Ever since I read percy Jackson as a kid I've been obsessed with Greek Mythology. I thought this book gives you a great overview without repeating itself!

A nice little collection of stories around the Heroes and Heroines of Greek Myth. This is the perfect collection for people as an introduction to the Greek Myths

A lovely collection of 11 stories about mythical characters. This would be fantastic for someone looking for an introduction to several myths in one book.

This was a fab collection of Greek myths featuring heroes and heroines who are both well known and new to me. It was so interesting to read some myths I had never heard of and went down many rabbit holes online to learn more. I thoroughly enjoyed this collection!

The Mythologist

When I was a small boy, I recall visiting the house of my Great-aunt Annie, a retired schoolmistress. To keep me and my brothers quiet and calm she gave us some old books to read, Tanglewood Tales, Myths and legends of Ancient Greece and others on the theme of Greek and Roman myth. These books may have been one of the sparks which ignited my lifelong love of Classical Greece and Rome. I moved on from Lang, Bullfinch and Hawthorne to Roger Lancelyn Green, Rosemary Sutcliff and Henry Treece, then to Mary Renault and others. I told my grandmother I wanted to study mythology at university and become a ‘mythologist’. To date, I have spent around 55 years studying and teaching Classics. I currently teach a university module on Greek and Roman Myth. I am established as a Mythologist.

That’s how influential those old books were to me. Reading them again in this anthology, I realise how timeless the tales are, how well told, in a simple narrative without prejudice. Not here the woke re-edits of today, nor the jokey facetiousness of Stephen Fry. The narratives are old-fashioned, yes, Victorian or Edwardian, but in every case, they set out to focus on the tales, showing respect to the original tales. In the extracts from Hawthorne there are some liberties taken which often enhance the storytelling. All the old favourites are here, Midas, Theseus, the Argonauts, Herakles, culminating in a lengthy retelling of the myth of Cupid and Psyche. The editor, Jean Menzies, writes short introductions to each story and author, occasionally including a subtle ‘trigger warning’.

This is a worthy text in the Macmillan Collectors’ Library and a pleasant journey down memory lane for me.

Greek Myths: Heroes and Heroines written by various authors and edited by Jean Menzies is a collection of tales of men and women, mortals, just like you or I.

There are stories of famous heroes, Zeus Sons, Heracles who did when no one else could and Perseus, the slayer of the gorgon Medusa.
The tales of powerful women, Atalanta and Circe, as so as the ambitious men, Jason and Theseus.
Bellerophon, the slayer of devourer Chimaera, whose forepart was like a lion, her back like a dragon, and in the middle she was a goat.

The story of the first hero of Greek mythology, Cadmus who sets out across the sea to rescue his sister Europa, who was abducted by the god Zeus in the form of a bull.

There are stories of poor ones, King Midas, not every wish comes good, even by Dionysus god himself; Icarus, the son of Daedalus, the architect of the labyrinth of Crete, who did much enjoy himself with wings; and Phaethon who thought could drive the chariot like his father Helios.

Lovers stories, blissfully romantic unions of Admetus and Alcestis; the tragic love story of Orpheus and Eurydice; Pygmalion and Galatea as one of the strangest love stories of ancient Greek myth; and Ceyx and Halcyone, who considered themselves akin to Zeus and Hera, the king and queen of Olympus, and the gods do not refrain from punishing those who did compare so.

Overall, this was a collection of brief and interesting tales to know of Greek heroes with a variety of good and moderate stories.

My huge thanks to Pan Macmillan via NetGalley for ARC, I have given my honest review.

This and its sister book were great ive always enjoyed the Greek myths and legends and this is easy to read as the author has split them into individual chapters so you can dip in and out if as you please I thoroughly enjoyed these stories and are perfect for any age for those who enjoy this part of history highly recommend both books.
Thanks to net gallery and the publishers for my honest and independent review

As with the other book, this book is great for an introduction into Greek Myths from Edwardian and Victorian storytellers and beginning of the 20th Century.

If however you know a bit more about myths, this is more of an introduction book.

