Title: Heroes, Gods and Monsters of the Greek Myths
Author: Bernard Evslin
Genre: Middle Grade, Greek mythology
Publication date: October 2012
Published by: Open Road Young Readers
Source: the publishers via Netgalley (thanks!)
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Buy it: Amazon
Synopsis:
The classic bestseller is now available for the first time as an ebook
With an incredible understanding of the nuances of classic mythology, Bernard Evslin brilliantly recounts the most compelling stories of heroes and monsters, light and dark, good and evil. Get to know the iconic gods, heroes, and tragic figures: Zeus, the all-powerful father of the gods; Hera, his cunning and jealous wife; seductive, golden-haired Aphrodite, the goddess of love; King Midas, who greedily loves gold above all else; the sculptor Pygmalion who falls in love with his creation; and many more. With each story, Evslin captures the beauty and power of Greek mythology—and through his funny asides, he gives life to these ancient characters. A perennial staple of curriculums around the world, Evslin’s Heroes, Gods and Monsters of the Greek Myths is an invaluable resource.
This is girl here, *points to self* totally in love with mythology! I probably don't have to repeat that since pretty much everyone who knows me know how much I love it, but there ya go!
And this book? *points to Heroes, Gods and Monsters of the Greek Myths* Way awesome!
This book talked about some of the more known myths, the main gods, and most famous monsters. The way the stories were told was just amazing! So much imagery and it did NOT read like a reference book! You'd actually have fun reading this while you simultaneously learn something about the Greek myths and their characters! The voice of the book was just great!
There were some things even I didn't know about! Now, I am no expert in Greek mythology, but I'd like to think that I know quite a lot about it ;) So, surprising me with new info on Greek mythology is pretty rare. But I like learning new things! However, there were some parts of some stories where I was just like, "Uh, no. Pretty sure that's not how it went," or, "Um, wrong. That's not how I heard it." But you know, there are some myths that have many different versions, and I'm assuming these stories came from versions I have not seen or read before.
One of my favorite parts about the book was, of course, the Apollo section! Why? Because Apollo is my freakin' favorite Greek god! I'm a nursing student, he's the god of medicine and healing (among other things)...makes sense, right? My other favorite god, err goddess, is Hecate, and I was hoping something about her would pop up. But no such luck :( I did mention that this book included some of the more known myths and gods, though, and Hecate isn't as known as the 12 Olympians are. She is the goddess of crossroads, magic, and witchcraft (among other things). And one of my favorite supernatural creatures is the witch (and I love magic!), so you can see why Hecate is also a favorite of mine.
One of the stories I loved the most in this book was the one with Narcissus and Echo. It is just a very sweet yet sad story, but I love it! I've always said that Aphrodite isn't one of my most favorite goddesses out there, but this story she is just awesome in, so I might change my mind about her ;)
So, whether you are just a fan like me, or you are actually doing research for school or something, you'll get a lot from this book without it getting boring! I highly recommend this amazing Greek mythology read!
Have you read this book? If so, what did you think about it? If not, what do you think? Does it sound like something you might want to read? Leave me a comment! :)
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