。 But the stories were cool， fascinating， full of twists and turns and betrayals - maybe if there were fewer stories and they were expanded upon more， the book might have been more memorable。 Overall， a good one for a one time read。 But may not be for readers well versed in the Stephen Fry’s narration style is definitely a lot of fun and this was nice to listen to as expected。 But as I’m very unfamiliar with Greek mythology， I really couldn’t keep track of the heroes whose stories were being told。 But the stories were cool， fascinating， full of twists and turns and betrayals - maybe if there were fewer stories and they were expanded upon more， the book might have been more memorable。 Overall， a good one for a one time read。 But may not be for readers well versed in the mythology。 。。。more

Andy Yule ，

An intelligent， witty and interesting telling of myths I was vaguely aware of。Easy to read despite the copious footnotes。

Nick Vossen ，

Like Mythos， but just more of the same。 And that's a good thing。 Very good indeed。 Like Mythos， but just more of the same。 And that's a good thing。 Very good indeed。 。。。more

Jᴀɴᴀ ，

This was my first experience with an audiobook， and it was a true pleasure to listen to the stories being narrated by Stephen Fry's incredible voice， but to be honest， I got quite bored with this book by the second half。 Maybe it's because most of the stories of Greek heroes follow a sort of a formulaic pattern， or maybe I was already pretty familiar with most of them， but whatever it was， I wasn't that thrilled by this follow-up to 'Mythos'。 Listening to Mr。Fry's narration did make up for some This was my first experience with an audiobook， and it was a true pleasure to listen to the stories being narrated by Stephen Fry's incredible voice， but to be honest， I got quite bored with this book by the second half。 Maybe it's because most of the stories of Greek heroes follow a sort of a formulaic pattern， or maybe I was already pretty familiar with most of them， but whatever it was， I wasn't that thrilled by this follow-up to 'Mythos'。 Listening to Mr。Fry's narration did make up for some of the more boring parts， however， and this first encounter with the audiobook format was all in all， rather enjoyable （although I still much prefer reading the book myself）。 。。。more

Ben Day ，

Awesome storytelling。 I struggled with all the ancient names but really enjoyed the imagery and humour throughout。 Did enjoy Mythos more though！

Nuxyr ，

4。5/5*

Jelte ，

I didn't really think the book was that interesting， I just like to read what Stephen Fry writes。 I didn't really think the book was that interesting， I just like to read what Stephen Fry writes。 。。。more

Laith Alobaidi ，

A direct continuation of Mythos where we were introduced to the God’s of Olympus， humanity has now reached its adolescence and as such we meet the famed mortal heroes including: Perseus， Heracles， Bellerophon， Orpheus， Jason， Atalanta， Oedipus and Theseus。Their adventures lead us to encounter such mythical beings and beasts such as Medusa， the Minotaur， the Sphinx， the Hydra， and Pegasus to name a few。If you enjoyed Mythos you’ll enjoy this all the same。 If anything Heroes adds an extra layer of A direct continuation of Mythos where we were introduced to the God’s of Olympus， humanity has now reached its adolescence and as such we meet the famed mortal heroes including: Perseus， Heracles， Bellerophon， Orpheus， Jason， Atalanta， Oedipus and Theseus。Their adventures lead us to encounter such mythical beings and beasts such as Medusa， the Minotaur， the Sphinx， the Hydra， and Pegasus to name a few。If you enjoyed Mythos you’ll enjoy this all the same。 If anything Heroes adds an extra layer of humour， character and wit， which makes the tales all the more amusing。 Similarly， Fry’s audiobook narration is even more colourful than his last， making it an equally rewarding experience as reading the book itself， perhaps even more so。Having read both Mythos & Heroes now， I feel as though my curiosity of the Greek myths have finally been satisfied ever since the hours I spent watching the Disney animated series Hercules as a child。 Fry’s retellings are true to the source materials and carry the weight and depth of exposition to make them learned reads。The stories are so compelling and foundational to western literary canon I can’t for the life of me think why an emphasis isn’t placed on a thorough teaching of them in schools？ It certainly would have made reading Shakespeare and the like that much easier。 。。。more

Panny Kyriakides ，

Nearly a year ago I was gifted this book as a birthday present。 Straight away I spent hours and days reading and reading。 It was an amazing read filled with charm and humour as Stephen Fry has in abundance。 This book rekindled my love and curiosity for Greek Mythology which I spent the following months reading and rereading anything I could

Sara ，

A 2。5 rounded up。 There are some great stories of the Greek heroes， but ultimately I became tired of how the ancient gods and heroes bantered like a Fry and Laurie skit。

