Tales of the Greek Heroes

From the mesmerising retelling of ‘The Coming of the Immortals’, to the gripping tale of Zeus’ gorgon-slaying son Perseus and the adrenaline-filled exploits in ‘The Quest for the Golden Fleece’, Green’s stories are packed full of warriors, princesses, heroes and heroines, all tackling monsters such as the Gorgons, Cyclops, Scylla and Charybdis, in far-flung adventures.

Green’s gift is to draw on the most authoritative classical Greek authors – Homer, Ovid, Apollonius of Rhodes – representing 2,000 years of Greek literature, and present them in simple but exciting language for readers of all ages. While other collections depict the stories in isolation, Green creates drama and tension by presenting his myths as a sequence of events, so that the Heroic Age is relived as a complete historical era.

Woven among the best-known myths – Perseus, Jason and Apollo – are briefer adventures, such as those of King Midas, and Orpheus and Eurydice. The result is a fascinating introduction to the characters (gods and mortals) and tales that comprise some of literature’s most important foundational texts.  

‘When it comes to myths, we should say, “according to Green”’

1. Stephen Fry, from the introduction

A great admirer of Green and a mine of mythological knowledge, we knew Stephen Fry would be perfectly suited to introducing our edition. His expertise adds a valuable historical prelude to the myths’ retelling and further confirms Green’s incredible skill.

Illustrator Romy Blümel’s clients include the New Yorker, Condé Nast Traveller and the Guardian Review, among others. Her illustrations are graphic and expressive, crammed full of Green’s mythical characters and their exploits. Her designs extend to the binding, with motifs depicting the myths, while her double-spread, full-colour map places the ancient tales in their geographical context.  

The Coming of the Immortals
Hermes and Apollo
The Story of Prometheus
How Zeus and Hermes Went Visiting
Typhon the Terrible
The Adventures of Dionysus
Perseus the Gorgon-Slayer
The Birth of Heracles
The Choice of Heracles
The Beginning of the Labours
The Story of Admetus
The Wanderings of Heracles
The Golden Apples, and the Hound of Hell
The Adventures of Theseus
The Quest of the Golden Fleece
The Return of the Argonauts
Meleager and Atalanta
The First Fall of Troy
The Battle of the Giants