Heroes of Olympus

by Philip Freeman, Drew Willis (Illustrator), Laurie Calkhoven (Adapter)

Fast-paced and action-packed retellings of the most important Greek and Roman myths.

Ancient myths continue to have modern relevance—for thousands of years they have been the basis for plays, operas, paintings, and movies. And in these retellings from acclaimed writer and scholar Philip Freeman, classic tales from Greek and Roman mythology find new life and inspire aspiring writers, artists, and musicians. Adapted from the lengthier Oh My Gods and specially tailored to a younger audience, these irresistible stories of philandering gods, flawed heroes, and tragic lovers portray the fundamental aspects of humanity and are filled with entertaining drama and valuable insights.

Genres: Mythology, History, Nonfiction, Greek Mythology

352 pages, Hardcover

Published May 1, 2012

About the author

I teach Classics and Celtic studies at Luther College in the beautiful little town of Decorah, Iowa. I did my doctoral work at Harvard and taught at Boston University and Washington University in St. Louis before coming to Luther to help run the Classics department. I love teaching and see my writing as an extension of my work in the classroom. I hope you enjoy the books as much as I enjoyed writing them.

Reviews

[Michael Perrino · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has very different stories than other myths and are ver interesting.

[Kaila · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s been about 4/5 years since I started this book so I definitely need to read it again!

Having gone back to finish it the past few days, I found it a easy one to pick up as the book is not quite an in-depth story of all the myths, but enough to give you the gist which was perfect for me as I got to know all the terminology.

As a foundation to familiarizing oneself with Greek mythology, I feel this book does the job. With a lot of names and places that I’d never heard before, (and could sometimes barely pronounce), it was not an overwhelming read to get into the swing of things and with a better picture in mind, I look forward to more insightful and colorful tellings of these myths and all their magical chaos!

[Marsyee · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best Greco-Roman retellings out there. It was short, funny, in easily digestible chapters, complete, and just overall 10/10. Not to mention how stunning and eye-catching the illustrations are. One of my best buys, I would totally recommend this book whether you're new to Hellenistic tales or an old nerd for it. It's perfect for all ages and I just simply LOVE this book. Will reread for years to come!

[Carrie-Anne Rogers · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve had this book on my shelf for who knows how long. A decent overview of popular Greek myths for younger readers. Perhaps moves a bit too fast, name dropping and flying through classical tales, without giving readers enough detail to fully comprehend or process the story. Still, a good refresher on the biggest gods, heroes, and journeys.

[Rebecca Cairo · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF- This author somehow made Greek (and Roman) myth SO BORING— it’s basically just the gist of every tale without any of the juicy details so while it is an impressive collection in theory, I would much rather read almost anything else

[Hopkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leo

[Shankar · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is a complete guide to Greek mythology. It made me so familiar to Greek gods.

[lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is technically a reread.....but it's never been logged on Goodreads yet? So it isn't? Basically, I've read this book already a ton (before I knew GR was a thing).

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

The perfect book to bridge the gap between D'Aulaire and Hamilton, sadly without great color illustrations (which would have made it a much better book, I think). The stories will be nothing new to anyone who has gone through the mythology unit in grammar school but there's greater detail than that age group gets. There's also a good glossary of Who's Who, and an ok family tree (which could/should have been expanded).

My hope is that someone will do a similar project for Norse and Indian gods. Those stories are far less known by students these days, and with many schools pushing multicultural curriculum units those would really be a wonderful addition. Much better than the current A-Z Encyclopedias of [fill in the culture/country] Myths.

Copy provided by publisher.

[Jaime · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is a bit dry and leaves out all the juicy parts of Greek mythology (which is a HUGE part of Greek mythology), but it is informative and would be good for someone interested in Greek mythology. The images help a bit, but the stories themselves simply feel “dumbed down” to fit a younger audience. I would purchase it because it is informative, but I doubt any student would read it cover to cover. It would be used more as a source for research on a certain god or legend.

Price: 14.49
Suitability:Grades 5-8
Illustrations: black and white drawings
Genre: Non-fiction
Possible censorship issues: N/A
Call #: 398.2 FRE

[Sho Serrano · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about Greek and Roman gods. Some of the chapters involve human relationships with gods and goddesses. Many chapters involve the story of Zeus and even mortals changing to animals. It is a good book for people who wants to know about Greek and Roman gods and also people who know about Greek and Roman gods.

[tim harper · Rating 5 out of 5]

One story in Heroes of Olympus is the story of Pursus. Pursus is a young man and Athena hates Medusa. Pursus sends her on a quest to slay Medusa. Hernes gives some magical tools to defeat Medusa. Does he slay Medusa? Find out when you read this book!

[Stef · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought that this was a great book, and I feel very privilaged to have had the oppurtunity to read it :) I'd reccomend it to anyone with a vivid immagination and a childish sense of humor

[Mindy Sosa · Rating 4 out of 5]

read

[Jessica Wilhoite · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn't technically finish this book, but it's not really one you need to read cover to cover!

[Larissa L. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think the myths are pretty great. Warned; Be prepared for people to start randomly killing each other for anything. This was back in Ancient Greece, pretty crazy. Love it though!

[Tina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think it was pretty good, if you like to read myths about gods, cause I love mythology. But i think it is really good.!!

[Addie LeMaster · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting. I love how it hit on the main points of the stories not covering everything, but covered as much as it could.

[Mya Veenendaal · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE THIS MYTH BOOK!!!

[Mia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have read other Greek tales versions that I like better. This is well written but not my favorite version.

[Suchitaa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gets slightly weird, but better than most other Greek Mythology books

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

very concise and easy to read.

[Jaden Reasland]

I think that this book tells you a lot about what gods and goddess are and what they rule

[Avery Carlson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love mythology and this book is a wonderful collection of Greek and Roman mythology including the famous stories of the Trojan War and Odysseus.