Justin Luzier ，

Awesome storyteller！

Panz ，

Stephen Fry is a gem of a storyteller， however the format of this book does not lend too well in telling the stories of Greek heroes as much as it did in Mythos。 Nevertheless he struck a beautiful balance in saving us the detailed pre-story and went in for the main events while not making the stories seem headless。 I wish instead I listened to his narration more than reading from text。

Andrew McMillan ，

Great book， perhaps too much info sometimes， but overall a great retelling of the familiar Greek myths。 Well worth the read。 😊

Jojo ，

Great to get the audiobook version read by the author。 Fun， interesting， entertaining and accessible way of learning about Greek heroes

dave benson ，

It’s Stephen Fry doing what he does best and taking something as complex as the Greek myths surrounding heroes and their adventures， plus the many ways the stories interlink and making it more accessible。 This isn’t an in depth look at each one， or the book would be a heck of a lot longer。 More a beginners guide I guess， find one you like and research into it more if you wish。 Great book， with Stephen Fry I’d always suggest the audiobook but that’s just because I love his voice 🤷‍♂️

Anke ，

Very funny， enjoyable and comprehensive account of the Greek heroes。 The book thoroughly humanises them while simultaneously ridiculing the more obscure choices they make。 If you're new to Greek mythology this is a great start， if you're a very seasoned fan like me， the humour in this retelling is still worth the read。 Very funny， enjoyable and comprehensive account of the Greek heroes。 The book thoroughly humanises them while simultaneously ridiculing the more obscure choices they make。 If you're new to Greek mythology this is a great start， if you're a very seasoned fan like me， the humour in this retelling is still worth the read。 。。。more

Lopa ，

Not as great as Mythos: The Greek Myths Retold， but still a fun read for those that love mythology。 Not as great as Mythos: The Greek Myths Retold， but still a fun read for those that love mythology。 。。。more

Marloes ，

A great follow-up on Mythos， and I have rated this 5* mostly on readibility and how much I enjoyed it。 I do see， however， that all complexity and details that make the Greek Mythology so interesting are left out。 It was no dealbreaker for me。

Helen Duriez ，

Still not in love with Fry's retellings， but can't resist a good myth。 Still not in love with Fry's retellings， but can't resist a good myth。 。。。more

Lottie Staples ，

I think the epilogue was the best written part。。。 otherwise it felt a bit juvenile and hand-holding。 I much preferred Mythos

Nick Phillips ，

I have spent most of the year so far steeped in the mythos and heroes of ancient Greece and there does appear to be something vaguely familier about a narrative structure which runsBellerophonBellerophon 2HeraclesPerseus: The First HeroArgonauts AssembleBellerophon 3Heracles: The LaboursPerseus: The GorgonGuardians of the Golden FleeceArgonauts: Age of AriesOrpheusPerseus: Civil WarPharmakeia CirceGuardians of the Golden Fleece Vol 2Odysseus: NostosHeracles: GigantomachyTheseusIliad: Trojan WarO I have spent most of the year so far steeped in the mythos and heroes of ancient Greece and there does appear to be something vaguely familier about a narrative structure which runsBellerophonBellerophon 2HeraclesPerseus: The First HeroArgonauts AssembleBellerophon 3Heracles: The LaboursPerseus: The GorgonGuardians of the Golden FleeceArgonauts: Age of AriesOrpheusPerseus: Civil WarPharmakeia CirceGuardians of the Golden Fleece Vol 2Odysseus: NostosHeracles: GigantomachyTheseusIliad: Trojan WarOrpheus and EurydiceAtalantaIliad: The Wooden HorseOdysseus: Far From HomeMedea's VisionsDaedalus and Icarusbut I can't quite put my finger on it。I am however very much looking forward to Heracles: Love and Thunderbolts。 。。。more

Ingeborg Sheedy ，

Another excellent Greek mythology by Mr。 Fry。 He makes this world come alive and have you feel as though you are right along side Hercules as he completes his labours。

Petra ，

Mythology but make it funnier than it already is。 Fry actually uses respectable sources， and presented versions and cults I didn't know of， so yeah， this book is not only hilarious， but actually educating。 Mythology but make it funnier than it already is。 Fry actually uses respectable sources， and presented versions and cults I didn't know of， so yeah， this book is not only hilarious， but actually educating。 。。。more