Greek Myths: Heroes and Heroines, edited by Jean Menzies
Publication date: 20 June 2023
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4 stars
Thank you to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for providing me with an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
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As a companion to Greek Myths: Gods and Goddesses, Jean Menzies has brought together in this book eleven retellings of famous Greek Myths from the late 19th and early twentieth centuries about the interplay between mortals and their gods in stories of love, betrayal, infatuation and punishment.
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As I mentioned in my review of Gods and Goddesses, I really enjoy learning more about the original myths on which some of my favourite retellings are based on.
But what I found particularly interesting in this book is how the characters are - obviously - deeply influenced by their writers and the times they were written in. In Circe's Palace by Nathaniel Hawthorne, when Odysseus realises that Circe has enchanted his men and turned them into pigs, he pulls a sword on her. She is "almost killed by the mere fright," she and her maidens fall "on their knees, wringing their hands and screaming for mercy." How interesting to compare this to Madeline Miller's Circe, who is such a strong, capable and ruthless character, you would never imagine her on her knees begging a man for mercy or simply frightened at the sight of a sword.
This book also shows how mortals are at the mercy of the Gods' whims. If you are lucky like Pygmalion to have Aphrodite in your corner, you get to have a happy ending with your statue come to life. But if like Heracles/Hercules, you're unlucky enough to have Hera bear a never-ending grudge against you, you're sent from one life-threatening task to another because the Goddess is so desperate to be rid of you through no fault of your own.
Once again, this book is perfectly suited as an introduction to those myths as well as a deeper dive if you're already knowledgeable on the subject.
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Having enjoyed another of the authors books in this series, I am pleased that I also enjoyed reading Heroes and Heroines.
Heroes and Heroines features Victorian and Edwardian retellings of well-known stories from Greek myth such as the story of King Midas, Heracles (Hercules), Perseus and Icarus, along with some I had not heard before.
Given how long ago these stories were written, I was surprised and pleased to find that all of the stories were well written and easy to understand, so that a reader with no prior knowledge of the Greek myths could enjoy them, without needing to be bogged down by too much detail.

*Thank you to #NetGalley and the publisher for the copy of #GreekMythsHeroesandHeroines.

really enjoyed this collection of short accounts retelling of Greek myths by different authors in the Victorian/Edwardian period.. I knew many of these myths already, but not all, and I’d forgotten details of the ones I was familiar with. I found it an easy read (sometimes perhaps a little too much so), it would be suitable for school libraries too I think.

A nice collection of Greek myths with some of the more famous characters such as Perseus, Hercules and those I have not read before. These are well put together and should interest fans of the current genre of Greek mythology to gain an understanding of the myths behind the characters within these POV novels.

I've read a lot of collections of Greek Myths recently in my bid to find clear, concise retellings. This collection has hit the nail on the head. It's perfect for a school library and I will definitely use it extensively with my students.

Similar to the other title in this series, but this one focuses on the heroes of Greek Myths, and these stories were more familiar to me. That said, there was also plenty here I didn't know. With the current popularity of 're-telling of the Greek Myths, I think these books make a great addition to any library. Interesting to see the Victorian and Edwardian interpretation of these myths.

*Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a review copy in exchange for an honest opinion.*

I didn't really enjoy this one. I requested it when my social interest in Greek mythology was really high, and when I've gotten round to reading it, my interest has gone for the most part and I've not found myself wanting to read more.
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It's an interesting read, but not something I'd pick up again. I'm not always a fan of nonfiction, it has to be really informative to make me keep reading it, and this one for me didn't keep me wanting to learn more.
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Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Just brilliant! I was made aware of this release through Jean's YouTube channel and it didn't disappoint. A fantasy introduction to this amazing genre!

Complete disclosure here - I wanted to read both of these collections of Greek Myths to help with my desire to read more historical retellings. A few years ago I started to read Circe and despite three or four attempts I just couldn't get my head around it. I have never studied Greek Myths or any other classics at school so the characters, the names and the background were lost on me. I am still really determined to get back to it (and several others) so I thought these short stories would give me a better grounding.

There is a fantastic selection of stories in this volume - and I was especially pleased to see that one of the stories was 'Circe's Palace'. As well as a few other characters I had heard of, there were plenty of new names and tales for me to explore, my favourite of the fifteen being Icarus.

I won't lie, I had to take my time reading through the book. I still felt at times that I was out of my depth but for any fans of these myths it would be a lovely addition to a collection. I honestly feel like I have a much more solid background now to read more from this genre.

Perfect for fans of Greek mythology. This is a collection of short stories featuring heroes and heroines. The author put together 11 retellings of famous Greek myths. You'll find some favorites and some you're less familiar with. Highly recommended!

As a big fan of Greek mythology, this book certainly ticks all the boxes! A great selection of short tales from Ancient Greece, there’s the classics that we all know (or know of) but there are plenty in this book that I didn’t know.
The way the book is written is great and whether you’re familiar with Greek myths or a complete newbie, this is a great read.