Wednesday, January 29, 2020

The Hero with 1000 Snarky Remarks

A friend of mine recently brought up Zeus Grants Stupid Wishes by Cory O'Brien while we were building Magic: the Gathering decks, and I found out the library had a copy.

So, where to start with this.

While the title suggests retelling of Greek mythology, O'Brien retells almost globally, including snarky retelling from several civilizations including a few modern ones. (One could quibble and say Paul Bunyon isn't really a myth, as much as advertising, and whether or not L. Ron Hubbard is meant to be taken at face value...)

Anyway.

Of the mythos he has stories in that I have familiarity with, he does a good job for the most part (I had quibbles with a few, in particular, his retelling of Gilgamesh and Enkidu is all about murder and manliness, and leaves out all the man on man action among the murder.)

Much of his retelling is really funny, although I noticed that the longer I read, the more the snark wore thin on my patience. If you read at home, read a few chapters and come back later. It would likely help alleviate this.

I enjoyed that he referenced Campbell quite a bit throughout, since many of Campbell's observations influence my thoughts on the materials, and I can't help but agree that the stories do benefit from being retold, since retellings from a new perspective help us all make sense of them and relate to them in new ways.

TLDR: Not great for serious study, but wonderful as an overview and laughs.

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