Tales of the Greek Heroes: Retold from the Ancient Authors

I loved the Greek myths as a child. I also love this series, its design and how it makes the classics accessible to modern young readers. However, I did not love this particular rendition of the Greek myths. There is so much stuffed in here, so much attention paid to everyone's ancestry and exactly where things took place and a surfeit of detail, that the stories themselves are lost. Lacking is what made them so exciting to me as a young reader: the adventure, the sense of mystery and divinity. I would search for a better introduction to mythology, such as D'Aulaire's, which is what I read as a child.

This is a very accessible introduction to the tales of the Greek heroes, including the labours of Heracles, the quest for the Golden Fleece, the bringing of fire to mankind, Typhon the Terrible, the adventures of Theseus, and of course Perseus slaying the Gorgon Medusa. The stories are presented in chronological (or perhaps sequential) order instead of in isolation, as many retellings did in the period that Green was writing. An author's note at the end explains his writing process but unfortunately does not contain any specific sources (apparently there were too many to mention). The book is divided into many relatively short chapters, each beginning with an appropriate quotation from poetry or Greek plays, and illustrations are show more provided throughout.

One story I'd forgotten about from previous readings was Talos, the man of brass who terrorized Crete. The way he was illustrated made him look a lot like a Cyberman from Doctor Who, five years before the show even began! Wonder if that provided any inspiration; after all, one of the Cybermen's home planets is Telos...

Overall I would recommend this if you're looking for an easy way into the stories of the Greek heroes prior to the Trojan War (which gets its own Roger Lancelyn Green retelling, The Tale of Troy). show less

This book was my introduction to the Greek Myths of old. There was a certain feel to them, that was both strange, and sensible. Perseus naturally is an archetypal hero, along with Theseus and Jason and Hercules, these heroes come from a culture where being a hero meant having your name live forever in the epic poems. Of course, this requires people to listen to or read these ancient stories. But every time a child picks up a book of Greek Myths, these heroes live again, in the minds and imaginations of the young, to have these stories then told to their children. You never forget your first book of Greek Myths, and this was mine.

I think this was also my introduction to Greek Myths, and they were wonderful, but I remember just as much the illustrations (I wish I knew the name of the illustrator) and the snippets of poems at the beginning of each chapter. Many of them were translations from ancient poems and they were still ringing in my head when I visited Greece many years later.

This is a good introduction to some Greek Heroes' stories. The format is easy-to-read, although not that detailed so some of the stories come off as a little dry. Most of them are quick-reads and overall it is an easy text. I would recommend it as an introduction to the topic as a way for someone interested in Greek mythology to get a little summary of some of the stories the Greek mythology is famous for.

A nice way to learn/brush up on the stories of Greek heroes. It's not too vague, but also moves along briskly not bogged down by every detail.

The mysterious and exciting legends of the gods and heroes in ancient Greece, from the adventures of Perseus, the labours of Heracles, the voyage of Jason and the Argonauts, to Odysseus and the Trojan wars.