This is a fun and comical take on the Greek myths and the characters who populate them. It makes for a light hearted read which highlights the oddness and quirks that are so often part of these ancient stories. It didn’t necessarily grip me or keep me hooked throughout but it was a humorous and entertaining book that I enjoyed.

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

When I read the blurb, I imagined this book would be a ‘taking the Micky out of Zeus’ type book. I was not wrong. This book is filled with jokes, admittedly some close to the bone and a lot of the rape which features quite a lot in Greek mythology is glazed over. If you’re into Greek mythology you may not enjoy this as, although it does follow true to the myths, it doesn’t always. If, however, you need a bit of laugh, then this book is worth a pick up.

I got 10% into this but can't get on with the writing style - it's all a bit too modern for me! And I suppose I don't have the right sense of humour

Zeus is a Dick… This copy was kindle gifted to me from the publisher in exchange for an honest review (submitted on Instagram). What a title and what a cover! This hilarious read is a great one to dip in and out of, loved it!

Zeus is a Dick by Susie Donkin is an irreverent look at Greek Gods and a retelling of Greek Mythology.

After reading a few Greek mythology retellings in the last year, I was motivated to read more about the stories. I thought this might be a good place to start as an accessible, humorous account of the big names. After finishing I can confirm, not only did I learn a lot but this was one of my favourite reading experiences of the last year.

Susie Donkin is incredible – she found a way to breath new life into a field that’s pretty flooded with retellings. I could not stop laughing throughout. The cultural references throughout = genius!

As someone with a limited knowledge of Greek mythology apart from the big hits, this was perfect. Even for those with that extra level of understanding, I think the great use of humour really elevates this.

Hands down, this is one of my favourite books of 2020!! I bloody loved it!

A 'lighter' way to find out the origins of Greek mythology, the Gods we know and the shit they got up to. Condensed and hilarious chapters of their place in the world and the connections they have with each other.

There is talk of sexual assault, rape, murder and incest in here so please bare that in mind.

*Huge thanks to Susie Donkin, Hodder and Stoughton, Hodder Studio and NetGalley for this copy which I chose to read and all opinions are my own*

BOOK REVIEW
Zeus is a Dick by Susie Donkin
Rating: 3.5*

In the beginning, everything was fine.* And then along came Zeus.
*more or less

Horrible Histories writer Susie Donkin takes us on a hilarious retelling of Zeus and the many times Gods messed up. In my insta stories I described it as Mythos meets Big Mouth but Adult Horrible Histories is a much better description.

I was laughing throughout the entire thing (like I have never laughed at a book more), it’s like someone trying to describe the myths when they are drunk (its not PG, and includes a lot of swearing so if that’s not your vibe stay away). This is perfect for anyone who loves Greek Myths with a lot of satire and a soap opera vibe mixed in there.

I was definitely drawn to this by the title and I had no idea what I was getting myself into when I chose this – no regrets whatsoever

I binge read this in 2 days because I couldn’t put it down. You don’t have to have any previous Greek Myth knowledge to enjoy this as she describes the legends incredibly well (just in a gossipy style) and by the end you will in fact come to the conclusion that Zeus was a dick, and so were some of his kids.

If you enjoyed Horrible Histories growing up you’ll definitely appreciate the style that this is written in. I don’t think I’ll read anything like it again!

The structure was a bit weird, and I feel like at some points it switched from first to third person, and it took a while to get used to the style of writing, but once you get used to that it’s easy to read.

There’s not a lot else I can say about Greek myths that hasn’t been said already so lets look at some reviews from the other gods found at the start of the book:
"It's about time someone called him out on all this." - Hera, Goddess of Marriage, wife of Zeus
"Worst. Father. Ever." - Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt, daughter of Zeus
"Oh yeah, focus on him. I never did anything wrong. Nothing to see here." - Poseidon, God of the Seas, brother of Zeus
Thank you to NetGalley and Publishers for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Zeus Is A Dick is a humorous look at Ancient Greek mythology and the stories of how favourite dick-ish gods, with a modern lens that makes this very different from other types of Greek mythology retellings. Susie Donkin has a good author's voice, making it interesting to read and the conversational style used to tell these stories keeps you reading.

Zeus is a dick, and not just Zeus, let me tell you. This book is a hoot! And you'll never look the same way at cows again.

Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of the book

I received a copy of the book from Netgalley to review. Thank you for the opportunity.
This book is good for fans of Greek mythology as it creates digestible chunks of the myths alongside running commentary which is at times snarky and relatable to the modern world. I found that there was a lot repetition of zeus is a dick which kind of spoiled the book.
An OK read.

