Review: Greek Mythology: The Gods, Goddesses, and Heroes Handbook by Liv Albert

Posted April 15, 2021 by Stephanie in Reviews / 17 Comments

Title: Greek Mythology: The Gods, Goddesses, and Heroes Handbook: From Aphrodite to Zeus, a Profile of Who’s Who in Greek Mythology
Author: Liv Albert
Illustrator: Sara Richard
Publication: March 30th 2021 by Adams Media
Genre: Nonfiction, Greek Mythology
Find it on: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | Google Play | iBooks | Kobo
Rating: 5/5

Finally sort out who’s who in Greek mythology—from gods, goddesses, heroes, monsters, and everyone in between!

Greek mythology continues to appear in popular movies and books today but have you ever wondered about where these characters started out? Discover the origins of your favorite characters from Greek mythology with this collection of profiles to tell you who’s who in classical lore!

In Greek Mythology, you will discover the backstories of the heroes, villains, gods, and goddesses that enjoy popularity in today’s shows and films. With comprehensive entries that outline each character’s name, roles, related symbols, and foundational myths, you can get to know the roots of these personas and better understand the stories they inspire today. With this character-focused, handy reference, you will never be confused about Ancient Greece!

This was my highest anticipated book of the year and it was just as wonderful as I had expected it to be. I know Liv Albert from her hit podcast Let’s Talk About Myths, Baby (which you should all totally check out if you haven’t already) and I’m just so happy for her that this book has finally been released and that it turned out so amazing.

As the title suggests this book is about the gods, goddesses and heroes from Greek mythology. Not all of them, of course, because then this book would be an infinitely long one but all the major characters and stories are featured. It makes for a handy little handbook, indeed!

This wouldn’t be a book by Liv Albert if it hadn’t Liv’s particular gusto and humor for Greek mythology. She also doesn’t overly romanticize the stories or when the gods (like Zeus for example) assault women as so often happens in the myths. She says as it is. It’s stated in a more subtle way than on her podcast but I definitely wasn’t disappointed in that area at all. Also Liv is also the narrator for the audiobook.

Of course I also have to talk about and hype up the absolutely beautiful illustrations done by Sara Richard. I’m posting a couple of them below so you can all get a little taste. They are some of the most gorgeous illustrations I’ve ever seen in a book and I really loved Sara’s interpretetions of the myths and their characters. Just stunning!

Overall, Greek Mythology: The Gods, Goddesses, and Heroes Handbook by Liv Albert is an excellent introduction for those who aren’t too familiar with this topic but I’m more than sure it will also highly appeal to those who are already well-versed into all things Greek mythology. It’s well-written, funny and quite the page-turner too!

 

 


About the author:

Liv Albert is obsessed with Greek mythology. She has a degree in classical civilizations and English literature from Concordia University in Montreal and a postgraduate certificate in creative book publishing from Humber College in Toronto. In a past life she worked on other people’s books, negotiating contracts for a major publisher in Toronto. Liv started the Let’s Talk About Myths, Baby! podcast in 2017, growing it from the ramblings of a women in her living room to the ramblings of a woman in her den, where it is now one of the biggest independent podcasts in Canada with millions of downloads per year. She lives in Victoria, BC, Canada, in a mythology-filled apartment with her cat, Lupin.

Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Apple Podcasts | Spotify

 

About the illustrator:

Sara Richard is an Eisner and Ringo Award-nominated artist from New Hampshire. She has worked in the comic book industry for eight years, mainly as a cover artist. Before that, she was a toy sculptor at Hasbro, specializing in making tiny dinosaurs. Sara’s inspiration comes from Art Deco, Art Nouveau, 1980s fashion, and Victorian-era design. When not making art or writing, she’s watching horror movies, cleaning forgotten gravestones, and collecting possibly haunted curios from the nineteenth century. Her online gallery can be found at SaraRichard.com

Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

 

 

 

17 responses to “Review: Greek Mythology: The Gods, Goddesses, and Heroes Handbook by Liv Albert

  1. I actually just saw this book as an Instagram recommendation for me. I’m a huge fan of Greek mythology and this would definitely be something I would enjoy! Also thanks for sharing Liv Albert’s podcast, I need to check it out

  2. Those illustrations are amazing. I am wondering if there can ever be an overdose of Greek mythology books — or do these authors manage to bring up a fresh perspective/ additional information each time?

  3. I love the sound of this one – and as my grandson is studing Classical History at school this year, it sounds like an ideal book to get for him:)). Thank you for a lovely review!

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