by George O’Connor
Zeus: King of the Gods
First sentence: “In the time before time, there was nothing, Kaos.”
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!

Athena: Grey-Eyed Goddess
First sentence: “My sisters and I are the Moirae, also known as the Fates.”
Support your local independent bookstore: buy it there!

I don’t remember where I saw these two reviewed, but it sounded like an interesting approach to the stories of Greek mythology. So, as part of the Once Upon a Time challenge, I thought I’d give them a try.

To start with, these are beautifully drawn books. O’Connor imagines the gods in a way that’s both human and divine. They are larger than life — especially the Titans — but also very accessible. Zeus tells the story of the Titans, and Kronos (and I still can’t type these names without thinking of Percy Jackson!) as well as how Zeus came to be. The books aren’t interested in thinking about motivation of why they do things. It’s just the Gods, and they do things because they do.

Athena was the more interesting of the two books, however. Perhaps because Athena’s story is more interesting than Zeus’s? The book is framed as the Fates telling stories about Athena, including her origin story, which was fascinating (okay, it’s not one that I knew), as well as one about her fight with Pallas, the Aegis that she wears, and her quarrel with Arachne. No book on Athena would be complete without the Perseus and Medusa story, as well. The stories succinct without being choppy, and while it doesn’t give Athena a well-rounded personality, it does explain many of her different personality traits.

Perhaps the most interesting thing about the books are the fact sheets at the back. They tell, playing card style, facts about the gods (which day of the week, which planet, Greek and Roman names, etc.). Fascinating stuff. O’Connor also provides a reading list, places to go to find out more information about the gods as well as Greek and Roman culture.

Well worth the time.