All three books in Stephen Fry's series about Greek myths and history are winners (Mythos, Heroes, Troy). I loved reading everything I could about that world as a child, and Stephen's retelling and exploration of those tales not only reminded me of "old friends" but filled in many gaps. Told in his own, very accessible voice (and read by the author), these books were a highlight of my year's reading. It was a treat while creating my own strange new world for my stories to be able to immerse myself in the tales of the gods and heroes of antiquity.
STEP INTO ANOTHER WORLD - OF MAGIC, MAYHEM, MONSTERS AND MANIACAL GODS - IN STEPHEN FRY'S MOMENTOUS SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER, MYTHOS
'A romp through the lives of ancient Greek gods. Fry is at his story-telling best . . . the gods will be pleased' Times ___________
No one loves and quarrels, desires and deceives as boldly or brilliantly as Greek gods and goddesses.
In Stephen Fry's vivid retelling, we gaze in wonder as wise Athena is born from the cracking open of the great head of Zeus and follow doomed Persephone into the dark and lonely realm of the Underworld.…
I met Carolyn Ives Gilman at Norwescon in Seattle. She was reading New Rock New Role, and enjoying it. We bonded over all things writerly. By the time I bumped into her again at Worldcon in Glasgow I had read Dark Orbit. It starts off seemingly as a classic deep space mission, but soon morphs into something quite magical. I found it a very successful blend of SF and F -- a feat that is by no means easy to pull off. Without giving spoilers, what the explorers encounter is really quite charming.
An Immense World is truly an eye-opening voyage of discovery. It illustrates, in detail, how different species experience the environment around them. Humans are sight-led. Dogs gain information through their noses. Spiders feel the world through their feet and webs. I found the whole premise of this book fascinating. Ed Yong gives detail after detail and example after example, all of which explore his theme. The book filled me with ideas as well as knowledge.
'Wonderful, mind-broadening... a journey to alternative realities as extraordinary as any you'll find in science fiction' The Times, Book of the Week
'Magnificent' Guardian
Enter a new dimension - the world as it is truly perceived by other animals.
The Earth teems with sights and textures, sounds and vibrations, smells and tastes, electric and magnetic fields. But every animal is enclosed within its own unique sensory bubble, perceiving only a tiny sliver of an immense world. This book welcomes us into previously unfathomable dimensions - the world as it is truly perceived by other animals.
With millions watching on live stream, a retired British school teacher running his heroic young battle-mage avatar, Daxx, and his teammates - Qrysta, an Asian American dual-wielding sword dancer, and Grell, an Australian Orc - win the World Championship of Sword and Sorcery.
Next thing he knows, he finds himself in the middle of a wilderness he doesn't recognize. Armed only with a crappy sword he has no idea how to use, and in beginner-level gear, he discovers, to his astonishment, that he is now his own avatar, Daxx. For real.
And so the adventure starts, leading to a quest far more challenging than any he has faced before, in which the stakes are not only the fate of the realm but their very lives.
