The Olympians Boxed Set (First Second Books)

The Olympians Boxed Set is collection of the first six graphic novels in the Olympians series. They are in paperback format in the boxed set. If you want to buy hardcovers, you'll have to buy individual titles. The individual titles in this set are Zeus, Athena, Hera, Hades, Poseidon, and Aphrodite. I would have probably published Hera second, but that is a personal preference. Each book is written and illustrated by George O'Connor. The books are written and illustrated beautifully. You see this not only on the pages themselves, but on the spine work. If you line up the spines of the first six books you see half of Medusa, so you know that the next six books will finish this picture. It's a little thing, but I love it when books don't change their format and provide you a visually appealing look on your shelf. Also, in this boxed set is a poster that The poster is beautifully drawn, but I honestly like the back of the poster better, as it shows a family tree, which is helpful for keeping gods and goddesses straight!

Even though, most people are familiar with mythological tales, I will provide you with a bit of information on Book 1: Zeus. It would have been easy to skip straight to Zeus as an adult god, but we would have missed a lot of mythology in doing so. Instead, the story starts with the creation, including Gaea and her husband Ouranos. We also see the creation of the Cyclops, Hecatonchires, and the twelve Titans. We then see the birth of Zeus' siblings, who are eaten by Kronos, followed by Zeus' birth. As you are all aware, Zeus is hidden and ultimately saves his siblings from the belly of their father. We then see an all out war between gods and Titans. The story-line flows very nicely, both in words and pictures. It really helps the stories come alive for younger readers, and is sure to appeal to boys who love comics!

At the end of every book is a bibliography, recommended reading (a feature I always love), and discussion question. All these useful features make the books perfect for teachers or homeschooling parents! If you grew up on D'Aulaires Greek mythology book, like I did and your kids are looking for a different illustration style of these classic tales then I recommend The Olympians Boxed Set. It is also a nice bridge between D'Aulaires and Bulfinch or Edith Hamilton. So whether your kids are Greek mythology veterans or novices, they are sure to enjoy this book. Be sure to look for #7 Ares and #8 Apollo!

This boxed set was provided to me for free by First Second Books in exchange for an honest review. If you found this review helpful, please click here and hit Yes!

The Science of Shakespeare (Thomas Dunne Books)

Shakespeare and his works have been analyzed for centuries. With so much mystery surrounding the man, and such controversy surrounding his works and authorship, we dissect his works and pick a key theme to analyze. Some people argue about which play is best. Others look for themes of religion and politics in them and how they played a role in his life. Others analyze his individual characters and how they reflect his view of mankind. Author Dan Falk is no different in picking an element to explore, except the element he's chosen is science. In his book, The Science of Shakespeare, the author looks at the Bard and his writings through the lens of the scientific revolution that followed the Renaissance.

The first thing one notices when reading this book is that the title is misleading. Instead of focusing on various fields of science, Falk focuses primarily on astronomy and the change from a geocentric worldview to a heliocentric world view. In fact the first hundred or so pages barely mention Shakespeare, if at all. Instead we learn about different astronomers, scientific theories, and speculations that Shakespeare could have met them or read their writings. These were interesting chapters that made you at least pause and think. After this, there is a chapter on medicine and a chapter on magic. It would have been great if there had been more devoted to other sciences.

The last chapter of the book provided the most trouble for me. In this chapter, Falk made the mistake that many people make and equated science with atheism. He tries and in my opinion fails to make a case that Shakespeare was an atheist. It's a shame the book took this route, especially given the fact that he discouraged people from buying into fringe theories, and it seems he did just that. It is widely accepted the Shakespeare was Christian, and perhaps even a secret Catholic (secret because Catholics were persecuted in England during this time). Overall, I wasn't too impressed with this book. It felt like Falk tried really hard to make his theories fit to suit his book. It also was a 300+ page book that could have been condensed to 100 pages. I'd give this book 2.5 stars.

This book was provided to me for free by Macmillan Publishers in exchange for an honest review.