Stephen Fry is such an amazing orator that I could listen to him describing paint dry. Having said that, I have never actually read any of his written work. I shouldn’t have worried, he writes as beautifully as he talks, eloquent and entertaining. He truly has a gift with entertaining, regardless the topic. I don’t think you have to love the Greek myths to enjoy this book as its strength comes from Fry’s wit, humour and gift of the gab. Fry does not attempt to compete with the plethora of mythology books whose number seems to exceed the myriad number of myths themselves. No, if you are looking for a more comprehensive, more complete listing of the myths than I would recommend something like THE GREEK MYTHS by Robert Graves. Fry seems to focus more on the genesis of the Gods and how they came to be. The Titans and their war with Zeus and his Olympians who eventually win the titanic struggle to rule all. I believe that Fry’s goal with this book is to kindle interest, plant the seed of desire within the reader to delve deeper into the mythological world, Even though Fry limits himself mainly to the Olympians and a small number of myths this is in no way a criticism of the book. Fry’s humour seems to course through the entire book and it truly is a humorous, immensely enjoyable read, bringing a smile to my face on numerous occasions. 4 Stars.
Stephen John Fry is an English comedian, writer, actor, humourist, novelist, poet, columnist, filmmaker, television personality and technophile. As one half of the Fry and Laurie double act with his comedy partner, Hugh Laurie, he has appeared in A Bit of Fry and Laurie and Jeeves and Wooster. He is also famous for his roles in Blackadder and Wilde, and as the host of QI. In addition to writing for stage, screen, television and radio he has contributed columns and articles for numerous newspapers and magazines, and has also written four successful novels and a series of memoirs.
There is a wonderful Waterstones video interview with Fry here -
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