Tales of Troy and Greece

By: Andrew Lang

Narrated by: Frederick Davidson

Andrew Lang drew upon his classical learning to recreate the Greek myths for children. He follows Ulysses from his boyhood, thorugh the Trojan Wars, to his voyage to seek the son of Achilles. The story of Helen of Troy, and the Trojan Horse, is told with the pace of a modern adventure.
Lang's collection of retold myths includes Jason's quest for the Golden Fleece, and recounts the lives and heroic deeds of two other major figures: Theseus, who slew the Minotaur; and Perseus, who freed the princess Andromeda as one of his many tests, with the helo of the gorgon's head. Perseus, Andromeda, and her parents, Cephus and Cassiopeia, are remembered in the constellations of the summer sky. Not only will theres tales bring to life for children of all ages the quest for good and the struggle against eveil embodied in the myths, they also reveal the roots of characters referenced throughout Western litereature from Shakespeare's time to the present day.
In the true spirit of adventure, Lang dedicated his book to H. Rider Haggard.(P)1997 by Blackstone Audiobooks

I'm on my second immersion reading,

and find this book a wonderful review of the Greek stories. I will continue to review this book until there isn't a character whose actions and relationships to others I don't know well enough to answer all trivia questions about Greek mythology.

I like that the stories here are simple, without too much worthless detail. I sent back an edition of Ovid because details ruined the story for me. (I don't need to know the names of all of Actaeon's dogs or what body part each one bit into--only that they ate him! Also, that narrator, Charlton Griffin, used a rasping voice to try to sound so ominous or devilish.)

Davidson's voice is even-tempered and clear. I've listened to enough British and French novels that I'm not used to hearing final "r" anyway, and that omission seems to me the most pronounced "British" characteristic of his reading.

Now I can't wait to see the film "Troy" again, because even minor characters will be familiar. I'll recognize Diomedes and know what he's about to do, and when Odysseus steals the luck of Troy, I'll chuckle, remembering his relationship to Antilocus. This is what a clear, organized, uncluttered storytelling has given me.

I hate to do this . . .

I found this work to be a bit boring. I regret having to write a bad review but I have to be an honest person. I found that the stories were hard to follow, and they don't meet the contemporary audience at its level. Most people these days aren't schooled in the classics. I think that this book is about a hundred years old, if I remember correctly. The narrator's voice is very dry, and I don't think he identifies with the material very well. So, I would not recommend this book to a person who is not familiar with the classics.

Ugh, this narrator is awful!!

Wow is this narrator awful! Between his accent, his terrible timing, and the sense of boredom he portrays, this was unbearable! Constant sighing in the middle of sentences like someone twisted his arm into doing this narration. TERRIBLE