In any telling of the Greek myths, authors (or bards) are likely to fall into an interminable listing of names, titles, and places. Fry manages to avoid this while still encompassing the breadth and dazzling number of just how many gods, goddesses, nymphs, kings, queens, sons, daughters, and petty rivalries there are. It’s a wonder that the collective Greek thinking could maintain such a boggling number of stories.
Despite the lofty heights of the subject matter, Fry’s retelling is personable. He dots his text with witty asides, enough Shakespeare and poetry in the footnotes for a novella, and enough etymological explanations to gorge your curiosity.