I loved reading these stories. They were told in a vivid, new light, and it honestly felt like I was experiencing them for the first time. Robin Waterfield uses the fantastic imagery to her advantage, and the book itself was well structured. I highly recommend this as a read. ( )

I'd bought this book a couple of years ago, and tried to read it twice before. Both times I was using it as a palette cleanser between books, reading a chapter at a time if I didn't want to jump back into another novel straight away. This works well in theory, but I kept forgetting where I'd put the darned thing!

So this time I decided to read the whole thing in one go (well, over the course of two days, but you get the idea...). There was just one problem with this approach... The book is - rather amazingly - incredibly boring!
I LOVE Greek mythology. It's a rich a varied source of stories that should be able to entertain endlessly. Unfortunately, this book was so dry and matter-of-fact that entertaining just did't come into it. The knowledge is all there, but the story-telling ability is sadly lacking. Compare it to, say, Neil Gaiman's Norse Mythology, and the difference couldn't be more obvious. Of course, Gaiman is a storyteller by trade, and Waterfield is a historian who happens to write books. Apparently there really is a difference! ( )

An amazingly evocative and eloquent introduction to the stories of Greek mythology. What is doubly impressive is that the writers also manage to make the book quite comprehensive: the only story that I can think of which was omitted was that of Narcissus and Echo. Every other myth that I am familiar with was covered, even if for some it was only a paragraph or so, and rest assured that the more important myths (such as the Labours of Heracles, the Trojan War and the Odyssey) are given their own lengthy chapters. It is remarkable that Robin and Kathryn Waterfield managed to fit in all these stories into such a small book: The Greek Myths, in my paperback edition at least, clocks in at just under 300 pages. (As a note on this, I have also had a good look at the hardback edition of the book. Though I was satisfied with the paperback edition, the hardback is much more impressive, with a great design and illustrations. If the gods could send me back in time like Heracles, I'd buy the hardback instead.)

Basically, if you have an interest in Greek mythology you'll gorge yourself on the Waterfields' book, even if sometimes you can be overwhelmed by all the names and the family ties. I've loved these stories since I was very young; the Usborne Illustrated Guide to Greek Myths and Legends was one of my most cherished possessions as a kid, and its illustrations are still my go-to reference point when imagining the heroes and the mythical beasts. Even so, there were still some things which came as a surprise to me. As a kid, I somehow always seemed to miss the bestiality element of the Minotaur story (see Pasiphae on page 125 of the Waterfields' book) and if I ever knew Heracles went around dressed as a woman (pages 162 and 165) I'd since forgotten it. The Waterfields present to us a warts-and-all retelling of the myths, and don't shy away from awkward stuff like the lower-class status of women and some of the heroes' more morally-suspect acts of violence. But, though disturbing, your brain sanitises it and accepts it as part of the story much as it would the gruesomeness of a Brothers Grimm story.

Aside from just providing an extremely readable account of the Greek myths, the Waterfields also gently introduce into the prose some analysis of the meaning behind the stories. As they mention in their Introduction, often these stories were meant as education as well as entertainment. Whilst the main moral of the Greek myths as a whole seems to be "don't mess with the gods", the Waterfields also convincingly suggest in their final chapter a much more life-affirming message which deserves to be read in their own words rather than summarised in this review.

But in the same lines, the Waterfields also remind us of something which, as I've grown older, I've come to find very interesting: in many ways, the Olympian gods are the bad guys. Maybe not villains as such, but they are often petty, jealous and fickle, and manipulate mortals for their own amusement. As the writers point out, it is Prometheus the Titan who is benevolent and paternal towards humankind; the Olympians do their best to ensure mortals are dependent on them. This is why they were so angry that Prometheus gave man the gift of fire. It is this often-adversarial relationship which I find most stimulating nowadays, though I of course still enjoy the stories simply for the adventure. It adds a whole new level of enjoyment for me - a satisfaction which the Waterfields are completely successful in fostering. It is why I find the Greek myths more endearing than, say, the Biblical myths. Note, for example, the role of Prometheus and Epimetheus in the creation of mankind (page 3). In contrast to the Biblical myth of Adam and Eve, in which man is created in God's own image, Epimetheus creates human beings as a 'foolish mistake'; they are in essence just a leftover lump of clay with no way of surviving in the harsh world until Prometheus chooses to nurture them. The gods are indifferent, and often antagonistic; humans are, to them, alternately a pest or a threat to their own dominance. It is this lack of hubris on the part of the ancient Greeks who first wrote these stories which I find very commendable; they didn't see themselves as God's chosen ones like the later Abrahamic religions did. Even though some of the Greek myths can be silly at times, our religion-dominated societies could learn a lesson in humility from these stories.

For this reason and for many others, the Greek myths have retained their relevance and influence throughout human history. Along with the Bible and the works of William Shakespeare, they are the dominant reference point for art and culture, and indeed were a major influence on both the Bard and the Bible's scribes. They are immensely important and immensely exciting, and the Waterfields have provided a book which impresses both the importance and the excitement of the stories on the reader. The book is eloquent, comprehensive and clearly written by two people with great love for their subject matter. For those looking to dip their toe into the rich waters of Greek mythology, I can hardly conceive of a more perfect book than this. ( )

This is a re-telling of the whole range of ancient Greek myths by a renowned classicist. While these are, of course, in themselves great timeless stories, the writing style is quite matter of fact and does not necessarily make the events sound particularly exciting, e.g. the twelve labours of Heracles section read to me as for the most part rather a dull list. The near half of the book that covers the narrative of the Iliad and the Odyssey flowed more easily, no doubt in part because these stories are so familiar, rightly some of the most famous stories in Western literature. Great illustrations throughout though, and a useful bibliography for follow up reading. ( )