Our Book Of The Month for August is Heroes by Stephen Fry. For our online Book Clubbers we have some questions below for you to get involved with. Either answer in the comments section or use as discussion points at your next Book Club. If you haven’t read the book check out our Lowdown all about it here.
Heroes – The Blurb
“Few mere mortals have ever embarked on such bold and heart-stirring adventures, overcome myriad monstrous perils, or outwitted scheming vengeful gods, quite as stylishly and triumphantly as Greek heroes.
In this companion to his bestselling Mythos, Stephen Fry brilliantly retells these dramatic, funny, tragic and timeless tales. Join Jason aboard the Argo as he quests for the Golden Fleece. See Atalanta – who was raised by bears – outrun any man before being tricked with golden apples. Witness wily Oedipus solve the riddle of the Sphinx and discover how Bellerophon captures the winged horse Pegasus to help him slay the monster Chimera.
Filled with white-knuckle chases and battles, impossible puzzles and riddles, acts of base cowardice and real bravery, not to mention murders and selfless sacrifices, Heroes is the story of what we mortals are truly capable of.“
Discussion Points
The following are written with the presumption you have read Heroes. If you haven’t, bookmark the post and come back to answer the questions later.
- Had you read Fry’s first book about Greek Myths, Mythos, prior to reading Heroes? Did it matter? Are you now tempted to read it if you haven’t already done so?
- Which was your favorite myth that Fry retold?
- We are taught the myths at school, they come up time and again in crosswords or quizzes and there are numerous books about them. How accessible was Fry’s retelling? How memorable?
- In the Afterward Fry talks about the myths and their basis in truth. What, if any, parts of the myths do you believe are true?
- How are the women in Heroes represented? How much is this Fry’s representation and how much is it the Greek Myths in general?
Get Involved
Feel free to answer as many of the questions as you want. Post your replies below, discuss with us on social media using @BookSocialUK, or pose some questions of your own. If you enjoyed the questions, have a go at last month’s Get Involved: The Accident on the A35.
And come back tomorrow to read our #BigReview of Heroes.