Mythos by Fry: A Review

Before Mythos, I had read The Odyssey. I suppose this ignited and interest in the Greek Gods and the mythological stories. Mythos had been in my TBR list for quite some time, and I finally took the plunge to delve into it’s story and I am very happy that I did. I think this is one of few books that I would read again.

General Synopsis

In Mythos, Stephen Fry re-tells the Greek mythologies. He states that he slightly altered the timeline and tinkered here and there, to bring a cohesive timeline for the readers. He brings to his readers the beginnings, but not everything, as the book would be even larger than it already is. His purpose is to share his love for Greek Mythology and reminds readers of their origins.

He divides Mythos into sections with multiple chapters. We have part one and two of the Beginning, as well as part one and two of The Toys of Zeus. Each chapter within these lays out that titles myth.

My Review

Mythos is well written. Fry, as mentioned, perfectly executed his goal to tell the Greek Myths in his book. You can tell through his writing that he was enthralled by these stories and had done extensive research before writing this. His writing brings to life his characterisation of each God or creature. Alongside this, his long sentences are full of rich details and almost humorous discourse. There is a lot of exchange between the characters which only adds to their character development. I truly enjoyed his writing.

As for the structure of the book, the chapters are well managed and the prepositions helps with the flow of the book. Each section has its focus, and Fry wrote chronologically and clearly.

I want to say that Fry really had opened my understanding on just how vain and perhaps grotesque the Greek Gods may had been depicted. Knowing they are fictional does not change my shock and horror in Zeus’ behaviour or all of the Gods. From the moment the story had began, we are covered in all kinds of bodily fluids. From each SA comes another new type of God that represents a part of the mortal world somehow. I found this both very interesting to think of Gods this way, because I had never truly thought about how they came into that world. Not only that, but their almost immature nature towards each other and how they play with mortality. Very interesting. I was hooked, but sometimes needed to walk away from the book.

Not only this, but I found that I was having a lot of conversations after each section. Possibly this was Fry’s intention. I was telling his story to other people, but at the same time telling everyone the Greek Myths. One particular section that interested me was about the Bee. I will not spoil it. But, I couldn’t and cannot stop talking about the bee. I shall leave it there.

Overall, I will read this again. It was witty, interesting, well written, fascinating, and captivating. I will not let my child read Fry’s version of the book until a lot older, but it is definitely a fantastic perception and re-telling of some of the Greek Myths and I will be reading his other books, too.

Similar Reads

• Circe by Madeline Miller – Also about Mythology and Greek Gods.
• Angelika Frankenstein by Sally Thorne – Just as Grotesque
• Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes – Fry mentions Perseus wasn’t mentioned, so here is another retelling.