Synopsis:
In the beginning, everything was fine.* And then along came Zeus.
*more or less
Ahh Greek myths. Those glorious tales of heroism, honour and… petty squabbles, soap-opera drama and more weird sex than Fifty Shades of Grey could shake a stick at!
It’s about time we stopped respecting myths and started laughing at them – because they’re really very weird. Did you know Aphrodite, goddess of love and beauty, was born of some discarded genitals? Or that Hera threw her own son off a mountain because he was ugly? Or that Apollo once kidnapped a boat full of people while pretending to be a dolphin?
And let’s not even get started on Zeus – king of the gods, ruler of the skies and a man who’s never heard of self-control. In fact, if there’s one thing most Greek myths have in common, it’s that all the drama could have been avoided if SOMEONE could keep it in their toga…
Horrible Histories writer Susie Donkin takes us on a hilarious romp through mythology and the many times the gods (literally) screwed everything up! Stephen Fry’s Mythos by way of Drunk History, Zeus is a Dick is perfect for those who like their myths with a heavy dollop of satire.
“It’s about time someone called him out on all this.” – Hera, Goddess of Marriage, wife of Zeus
“Worst. Father. Ever.” – Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt, daughter of Zeus
“Oh yeah, focus on him. I never did anything wrong. Nothing to see here.” – Poseidon, God of the Seas, brother of Zeus
“Just a real dick, honestly.” – Many, many people
This book was a genuine laugh-out-loud delight to read. It’s probably considered heresy in some circles of mythology fans but I adored it.
Each chapter is a classic myth which features Zeus behaving in his traditional dick-ish style, starting from the beginning of Olympus and moving through until the demi-gods start coming onto the scene. The stories capture the essence of the characters and events, but is otherwise as off-the-wall silly and takes as many creative liberties as is possible while still being the same story.
My only concern with this book is that though the accessibility and silliness of the stories is timeless, there are a lot things that will date the text- references to Pinterest and Love Island, for example.
Regardless, it’s making stories that are about 4,000 years old relevant to readers right now that makes this book so awesome.
I love it. If you have even the most fleeting interest in Greek mythology, grab yourself a copy.
The Most Sublime 