Greg at 2 Book Lovers Reviews ，

Sometimes you just know that a book is exactly what you want and need。 Stephen Fry’s narration of his own book， Heroes， hit the spot。This wasn’t a book about creating something new， a unique story unlike anything people have read before。 Stephen Fry created nothing new。 This was a book of presentation and Fry’s presentation of these well-known stories was immaculate。 I loved the fact that each one was a complete story， not just pieces here and there of what the hero did。 Fry was very liberal wit Sometimes you just know that a book is exactly what you want and need。 Stephen Fry’s narration of his own book， Heroes， hit the spot。This wasn’t a book about creating something new， a unique story unlike anything people have read before。 Stephen Fry created nothing new。 This was a book of presentation and Fry’s presentation of these well-known stories was immaculate。 I loved the fact that each one was a complete story， not just pieces here and there of what the hero did。 Fry was very liberal with his own commentaries and occasional jibes at these heroes of Greek mythology; this only added to the total entertainment value of Heroes。There are a lot of directions I could go in， regarding the Greek heroes' role， the cross-cultural comparisons， what the heroes may have meant to the ancient Greeks， if there could be any historical accuracy to the myths。 Fry covers his own opinion on much of this and mine would be just another opinion。Listening to （or re-experiencing） these stories really made me think more about modern authors and their heroes， what does it take to make/create a hero that would stand the test of time （I think it is safe to say that all of these heroes have passed that test）。 Above all else， these heroes were not perfect， they were flawed， they made mistakes。 James Bond could never make it as a Greek hero。 Fry never shied away from exposing those flaws; that is what I love to find in my heroes。 。。。more

Ashley Gill ，

Stephen Fry really tried to make this accessible reading but I just found it really boring and longwinded。 Only made it just over half way and had to give up， which I rarely do with books I just couldn't bear to spend any more of my life on it。 Stephen Fry really tried to make this accessible reading but I just found it really boring and longwinded。 Only made it just over half way and had to give up， which I rarely do with books I just couldn't bear to spend any more of my life on it。 。。。more

Gerko ，

Altijd fijn om de prachtige verhalen uit de Griekse mythologie te lezen。 Nochtans ben ik minder enthousiast dan over Mythos （deel I）: moe van de grapjes en opsmuk van Fry en - nogal tegenstrijdig - ook van de langdradige introducties en familiegeschiedenissen vol warrige stambomen。

Ed ，

Great， engaging and funny。 At times I found myself lost with the introduction of all the new characters， but the appendix really helped！ Stephen Fry's story telling ability really is fantastic and so easy to walk in to。Each story contains a number of footnotes which are great for adding additional depth， backstory， linking the story to another myth or a further avenue of thought to pursue the particular story further。 I'd highly recommend to anyone with an interest in Greek mythology， but would Great， engaging and funny。 At times I found myself lost with the introduction of all the new characters， but the appendix really helped！ Stephen Fry's story telling ability really is fantastic and so easy to walk in to。Each story contains a number of footnotes which are great for adding additional depth， backstory， linking the story to another myth or a further avenue of thought to pursue the particular story further。 I'd highly recommend to anyone with an interest in Greek mythology， but would recommend reading Mythos first as many of the storys in Heroes call back to those events。 。。。more

Bryan Mcquirk ，

This is a lovely gem of a book。 Fry brings the stories to life with his witticism， pithy asides， and mildly tawdry references。 Not the classic mythology book but a joy to read。 A bit long in places with all the name dropping。 I look forward to enjoying the rest of the series。 This was my first Fry book。

Ross Beck-macneil ，

（listened as audiobook）What's it about？Stephen Fry recounts Greek mythology， in particular the stories of human heroes。 He puts his own interpretation on the stories。What did I think？Some of the stories are entertaining。 Stephen Fry adds dialogue and makes things more engaging at times。 Other times the dialogue is a bit asinine。 The stories themselves can be a bit tedious。 A lot of "Person accidentally kills someone， and needs to atone"， followed by "Person purposely slaughters an entire city， a （listened as audiobook）What's it about？Stephen Fry recounts Greek mythology， in particular the stories of human heroes。 He puts his own interpretation on the stories。What did I think？Some of the stories are entertaining。 Stephen Fry adds dialogue and makes things more engaging at times。 Other times the dialogue is a bit asinine。 The stories themselves can be a bit tedious。 A lot of "Person accidentally kills someone， and needs to atone"， followed by "Person purposely slaughters an entire city， and is celebrated。" Can be hard to keep track of everything with all the Greek names and people being related to each other。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Heroes: Mortals and Monsters, Quests and Adventures

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Heroes: Mortals and Monsters, Quests and Adventures&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Heroes: Mortals and Monsters, Quests and Adventures&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0