Heroes

Heroes retells the Greek myths of mortal adventurers: men and women who hunt monsters, sail after treasure and strike bargains with the gods, usually at a heavy price. It is the second volume of Stephen Fry's Greek myths series and follows Mythos, which covered the gods themselves.

The cast includes Perseus, Heracles, Bellerophon, Orpheus, Jason and the Argonauts, Atalanta, Oedipus and Theseus. Each legend is told as its own quest, so the book reads as a run of linked stories rather than one continuous plot.

Fry narrates in a conversational voice, with dry humour and frequent asides. He is affectionate toward flawed people and supplies the human motives behind deeds that are usually recited as bare feats.

Readers who already know the myths meet familiar quests told with fresh energy. Newcomers need no background in classics. Each hero's bargain with the divine leaves one matter open: the price that the glory will demand of him.