mythology and mainers
344667
A friend of mine referred to Swell's Orange Whippey as "one of the greatest anti-heroes she has ever had the pleasure to know" - She was right, Orange is as likeable an underdog as WWII-era bugs bunny.
Wrought with mythologies as vast as the Atlantic herself, bugs bunny becomes Odysseus.
This book rules.
1204008
The book reads well and interesting.  Would suggest this for anybody.  Interesting people and interesting places in this book with mythical creatures too.
1086471
Very nice blend of history and mythology. Helen has nightmares of events she is determined to prevent. She feels she has to avoid an arranged marriage. She enlists the aid of very strong unmarried king. The plot development is very different and  events are mixed trying to satisfy gods and please the people. But all of this is in a historical context. The final chapter is a little open ended.
4057591
Recommend this book to anyone who enjoys mythology and suspense in their reading. Looking to reading the next book in the series.
4593901
I KNEW VERY LITTLE ABOUT THE NORTHERN COUNTRIES OF THE WORLD AND THEIR RESPECTIVE MYTHS.  THIS BOOK PROVIDES THE MISSING LINKS IN MY LIFE.  VERY NICE DESCRIPTIONS OF THE NORTH MYTHS.  ENJOYED THE READ.
1086355
This book is not for the casual reader, or one wanting a dramatic narrative of the Salem witch trials.  Author Mary Beth Norton has almost no interest in whether the accusers or alleged witches were real, hysterical, sick, or faking.  She focuses on the tangled relationships among the participants, reaching decades before and hundreds of miles away from Salem.

Norton finds the seeds of the witchcraft trials in frontier wars among English settlers, French, and Native Americans during the 1670s-80s in what is now Maine.  A number of the afflicted girls were refugees from Maine and lost family there.  Some of the accused witches had been their neighbors in Maine or fought there.  Some were rumored to have aided the settlers enemies.  Their religion led people to see the judgment of God, the hand of Satan, or both, at work in the conflict.  The author describes the witchcraft trials in Salem in the context of the fear and distrust engendered by these wars.

Given the tangle of relationships, the book itself sometimes gets tangled.  Accused become accusers, and evidence changes between accusation, grand jury, and trial.  She cant help the large cast and confusingly similar names, and she has included useful appendices.  Nonetheless, it makes for slow going.  The book is thoroughly researched and footnoted.

Definitely read this if you are interested in the historical period, but not if you're looking for a good read.

(I bought this at a used book sale)
1321418
Enjoyed the intertwining of fact and mythological lore. Anyone interested in jazz, UFOs, war, and living forever should pick it up and read it.
2836875
As the extention of the title says, Begin Your Quest for Facts, Photos, and Fun Fit for Gods and Goddesses

What could be more exciting than reading and learning about all those amazing Mythological beings, especially illustrated in brilliant colour! This is an amazing book that fits many categories. Even this grandmother learned from it! Readers will learn mythological origins, why these origins came to be, how they evolved and changed over the years and what the main purpose of each was. What is more, we will all learn the equivalent myths from around the world, and how some myths became blended. But that is not all. There are demi-gods (half-human), deities, demons, heroes and helpful demons. Also the book will connect the mythological beings with their original geographical locations. Myths were a way of learning about the world, why nature does certain things, and how they protect us.

But mythology is ever growing. It does not stay still. As the human race progresses, so does the evolution of myths, changing with the times. I found this book to not just be informative, but to be very interesting, containing various projects for children and teens to do  and also the family trees of the earliest mythological beings and how they crossed to other races to keep the stories going. A cross-section of very old worlds and their own mythological beasts are sufficient to pique the interest of children 8 and up. Some wording may be a little difficult for younger readers due to some of the words used to describe their places in historical mythology from the Romans, Greeks, Hindi, South American, African, Wales, Australia, Asia, North American and more. Otherwise I would recommend it at any age. Author Blake Hoena and National Geographic Explorer Dr. Adrienne Mayor have done an excellent and enjoyable presentation with this book. The book I reviewed was in paperback but it also comes in hardcover and Kindle. I received this book in exchange for an honest review. The review and rating are based on my own perception.
102683
I received this book from goodreads giveaway.

I really liked this book. Would be good for anyone who likes mythology mixed with the present.
2584614
Troy: Lord of the Silver Bow was recommended to me when I posted a "what to read next" note on a bulletin board. I love stories based on mythology (Mary Renault, Margaret George's Helen of Troy) etc. This book is sort of a man's book in the sense that it is filled with battle tactics for fights large and small. The main characters are men, except for the beautiful Andromache, who is to be taken to Troy to marry Hector.

The author provides excellent details about ancient life and the sea-going dangers of sailors, merchants, and pirates. The visions of Troy in its shining magnificence are memorable.

I would have enjoyed a little more romance and a more direct as opposed to circuitous route to the story of Priam and his son, Aeneas.

Nevertheless, it is a good read, and certainly filled the bill of my request.
3560477
Enjoyable read especially for fans of mythology.
4209966
The myth(s) of Odysseus are brilliant and complex. A Margaret Atwood re tells the tale(s) well, and invites us readers to open our psyches to the forgotten, the barbaric, the possible, and the creatives energy that is the REAL point of our own mythic lives, always lived in the eternal Now..
2264828
This book is well worth purchasing. It was originally published as Bullfinch's Age of Fable in 1855. It was rewritten and republished by Edward Everett Hale after the American Civil War. It was rewritten and enlarged by Gayley in 1893 and has been in print ever since. It has been in print because its review of Greco-Roman myths is so useful to those studying literature, poetry, or art.  Indeed, it is available on Amazon from different publishers.

Part one coves myths of gods and heroes; creation myths, the heavenly gods, the earth gods, and the gods of the waters and the underworld. It covers the Trojan War, the wanderings of Ulysses and of Aeneas, and the war between the Trojans and the Latins. Remembering those who love music, it even covers the Norse gods, old Germanic heroes, and what you need to know to appreciate Wagner's Ring Cycle opera.

Part two looks at the history of these myths and their distribution throughout the world.

The last part is a commentary on the earlier parts which Gayley added to the earlier work. Its function is to point out problems in the earlier text, poems that were not mentioned in the other sections, and to notice ancient or modern sculptures that are relevant.

Lastly, there is a very full index of mythological subjects and a second index of modern authors and modern artists. With these two indexes, you may not need to purchase the Oxford Classical Dictionary or the Oxford Companion to Classical Literature, although I find it useful to have all three on my reference shelf. That said, I may add that Classic Myths does what the above two books do not: it provides a narrative discussion of the myths whereas they break the myths up into short entries as befits a dictionary or encyclopedia.
4121018
This book tells you what we do know and don't know about Norse mythology. It introduces the myths and their sources.

I like to learn about these legends, they are my "Roots".
1077981
The compilation of many diverse writers, poets, and others who contributed to Maine's early historical and cultural development was extremely well done by the Shains.  It gave me a newly found appreciation of my native state, the Great State of Maine!  Well done!
569300
Some very good stories in the Cthulhu mythos  tradition.  Some I had read, but many were new to me.  Glad I purchased this book.  If you like tales from H. P. Lovecraft and many who added to his mythos, you will probably enjoy this book as well.
3529868
A very good read for leisure. The storyline is easy to follow and characters are from the mythologies. Looking forward to the next book!!