Synopses & Reviews
When you think classics, think Puffin!
This edition of Tales of the Greek Heroes includes an introduction by New York Times bestselling author Rick Riordan!
Some of the oldest and most famous stories in the world?the adventures of Perseus, the labors of Heracles, the voyage of Jason and the Argonauts?are vividly retold in this single, connected narrative of the Heroic Age, from the coming of the Immortals to the first fall of Troy. With fresh dialogue and a brisk pace, the myths of this version are enthrallingly vivid.
Synopsis
Puffin Classics: the definitive collection of timeless stories, for every child.
Heracles hauling the triple-headed dog Cerberus from the underworld. Jason voyaging across oceans to seize the golden fleece. Odysseus and the Trojan wars. Tales of the Greek Heroes tells the mysterious and exciting legends of the gods and heroes in Ancient Greece.
Greek mythology has inspired stories for thousands of years, with tales of lost love and magic. Join our heroes in their journeys of resilience and revenge, guilt and love, and trials and betrayal.
This edition includes a special introduction by Rick Riordan, creator of the highly successful Percy Jackson series, inspired by the great Greek myths.
Synopsis
The mysterious and exciting legends of the gods and heroes in Ancient Greece, from the adventures of Perseus, the labours of Heracles, the voyage of Jason and the Argonauts, to Odysseus and the Trojan wars. Introduced with wit and humour by Rick Riordan, creator of the highly successful Percy Jackson series.
Synopsis
The fables of Aesop have become one of the most enduring traditions of European culture, ever since they were first written down nearly two millennia ago. Aesop was reputedly a tongue-tied slave who miraculously received the power of speech; from his legendary storytelling came the collections of prose and verse fables scattered throughout Greek and Roman literature. The fables and their morals continue to charm modern readers: who does not know the stories of the tortoise and the hare, and the boy who cried wolf? This translation includes two hundred fables.
Synopsis
Puffin Classics: the stories you love, the name you trust. A legend is born when young Arthur meets Merlin and draws the mighty sword from its stone. This spellbinding retelling brings to life King Arthur and the adventures of his Knights, from the quest for the Holy Grail, to the final tragedy of The Last Battle. This Puffin Classics edition includes an introduction by Printz Honor-winning author David Almond
Synopsis
This collection brings the world of Ancient Egypt to life with tales of journey and discovery. Among the many stories are the great myth of Amen-Ra, who formed all the creatures in the world; the entrancing tale of Isis, who searched the waters for her dead husband Osiris; and the miraculous story of the girl with the rose-red slippers, considered the first-ever Cinderella tale. Entertaining and enchanting, this is a timeless collection of the oldest stories in the world.
About the Author
Homer was probably born around 725BC on the Coast of Asia Minor, now the coast of Turkey, but then really a part of Greece. Homer was the first Greek writer whose work survives.
He was one of a long line of bards, or poets, who worked in the oral tradition. Homer and other bards of the time could recite, or chant, long epic poems. Both works attributed to Homer – the Iliad and the Odyssey – are over ten thousand lines long in the original. Homer must have had an amazing memory but was helped by the formulaic poetry style of the time.
In the Iliad Homer sang of death and glory, of a few days in the struggle between the Greeks and the Trojans. Mortal men played out their fate under the gaze of the gods. The Odyssey is the original collection of tall traveller’s tales. Odysseus, on his way home from the Trojan War, encounters all kinds of marvels from one-eyed giants to witches and beautiful temptresses. His adventures are many and memorable before he gets back to Ithaca and his faithful wife Penelope.
We can never be certain that both these stories belonged to Homer. In fact ‘Homer’ may not be a real name but a kind of nickname meaning perhaps ‘the hostage’ or ‘the blind one’. Whatever the truth of their origin, the two stories, developed around three thousand years ago, may well still be read in three thousand years’ time.