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3.97 AVERAGE
3.97 AVERAGE
I read this book in chunks along with Rick Riordan's The Lightening Thief. A wonderful compendium of Greek mythology (along with Roman references and names) with a little Norse included near the end. Ms. Hamilton does a great job of siting the original authors of the stories she shares, along with descriptions of these authors and her reason for using the rendition of each story from certain authors. There was not one monster, god, nymph or demigod referenced in The Lightening Thief that I could not find in the index and text.
dark
informative
medium-paced
I've wanted to learn about greek mythology for a long time, and understand its differences or relations to roman mythology and other additional universes. This book was perfect for that. I came in knowing nothing except for having heard of the names of many of the greek and roman gods, though I didn't know who was who or which culture they belonged to, or anything else. Now, I feel like I do!
The format of this book is a series of short stories, some are longer but most are pretty short. They are organized in collections that make up the 4 parts of the book. At the beginning of many stories she will explain the historical context and which ancient greek or roman writers she is mostly basing her retellings from. At the end she talks briefly about Norse mythology. The book is long, and it took me a while to read it, but I liked how there were so many divisions, and I liked the overall structure. I feel like I learned so much.
Right off the bat, Hamilton lays out the setting and the origins. She explains that greek mythology isn't necessarily a religion, but is a set of stories to explain how and why some things are they way they are, and also to just entertain. So yeah, greek myths are fictional stories. Troy was real city, but the Trojan War that we might've heard of isn't!! But you learn about that much later in the book. Hamilton explains the titans, the original and key gods, and their relations.
It's very hard to keep track of all the characters, especially as you read more stories. So many characters' names start with the letter 'A' it's A-nnoying. :)
I am upset at how many tragedies there were. Many stories were like "Here are two lovers. They walked to the river. One of them died. The other then died." and then half of the other stories are about the gods non-consensually making love, then producing babies with mortals or each other, then more people die, etc. Very strange and might not be everyone's cup of tea. Be prepared!
Anyways, have fun reading this book and hope you get as much out of it as I did!
The format of this book is a series of short stories, some are longer but most are pretty short. They are organized in collections that make up the 4 parts of the book. At the beginning of many stories she will explain the historical context and which ancient greek or roman writers she is mostly basing her retellings from. At the end she talks briefly about Norse mythology. The book is long, and it took me a while to read it, but I liked how there were so many divisions, and I liked the overall structure. I feel like I learned so much.
Spoiler
Right off the bat, Hamilton lays out the setting and the origins. She explains that greek mythology isn't necessarily a religion, but is a set of stories to explain how and why some things are they way they are, and also to just entertain. So yeah, greek myths are fictional stories. Troy was real city, but the Trojan War that we might've heard of isn't!! But you learn about that much later in the book. Hamilton explains the titans, the original and key gods, and their relations.
It's very hard to keep track of all the characters, especially as you read more stories. So many characters' names start with the letter 'A' it's A-nnoying. :)
I am upset at how many tragedies there were. Many stories were like "Here are two lovers. They walked to the river. One of them died. The other then died." and then half of the other stories are about the gods non-consensually making love, then producing babies with mortals or each other, then more people die, etc. Very strange and might not be everyone's cup of tea. Be prepared!
Anyways, have fun reading this book and hope you get as much out of it as I did!
A definite staple in every collection. Although this wasn't my first mythology book, this is the best I've read. :D
A fantastic rendition of the Greek myths. Hamilton’s attention to detail and succinct storytelling read like the textbook you wish you had during school. An encyclopedia more than a storybook, if you want to learn about the workings of Greek mythology look no further.
adventurous
challenging
informative
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
adventurous
informative
slow-paced
adventurous
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
adventurous
emotional
informative
fast-paced