Lust, Chaos, War, and Fate - Greek Mythology: Timeless Tales from the Ancients

by Zephyros Press, Jason Boyett

Mythology is not about the past. The past is what’s behind us and that’s not where mythology really exists. The big daddy of mythology hails from ancient Greece—and whether we realize it or not, Greek mythology influences the western world of today.

If you have ever seen the Atlantic Ocean, if you love the wonders of stargazing, if you’ve dreamed of being in the Olympics, or made reference to Pandora’s Box—then you have been influenced by Greek mythology.

The Greeks were not a boring bunch, and their mythology was no different! Greek Timeless Tales from the Ancients is a smart, fun, compulsively readable overview of the Greek's favorite characters and tales. These myths are filled with sex, violence, drama, lies, monsters, hubris, journeys, and just about anything else you can think of! This modern guide to favorite Greek myths



Overviews of legendary Greek mythology figures and their Roman counterpartsThematic, rousingly written overviews of the 50 most popular Greek myths such as “The Birth of Athena” to “Perseus and Medusa”A complete index of gods and goddesses, heroes and humans told through lively, easy-to-understand narratives

Part reference and all rousing read, Greek Timeless Tales from the Ancients brings ancient Greek mythology to life and leaves the scholarly footnotes behind. Strap on your winged sandals and get ready for a journey through the ancients.

Genres: Mythology, Nonfiction

268 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 21, 2016

Reviews

[SOMDReigel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting, Entertaining, and Educational
Greek myths are ancient, influential, and challenging. This book explains it in a short and to the point kind of way. It’s a reference book but a readable, entertaining reference book. The Book is separated into two sections – the characters and the myths. It includes a family tree and a map. The bios are brief, detailed, gives historical significance, and their relevance today. It gives a good understanding of the characters. The myths are old but still entertaining. We get an overview of where the characters came from, who they became, and how the world changed around them. The author gives a fun lesson learned and alternate versions. Both young and old will benefit from this book. This book is good to sit down and read it through and then easy to pick up and use as a reference. I’m very happy to have this on my bookshelf.
*Paperback copy provided by Callisto Publishers Club

[b e a c h g o t h · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect book for anyone trying to decipher the mystery of Greek Mythology. Because of a lot of the "Chinese whispers" that happened when the Greek myths were told from generation to generation, it's so hard to make sense of who came from who and how, but this book explains everything perfectly, giving all different versions of each God, Goddess and Deity and it's written in layman's terms making it not only interesting but understandable too.
My future kids are definitely reading this.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was perfection. Humerous, descriptive, and very informative. It is amazing how much mythology has influenced modern language. The stories are all so wild and entertaining as well. I will definitely reread this book in the future! I wanted a book that used more modern language to tell the myths, and this hit the nail on the head. It also cited references and offered other materials to read.

[Melody Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an easy reference read. Not direct stories retold as you would read like Ovid, but a general overview of the stories, characters and reference as to how they reflected in history, roman times usage and modern times usage. A nice reference for those who already are familiar with Greek myth, and a quick overview for those who can't quite get through the Classics.

[Trystan Davies · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great introduction

I like these these kinds of books as they make subjects that appear overwhelming and intimidating accessible for the uninitiated. I liked the down to earth approach and humour.

[Kristina Moses · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought it was a fun intro book about the Greek gods. 3 stars instead of 4 because the stories in the second half of the book were for the most part already told in the part of the book about each god.

[Tsedaniya Delnessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Greeky

I am a person who wishes to pursue Greek mythology and lean more about both Greek and Roman mythology, this book really did further my knowledge.

[Karley Essington · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had a hard time reading this book, it got so boring. I was reading the same information over and over again. It could have been 50 pages.

[Jesse Jost · Rating 4 out of 5]

Concise and entertaining, and great intro or review of greek mythology. Not graphic, but not for kids, either.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very repetitive for a sit down and read the whole book. It might be useful as a reference for young adults.

[Hex · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love how everything is broken down into easy to read and understand sections I've never realized how much is still inspired by Greek myths

[Brenda Ellis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mythology for Dummies!

Funny, entertaining and informative. This book made me laugh out loud at the exploits of the gods and humans. It brings the Iliad and the Odyssey to life. All the myths we think we know are set out in a simple format. I truly enjoyed this book.

[Kara’s Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

A humorous and informative guide to Greek mythology.

Perfect for beginners to learn the basics about the gods, the myths, hero’s and villains, and the settings.

Also bonus points for the kick ass cover.

5 ⭐️

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this because I had a lot of Greek Mythology adaptations I wanted to read but my knowledge of the original stories is kind of lacking. This seemed like a quick and easy way to refresh the myths and heroes for myself.

And it was. I did enjoy it very much but it also felt vaguely repetitive and almost too simplified. Then again, that is what I was looking for so I can't really say why this is a 4 for me.

Though part of it may have been that Achilles and Patroclus were referred to as "friends" the whole time lol

[Jacky · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was sent a free copy of this book for the purpose of this review.

This book is a great read for anyone who loves mythology or is even curious. Novice or not, you'll get a complete overview and backstory of some of the most popular Greek and Roman mythological figures. The author is very detailed and makes it easy to understand the many connections between all the different people and places with a color coded family tree, a map and complete descriptions. This is a lot more fun and interesting to read than most stories you may have had a chance to read in school. My husband and I both really enjoyed this book and will be sending it off to my niece for her to enjoy.

[Katlyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

One thing I have to comment on.. nowhere on the cover, title page or any page in the book does it say that it is called the Fates and the Furious. So that is confusing the hell out of me.

Besides that, this book was wonderful. It read like an older Percy Jackson was narrating it. Very modern, very short and to the point. And very entertaining. I read about some classics that I already loved and also learned certain details I had never heard before. All in all a wonderful read to new and old lovers of Greek mythology.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is extremely well written.
(yes, it's me, I typed those words, I haven't been kidnapped)

It is witty, clear, and organized. It has helpful supplemental info. It is slim yet comprehensive.

I wanted to learn some Greek mythology because I had forgotten everything from that semester of middle school that apparently everyone else remembers. This book did the trick and now I can answer the questions on Jeopardy again!

No srsly the author is super funny tho...

[Racheal Miller · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author uses identical sentences repeatly. I did not find the humor as witty as the author clearly wanted it to be.

This would be a good children's book or book for someone who has never heard of Greek mythology.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, as it was descriptive of each greek myths . I highly recommend it.

[John Pitcock · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not as Expected

I had to drag myself through this because it was dull and repetitive. I was hoping for less overview and more of the myths/tales.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good peak into the characters and stories of Greek mythology. A good overview with some details and characters not commonly seen.

[ℳᶰᵉᵐᵒˢʸᶰᵉ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved just reading bits about Greek mythology.
These stories are timeless and I never get tired of hearing them.

[Bea☀️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty basic information, I already knew most of it before. But a good refresher on Greek mythology.

[liber lover · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent intro to Greek mythology, but lacking some of the better myths and better or more interesting versions.

[Vendula Kreplová · Rating 3 out of 5]

Četla jsem daleko lepší knihy o řecké mytologii. Mým favoritem zůstává Greek Mythology od Liv Albert. Boyett se v knize hodně opakuje a ve stejnou dobu vynechává něco z těch záživnějších věcí.