Graphic Novel Review: THESEUS AND THE MINOTAUR

THESEUS AND THE MINOTAUR is a graphic novel adaptation of the myth and legends of the Greek hero, Theseus. The book tells the story of both Theseus and the Minotaur, beginning with their somewhat unusual births until their fateful meeting in the Labyrinth of Crete. The book also tells about Theseus' journey home after meeting the Minotaur. The end of the book contains a visual reference guide that provides more information about key characters in the story. In addition, there is an illustrated index at the very end of the book that provides more information about almost all of the characters discussed in the book. Lastly, there phonetic pronunciations for most of the names and places in notes at the bottom of each page. These notes provide readers a valuable service so they can correctly pronounce names and places. THESEUS AND THE MINOTAUR has a suggested reading level for children ages 8 and older. I enjoyed the book's illustrations. Overall, THESEUS AND THE MINOTAUR is a faithful graphic adaptation of the stories of Theseus that works well for introducing middle-aged children (around 4^th grade) to Greek mythology.

Graphic Novel Review: ATHENA: GREY-EYED GODDESS

Written and illustrated by George O'Connor, ATHENA: GREY-EYED GODDESS is the second volume in a graphic novel series entitled "The Olympians" that tells the story of the ancient Greek gods and their mythology. ATHENA isn't an origins story, although there is a very brief introduction that summarizes the events of the first volume in the series (ZEUS: KING OF THE GODS). Instead, ATHENA is a story narrated by the Fates that tells four distinct tales about Athena: how she came to possess Zeus' aegis, how she defeated the giant Pallas, what she did with Medusa's decapitated head after Perseus used it, and her weaving contest with Arachne. The stories are each different and reveal distinct characteristics of Athena. Although the book doesn't strictly follow some of the more canonical elements with certain Greek myths, the book does an excellent job of combining many of those varying and sometimes conflicting stories into a unified whole. Although tastefully done, ATHENA doesn't shy away from the violence contained in many of these ancient tales. The tales of Athena are wonderfully illustrated and lend themselves well to the visual medium of a graphic novel. The inside of the book contains a genealogical chart which is extremely useful while reading these tales of Greek mythology. At the end of the book, there is a note from the author, some notes about the text, a few charts about various characters in the story (Perseus, Medusa, and the Fates), a bibliography, and some discussion questions. ZEUS: KING OF THE GODS was the origin story of the universe of the Olympian series and I like the way the series is progressing, now focusing on just one Olympian each. Overall, ATHENA: GREY-EYED GODDESS is a great book that anyone with an interest in Greek mythology is sure to appreciate.

Graphic Novel Review: ZEUS-KING OF THE GODS

Written and illustrated by George O'Connor, ZEUS: KING OF THE GODS is the first in a graphic novel series entitled "The Olympians" that tells the story of the ancient Greek gods and their mythology. ZEUS: KING OF THE GODS isn't just an origin story about Zeus. It's also an origin story about the creation of the universe and the world according to the ancient Greeks: from Kaos came Gaea (Mother Earth), from Gaea came Ouranos, and from Ouranos & Gaea came Kronos, and from Kronos came Zeus. ZEUS: KING OF THE GODS explains what happened to Zeus' ancestors, how Zeus freed his siblings, and the war that raged between Zeus and Olympians and the Titans. Although tastefully done, the story doesn't shy away from the violence surrounding the creature of the universe. The story is wonderfully illustrated and lends itself well to the visual medium of a graphic novel. At the end of the book, there is a note from the author, some notes about the text, a few charts about various characters in the story (Cyclopes, Metis, and Kronos), a bibliography, and some study questions. Overall, ZEUS: KING OF THE GODS is a great book that anyone with an interest in Greek mythology is sure to appreciate.