Gods and Mortals

Ancient Greek Myths for Modern Readers

By: Sarah Iles Johnston

Narrated by: Vivienne Leheny

An enticing and entrancing new telling of ancient Greek myths

Gripping tales that abound with fantastic characters and astonishing twists and turns, Greek myths confront what it means to be mortal in a world of powerful forces beyond human control. Little wonder that they continue to fascinate readers thousands of years after they were first told. Gods and Mortals is a major new telling of ancient Greek myths by one of the world's preeminent experts. In a fresh, vibrant, and compelling style that draws listeners into the lives of the characters, Sarah Iles Johnston offers new narrations of all the best-known tales as well as others that are seldom told, taking listeners on an enthralling journey from the origin of the cosmos to the aftermath of the Trojan War.

Some of the mortals in these stories are cursed by the gods, while luckier ones are blessed with resourcefulness and resilience. Gods transform themselves into animals, humans, and shimmering gold to visit the earth in disguise—where they sometimes transform offending mortals into new forms, too: a wolf, a spider, a craggy rock. Other mortals—both women and men—use their wits and strength to conquer the monsters created by the gods—gorgons, dragons, harpies, fire-breathing bulls.

Gods and Mortals highlights the rich connections between the different characters and stories, draws attention to the often-overlooked perspectives of female characters, and stays true both to the tales and to the world in which ancient people lived. The result is an engaging and entertaining new take on the Greek myths.

©2023 Sara Iles Johnston (P)2023 Recorded Books

Great read!

Most enjoyable and enlightening. Should be accessible to a modern audience and entertaining to a learned one.

Good quality and very informative

Straight forward without complication highly recommend it for people who want to learn more about greek myth

Do I pick Scylla (physical book) or Charybdis (audiobook)?

I was under the impression that this was written as a single cohesive story told chronologically. It is not. For example, Orpheus’ life and death is told about before the Argonauts myth is told (Orpheus was one of the Argonauts). I was pleased with the accuracy of many details, but there were too many that were made up by the author, Johnson. Some details from the original myths were outright changed! Although limited, I wasn’t a fan of the unnecessarily crude language or potty humor, either. It’s definitely lacking in sophistication. The narrator’s baby talk for Hermes and her nasally(?) voice for King Eurystheus didn’t do this book any favors. On the plus side, it comprehensively covers the many Greek myths! (If you’re not bothered by inaccuracies or just aren’t intimately familiar with the original myths, this would probably be a 3-star book instead of a 2-star book).