When Mortals Dared to Challenge the Gods
Review of Stephen Fry's "Heroes" (2018)
You think your family has drama? Try being Perseus, whose grandfather locked his mother in a bronze chamber because a prophecy said her son would kill him. Or Orpheus, whose wedding day ended with his bride dying from a snake bite.
Stephen Fry's Heroes (2018) serves up classical mythology's greatest hits with a side of British wit and surprising empathy.
"The heroes of ancient Greece were not perfect, which is precisely why they're perfect for us."
If Mythos was about how the world was made and Troy was about how it was destroyed, Heroes is about the mortals who tried (and often failed) to leave their mark on it.
“Few heroes die peacefully in their beds after long lives filled with happiness.”
A Greek Greatest Hits Album
Fry handpicks the best-known hero myths from various ancient sources, including Ovid's Metamorphoses, Apollodorus's Library, and countless fragments of lost texts.
Perseus slays Medusa, Jason goes after the Golden Fleece, Heracles punches his way through twelve impossible labours, Theseus takes on the Minotaur.
He transforms these sometimes contradictory sources into coherent narratives that feel both ancient and surprisingly modern.
He gives each hero their moment in the sun, weaving their tales together into something larger: a portrait of human ambition, hubris, and the capricious cruelty of the gods.
Where Fry Shines
It’s all in the delivery. Fry is a natural storyteller, treating these myths less like solemn ancient texts and more like gripping, scandalous gossip.
Look at the dialogue between Perseus, Hermes, and Athena:
[Athena said:] “If your mind and spirit are directed to your task, everything else will follow. Relax.”
“But focus,” said Hermes. “Relaxation without focus leads to failure.”
“Focus without relaxation leads to failure just as surely,” said Athena.
“So concentrate . . .” said Perseus.
“Exactly.”
“. . . but calmly?”
“Concentrate calmly. You have it.”
Fry will pause to point out a god’s hypocrisy, highlight a fatal character flaw, or throw in a modern reference that somehow feels right at home in a story thousands of years old.
He describes Theseus as:
"the kind of hero who would definitely have his own YouTube channel"
And when describing Hercules's labours, he quips:
"If you think your performance reviews are tough, spare a thought for him."
To top it, unlike Troy, which is heavy with inevitable doom, Heroes is fun. These are adventure stories, full of action, clever tricks, and narrow escapes.
Even when tragedy strikes—and it often does—there’s a sense of playfulness that makes this book impossible to put down.
What might disappoint you
As with the other books in this series, sometimes Fry's witty asides can feel forced, like a history teacher trying too hard to be "down with the kids."
His attempts to connect ancient myths to modern references occasionally fall flat:
"Think of Medea as a cross between Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction and a graduate of Hogwarts."
And occasionally, the humour undercuts the gravity of certain moments.
Heracles' labours, to continue the example, are both brutal and tragic, but Fry’s wit sometimes makes them feel like a checklist of ridiculous errands rather than a doomed hero’s punishment.
These moments can jar readers out of otherwise immersive storytelling.
And if you’re looking for depth of character, you won’t find much. These heroes are mythic figures, not nuanced psychological portraits.
A notable exception is in his retelling of the Minotaur story, which makes you question who the real monster is.
"Heroes are only as great as the monsters they slay, but what makes a monster? Usually someone else's fear."
But these insights may be a bit too scarce for your taste.
Fry gives his heroes personality, but they remain larger-than-life, their motivations simple: kill the monster, win the prize, defy the gods, get punished.
“It is the fate of the young never to learn,” the centaur sighed. “I suppose it is arrogance and unwavering self-belief that propels them to their triumphs, just as surely as it is arrogance and unwavering self-belief that unseats them and sends them plummeting to their ends.”
If you want a novelistic reimagining, you’re better off with Madeline Miller’s Circe or Natalie Haynes’s A Thousand Ships.
The Verdict: A Rollicking Mythological Ride
What makes Heroes particularly relevant is how it highlights themes that still resonate: hubris, ambition, love, revenge, and the complicated relationship between parents and children.
“Myth can be a kind of human algebra, which makes it easier to manipulate truth about ourselves.”
After reading this book, you'll understand why these stories have endured for millennia – and why they're still worth telling today.
"We need heroes, not to solve our problems, but to help us face them.”
You might even start checking your family tree for divine ancestors.
Read Next:
If you enjoy these heroic tales, dive into Madeline Miller's Circe for a feminist perspective on Greek mythology.
For non-fiction, try Edith Hamilton's classic Mythology, which offers a more traditional but equally engaging take on these timeless stories.
And if you just want more of Fry’s effortless storytelling, Mythos, Troy, and The Odyssey are the perfect companions to this book.