Book Review: Mythos: The Greek Myths Retold by Stephen Fry

Genres: Mythology
Pages: 416
Format: Ebook
Rating:

Goodreads summary: Mythos is a modern collection of Greek myths, stylishly retold by legendary writer, actor, and comedian Stephen Fry. Fry transforms the adventures of Zeus and the Olympians into emotionally resonant and deeply funny stories, without losing any of their original wonder.

This stunning book features classical artwork inspired by the myths, as well as learned notes from the author. Each adventure is infused with Fry’s distinctive wit, voice, and writing style. Connoisseurs of the Greek myths will appreciate this fresh-yet-reverential interpretation, while newcomers will feel welcome. Retellings brim with humor and emotion and offer rich cultural context

Celebrating the thrills, grandeur, and unabashed fun of the Greek myths, Mythos breathes life into ancient tales—from Pandora’s box to Prometheus’s fire.

This gorgeous volume invites you to explore a captivating world with the brilliant storyteller Stephen Fry as your guide.

First Impressions

After reading Circe by Madeline Miller, I was still deep in my Greek mythology era. After a little research, Mythos seemed like the perfect next choice. I’ll admit, I was hesitant at first — I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about the format, since it sounded like a collection of short stories woven into one big book. But I’m so glad I gave it a try.

I thought I was already pretty familiar with Greek mythology…but oh, how wrong I was. I learned so much from Mythos, and even weeks after finishing it, I still find myself referencing little facts and stories. I probably will forever!

Going into it, I wasn’t expecting it to be particularly funny. I figured I’d get something informative, maybe a little academic. But everyone kept saying it was entertaining, and now I completely get it.

Content & Storytelling Style

Stephen Fry’s storytelling approach is next-level. He’s clearly brilliant, but he manages to make these ancient stories feel accessible, funny, and enjoyable. It felt like I was reading a history textbook — but somehow having the time of my life doing it.

The retellings were very clear and easy to follow, though let’s be real: there are a lot of names, and it’s impossible to remember every single one. Greek mythology’s family trees are absolutely wild. Still, I followed along pretty well and have even shared a few myths with friends and family.

One story that really stuck with me was about Zeus and Metis. So I get migraines a lot, and after Zeus ate Metis, which, by the way, his actions on his wedding day were absolutely deplorable, he starts to have these really bad headaches. The reason he eats Metis is because of a prophecy that says their child would be more powerful than Zeus and would overthrow him. (Very ironic considering his father’s story.) So the gods aren’t used to pain, it’s foreign to them, but after eating Metis he experiences these awful awful migraines. He begins throwing these tantrums and eventually, his son Hephaestus has this idea. “What if I just cut Zeus’s head open with an axe to see what the problem is?” He does so and BAM out pops Athena!!!! Fully grown. So now whenever I have a migraine I joke that there must be a Greek god in there and I get a kick out of telling that story to anyone who’ll listen.

Tone & Writing Style

Fry’s humor made this book such a joy to read. It takes real skill to weave modern references into ancient myths, find humor in even the grimmest moments. (Cronus’s castration, anyone? With his parts being flung across the world, and his drippings soiling the earth?) The tone was consistently informative, light, playful, and educational — a perfect blend that kept me turning pages.

Structure & Organization

The book started out chronological — from Chaos to the birth of the Olympians — but somewhere along the way, it felt like Fry switched gears and organized stories more by theme or related myths. Honestly, it worked. With everything happening at once in mythology, trying to keep it strictly chronological would’ve been a nightmare.

It was also very easy to pick up and put down, especially after getting past the earliest parts. Great for anyone who likes to read in chunks!

Themes & Insights

One major takeaway: the gods are basically just humans with a little razzle dazzle due to their powers. They get jealous, they fight with their siblings (Poseidon and Hades, anyone?), they cheat in relationships, they throw tantrums. They want to be loved, admired, feared — just like mortals. 

Fry also gave me new perspectives on some familiar myths. For instance, I knew Zeus was a mess, but wow, he’s even worse than I realized — a rapist, a terrible husband, a serial cheater, and a vengeful, prideful god. Hera isn’t perfect either, but after reading about their relationship, you almost can’t blame her for losing her mind.

Something I didn’t know was how close Zeus and Prometheus were and how much it really hurt Zeus when he felt like Prometheus betrayed him by giving mortals fire. They were like besties and Zeus lost his bestie. That was sad. I mean it was Zeus’s own fault – he didn’t have to punish Prometheus, but Zeus felt like he had to stand on business. 

I also loved learning more about Sisyphus — he wasn’t a great guy, but honestly, I have to respect the hustle. How many people can say they outsmarted death? Even if it cost him dearly. Legend says he’s still pushing that boulder up the hill….

There were so many fascinating word origins too, like:

• Echo, cursed to only repeat others’ words, giving us the term “echo.” I found her story was really interesting because I feel like we all know someone who just loves to talk and they don’t have any bad intentions they’re just super extroverted and talkative and mean well. But her constant yapping getting her in trouble with Hera and resulted in her being cursed to only repeat what someone else says
• Narcissus, the origin of “narcissist.” This was one of the stories I was able to see where it was going and where the word narcissist came from. The picture Fry painted of Narcissus just staring at himself in the water and only loving his reflection but he didn’t know it was himself, I felt like I saw the whole story in my head like a tv show. 
• The creation of spiders through literally weaving myths.
• The story behind honey and bees.
• Every page had something new that made me stop and think, “Ohhh, so that’s where that comes from!”

Visuals & Extras

My edition (an ebook) had illustrations, family trees, glossaries, and footnotes. I loved the illustrations (and honestly, I wish there were more). The family tree was super helpful — though I kind of wanted to print it out and keep it handy while reading. The footnotes were a nice bonus too, full of extra little tidbits that added even more depth.

I didn’t notice pronunciation guides in my version, but maybe they were tucked into the back somewhere.

Final Thoughts & Rating

5 deer-stars!

Whether you’re brand new to Greek mythology or a longtime fan, Mythos is absolutely worth reading. Fry manages to be both a brilliant storyteller and a hilarious guide through the world of gods and monsters.

At first, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to dive into Fry’s next books, Heroes and Troy. I mean, how many more Greek myths did I need in my life? But the answer is: a lot more. After finishing Mythos, I feel like I got drunk on knowledge — and now I’m hooked. Bring it on.