Do yourself the favor of buying the audiobook version so you can get the emotional depth not only through the prose but also through his excellent narration. One moment, Fry would be telling a story with such humor that I would be laughing out loud, and the next he would be conveying somber topics with sincerity and emotional depth.

With the first purpose, Fry knocks it out of the park. First, he wants to introduce the humor, tragedy, and depth of Greek myths to a new generation in an accessible way second, he wants to cement the myths in history and show their connections and influences on the modern world. In writing Mythos, Fry seems to have a dual purpose. Because of this weirdness, I am going to change up my review structure from my normal fiction review format and focus on two aspects: the purpose of the book and how it is fulfilled and the clarity/enjoyment of the prose. It is part fiction, part nonfiction, part story, and part history. Trying to review Mythos is a bit of a weird task. Read on for a detailed breakdown, or click here to jump to the conclusion. The paperback comes in at 352 pages long and is a fairly quick read considering the engaging style (to be explored more in the in-depth part of the review). Mythos was written by Stephen Fry who, though best known for his acting, is a scholar of history and has written multiple other history books ( author’s website and Amazon profile with his other books). I had listened to some of Fry’s other narrated books (including an outstanding complete collection of Sherlock Holmes stories), and I knew I liked both his narration and his approach to storytelling. I found this book on an Audible sale, and I picked it up immediately. What does Mythos bring to the table? Can legendary actor and comedian Stephen Fry lend his voice to tell the myths in a way that elevates them above the myriad other collections? If you want to learn more about the Greek myths, accessing modern translations of the primary sources is not difficult, and mythology collections litter the discount sections of most bookstores. Modern Western culture is steeped in these myths with many words, phrases, and metaphors traveling from ancient Greece to modern English. Even if you are not a classicist, you have likely come across stories of the Greek gods and heroes.

Stephen fry mythos review