Thank you Netgalley for letting me read this book in return for an honest review.

I liked this book a lot as I love mythology and honestly, the title is correct. I read sections at a time as I felt like just one chapter/section was nice to read and absorb. The tone of this book is very down to earth and conversational which actually got my attention more as it felt like not only was I getting the mythos but also the opinion of the author.

Rating: 3.5⭐

Would I Read It Again? Yes as I feel like I can go back to it and just read what I want, when I want

Would I Recommend it? Yes

This book was a genuine laugh-out-loud delight to read. It’s probably considered heresy in some circles of mythology fans but I adored it.

Each chapter is a classic myth which features Zeus behaving in his traditional dick-ish style, starting from the beginning of Olympus and moving through until the demi-gods start coming onto the scene. The stories capture the essence of the characters and events, but is otherwise as off-the-wall silly and takes as many creative liberties as is possible while still being the same story.

My only concern with this book is that though the accessibility and silliness of the stories is timeless, there are a lot things that will date the text- references to Pinterest and Love Island, for example.
Regardless, it’s making stories that are about 4,000 years old relevant to readers right now that makes this book so awesome.

I love it. If you have even the most fleeting interest in Greek mythology, grab yourself a copy.

A fun, light look at Greek mythology and the various ways in which the gods act like "dicks". I really enjoyed this, and it would be a good book to dip your toe into mythology

I loved this irreverent retelling of Greek mythology. It made me laugh and look at the well know stories with new eyes.
I laughed a lot and appreciated the humor.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Belated addition to the Greek Mythology Challenge here with Susie Donkin's Zeus is a Dick. Having zoomed through various retellings of Greek mythologies and emerged feeling rather jaded, this book's rather arresting title spoke to me. Susie Donkin is an actress and writer with credits including Smack the Pony and Horrible Histories and she brings that same irreverence and wit to her topic here, chronicling the crimes of Zeus. Namely all the many, many times in which he was a d*ck.

The book's opening line pinpoints the difficult that I have with classical mythology, 'For some reason, modern society likes to look back at Greek myths with reverence'. And yet these same myths have adapted and changed to suit political purposes, many different versions have developed down the millennia and it would be foolish to think that there is one 'true' version. More importantly, Donkin points out that the Ancient Greeks made fun of the gods all the time. Which brings us to Donkin's mission with her book. To treat classical mythology with the disrespect it deserves.

I was hoping that this book would be a tonic for the aspects of my Greek Mythology Challenge that I found ... well ... challenging. In the end though, I felt like Donkin had not quite found the correct format. Although the book is short, it dragged. Her observations on the Greeks are intelligent and witty but the patter wears thin after a while. I could see it being far more effective in a sketch show format even if the content might be too racy for her original Horrible Histories audience.

Zeus is a Dick is aiming for a similar audience to Stephen Fry's Mythos and in many ways manages to be more successful. Where Fry fails to challenge the received wisdom around the myths, Donkin engages and criticises. I agree with pretty much her every point. However, I would simply recommend smaller doses. But well done to Donkin for getting it out in the mainstream. Because Zeus really was a dick.

An absolutely hilarious (but informative) new look at the Greek gods we all know

I laughed so much reading this and I loved the new insight the world of Greek mythology

Definitely a book I’ll be recommending for years to come

My thanks to Hodder & Stoughton /Hodder Studio for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Zeus is a Dick’ by Susie Donkin in exchange for an honest review.

“‘It’s about time someone called him out on all this’ - Hera, Goddess of Marriage, Wife of Zeus” - cover blurb.

The publishers sum up its premise well: “Ahh Greek myths. Those glorious tales of heroism, honour and... petty squabbles, soap-opera drama and more weird sex than Fifty Shades of Grey could shake a stick at! It's about time we stopped respecting myths and started laughing at them.”

As might be expected from the cover art and title, this is a highly irreverent overview of Greek mythology.

While this is Susie Donkin’s first book, she’s been part of the writing team for CBBC’s ‘Horrible Histories’ since 2009. Like HH, this is fun, often silly, and is generously sprinkled with pop culture references. It does contain strong language, which might be offensive to some readers.

I enjoy retellings of mythology and this little book was great fun and provided me with many laugh out loud moments.

Hilarious rendition of popular Greek myths!
The author never ceases to entertain in this collection of funny and wild stories!