Jason and Medeaby Apollonius of Rhodes
Published by Penguin
On Goodreads
My review:
"The Argonauts were terrified at the sight. But Jason planting his feet apart stood to receive them, as a reef in the sea confronts the tossing billows in a gale."
Apollonius of Rhodes certainly mastered storytelling, as this part of The Golden Fleece is full of flowing language suitable for a heroic tale of love and anguish. Jason and Medea captures the first meeting of Jason and Medea, but also how the gods were involved and how much detail went into planning before Jason and the Argonauts faced King Aeëtes's trials. I really enjoyed this snippet and I certainly want to read the whole The Golden Fleece some day.
However, I have one complaint about this Penguin Little Black Classic; it's a wee bit too much from the middle of the tale. Reader has to have some former knowledge about who Jason and the Argonauts were, and preferably a wee bit about King Aeëtes and Medea, and their relations to the Titans and gods. I didn't have too much difficulty to understand the connections and nods, but I also know a lot about Ancient Greek myths. But this complaint it about the editorial point, not about the story or Apollonius of Rhodes itself.
All in all, Jason and Medea was enjoyable read for me, and I'll definitely read more from Apollonius of Rhodes in the future.
4 of 5 stars
The Dolphins, the Whales and the Gudgeon
by Aesop
Published by Penguin
On Goodreads
My review:
I've been meaning to read Aesop's fables for quite some time, so when I saw the Little Black Classic The Dolphins, the Whales and the Gudgeon, I thought it was a perfect time to read a few of the fables and see if it's something I enjoy.
Aesop's fables are short and full of impact, and most of the times there's one sentence included to explain what's the aim of the fable. Some included in this collection are more poignant and influential than others, but I enjoyed the diversity of the fables. Some felt really familiar from my childhood, so I'm pretty sure I've heard some of them or adaptations of them.
I'll definitely pick up Aesop's full collection of fables at some point, and I enjoyed this Little Black Classic compilation. If you're looking for a taste of Aesop's writing and fables, then I definitely recommend this for you.
4 of 5 stars
The Fall of Icarus
by Ovid
Published by Penguin
On Goodreads
My review:
I have read my share of the Little Black Classics, most of them of the Ancient Greek myths, and I have to say that The Fall of Icarus is worst of them. Now, I haven't read Ovid's Metamorphosis, but it cannot be this confusingly written. Indeed, the blurb claims this collection is from two different chapters of Ovid's work, which means it's the editing that's atrocious. There is no breaks between myths, it's all compiled together in a manner that it's almost impossible to say when one ends and another begins.
Biggest disappointment is the tale of the fall of Icarus, which this was named after. It's covered within two pages! There is more of Theseus and his adventures here than about Daedalus and his son Icarus. The title is misleading, as simple as that.
In short, The Fall of Icarus is a mess. It's misleading, badly edited and hard to keep up where the myths change and what's currently happening. I don't recommend this one; if you want to pick up one of these, I'd recommend Aesop's fables or Apollonius of Rhodes' Jason and Medea, which are way better edited and actually make sense.
2 of 5 stars
The Dolphins, the Whales and the Gudgeonby Aesop
Published by Penguin
On Goodreads
My review:
I've been meaning to read Aesop's fables for quite some time, so when I saw the Little Black Classic The Dolphins, the Whales and the Gudgeon, I thought it was a perfect time to read a few of the fables and see if it's something I enjoy.
Aesop's fables are short and full of impact, and most of the times there's one sentence included to explain what's the aim of the fable. Some included in this collection are more poignant and influential than others, but I enjoyed the diversity of the fables. Some felt really familiar from my childhood, so I'm pretty sure I've heard some of them or adaptations of them.
I'll definitely pick up Aesop's full collection of fables at some point, and I enjoyed this Little Black Classic compilation. If you're looking for a taste of Aesop's writing and fables, then I definitely recommend this for you.
4 of 5 stars
The Fall of Icarus
by OvidPublished by Penguin
On Goodreads
My review:
I have read my share of the Little Black Classics, most of them of the Ancient Greek myths, and I have to say that The Fall of Icarus is worst of them. Now, I haven't read Ovid's Metamorphosis, but it cannot be this confusingly written. Indeed, the blurb claims this collection is from two different chapters of Ovid's work, which means it's the editing that's atrocious. There is no breaks between myths, it's all compiled together in a manner that it's almost impossible to say when one ends and another begins.
Biggest disappointment is the tale of the fall of Icarus, which this was named after. It's covered within two pages! There is more of Theseus and his adventures here than about Daedalus and his son Icarus. The title is misleading, as simple as that.
In short, The Fall of Icarus is a mess. It's misleading, badly edited and hard to keep up where the myths change and what's currently happening. I don't recommend this one; if you want to pick up one of these, I'd recommend Aesop's fables or Apollonius of Rhodes' Jason and Medea, which are way better edited and actually make sense.
2 of 5 stars
Great reviews! I'll have to check these out. I've been meaning to read more classics.
ReplyDeleteKrystianna @ Downright Dystopian