Mythos by Stephen Fry

I love mythology. I love all mythology but growing up in Ireland, most of what I had access to as a kid was Greek/Roman and Norse, so forgive me for being a little partial. I also love Stephen Fry, having grown up with all things Python and enjoying his wit and social commentary even after that merry band, eh, disbanded. So, when Fry writes a book about Greek mythology, you just know I’m going to read it. 

Disclaimer – I read this in August, so forgive me if I’m a little hazy on some of the details.

So, what’s it all about?

Mythos is the first of three books on the gods and heroes of the ancient Greek world. In this one, Fry covers the tales of gods and demigods and their interactions, mostly before humans sullied the planet with their presence. Many of you will be familiar with these stories, or most of them anyway, but when did that ever stop us reading another book on mythology? Bear in mind that this reads more like an encyclopedia than a novel, with each section devoted (ha!) to  a single character. Of course there’s crossover, but in essence, everyone gets their day in the sun. As someone who considers themself to be well-versed in Greek mythos (but not an expert), there were still a few faces I was unfamiliar with (or had forgotten). At 416 pages, it is relatively long, but the format will allow you to power through it. 

Is it any good?

When something has been part of one’s life for a long time, no matter how minor, one tends to adopt high standards for all reiterations (take Star Wars for example). So I took to this with the most critical of tests, and it passed with flying colours. Fry tells each story with his trademark wit, but he doesn’t gloss over the darker reality of these tales – suicide, rape and the treatment of women in mythology (ergo real life) for example. But instead of using a heavy hand and putting some readers on the defensive, he uses a gentle caress, which is surprisingly effective. Each story is a blast, and his use of anachronisms just enhances each story (the Fates drunk talking?). The highlight of the book for me though, was the footnotes. While many were informative – he obviously did his homework on this assignment – many of them were just side-splittingly funny and pique your interest each time you see those tiny numbers at the end of a sentence. This book was obviously a passion project for Fry, and the good news is, there’s two more books in the series – Heroes (which I’ve read) and Troy – to come.

Verdict

• Format: Hardcover
• Obtained from: Library (support your public library people)
• Print length: 416 pages (hc)
• Publisher: Michael Joseph (an imprint of Penguin Books)
• ISBN: 9780718188740