After reading three volumes of the Olympians series by George O'Connor,
I've definitely become a fan of this series. The great thing about
reading this series is that you can read them in any order.
Description: Greek Gods as you've never seen them before!
The strong, larger-than-life heroes of the Olympians can summon lightning, control the sea, turn invisible, or transform themselves into any animal they choose. Superheroes? No! Greek gods. The ancient pantheon comes to explosive life in this new series where myth meets comic books. Epic battles, daring quests, and terrible monsters await readers within the pages of these books.
Volume 2, Athena: Grey-Eyed Goddess, is the tale of the goddess of wisdom and war, recounting her many adventures.
Review: O'Connor does a good job in summarizing Zeus's story for new readers. He also introduces the Fates who are the narrator's of this volume. Unlike Zeus's graphic novel, there is not a linear story told but rather a collection of vignettes of Athena's creation and birth story along with the story of Arachne and Perseus. Each story, in the end, tells how Athena added to her Aegis, which became her most powerful weapon. Plus there are two versions of why she took the name Pallas Athena.
The storytelling and artwork sucked in me in quickly. The myths are brilliantly told, highlighting the prism of emotion that the Greek gods inhibited. The physical characterizations and facial expressions bring the characters to life. There were also some new tales told that I did not know much about, which was great. There is also a lot of violence in this issue, which makes sense since Athena is the Goddess of War, however, there are no graphic details of blood and gore. My only hesitation of adding this graphic novel to a elementary or middle school collection would be the actual birth story of Athena. There is real no way around the fact that her father eat Athena's mother in hopes of avoiding a prophecy only to have her born inside his body and popping out of his skill.
Rating: 4 stars
Words of Caution: There is strong violence throughout the graphic novel, however, there is no graphic bloodshed depicted. Given the context of Athena's birthing story I would feel comfortable in recommending this graphic novel to strong Grade 6 readers and up.
If you like this book try: Olympians: Hera by George O'Connor, Heroes, Gods, and Monsters of the Greek Myths by Bernard Evslin, Mythology by Edith Hamilton
The strong, larger-than-life heroes of the Olympians can summon lightning, control the sea, turn invisible, or transform themselves into any animal they choose. Superheroes? No! Greek gods. The ancient pantheon comes to explosive life in this new series where myth meets comic books. Epic battles, daring quests, and terrible monsters await readers within the pages of these books.
Volume 2, Athena: Grey-Eyed Goddess, is the tale of the goddess of wisdom and war, recounting her many adventures.
Review: O'Connor does a good job in summarizing Zeus's story for new readers. He also introduces the Fates who are the narrator's of this volume. Unlike Zeus's graphic novel, there is not a linear story told but rather a collection of vignettes of Athena's creation and birth story along with the story of Arachne and Perseus. Each story, in the end, tells how Athena added to her Aegis, which became her most powerful weapon. Plus there are two versions of why she took the name Pallas Athena.
The storytelling and artwork sucked in me in quickly. The myths are brilliantly told, highlighting the prism of emotion that the Greek gods inhibited. The physical characterizations and facial expressions bring the characters to life. There were also some new tales told that I did not know much about, which was great. There is also a lot of violence in this issue, which makes sense since Athena is the Goddess of War, however, there are no graphic details of blood and gore. My only hesitation of adding this graphic novel to a elementary or middle school collection would be the actual birth story of Athena. There is real no way around the fact that her father eat Athena's mother in hopes of avoiding a prophecy only to have her born inside his body and popping out of his skill.
Rating: 4 stars
Words of Caution: There is strong violence throughout the graphic novel, however, there is no graphic bloodshed depicted. Given the context of Athena's birthing story I would feel comfortable in recommending this graphic novel to strong Grade 6 readers and up.
If you like this book try: Olympians: Hera by George O'Connor, Heroes, Gods, and Monsters of the Greek Myths by Bernard Evslin, Mythology by Edith Hamilton
Labels:
2014 YRHB Reading Challenge,
4 stars,
Graphic Novel,
Greek Mythology,
Olympians,
Retelling,
YA
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Yea, this is the kind of book that would have totally got me into mythology as a kid if I was a reluctant reader. This looks good.
Mythology, of any kind, has always been a favorite of mine. I love all the different spins on the gods and goddess. Glad this was a good read for you!