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Overview
Hermes—also known as Mercury, Wayfinder, and Prince of Thieves—has many talents. Wearing his famed winged sandals, he does the bidding of his father Zeus, leads the dead down to Hades, and practices his favorite arts of trickery and theft. He also sees the future, travels invisibly, loves jokes, and abhors violence. And he’s an entertaining and ideal narrator on a fast-paced journey through ancient Greek mythology—from Medusa’s cave to Trojan War battlefields to the mysterious Underworld.
Stephanie Spinner brings the famous messenger—and the best-known gods and mortals of mythology—to life with high action and spare, powerful prose.
Hermes, Prince of Thieves and son of Zeus, relates why the seasonal change, the history of the Trojan War, his friendship with Pegasus, and many more adventures.
Synopsis
Hermes—also known as Mercury, Wayfinder, and Prince of Thieves—has many talents. Wearing his famed winged sandals, he does the bidding of his father Zeus, leads the dead down to Hades, and practices his favorite arts of trickery and theft. He also sees the future, travels invisibly, loves jokes, and abhors violence. And he’s an entertaining and ideal narrator on a fast-paced journey through ancient Greek mythology—from Medusa’s cave to Trojan War battlefields to the mysterious Underworld.
Stephanie Spinner brings the famous messenger—and the best-known gods and mortals of mythology—to life with high action and spare, powerful prose.
From the Hardcover edition.
Wendy Glenn, Ph.D. - Children's Literature
This wonderful collection of myths follows the lesser-known Greek deity, Hermes (also known as Mercury), as he does Zeus' bidding amid humans, gods, and goddesses alike. Spinner chose Hermes as her focus based upon her interest in his role as "the ultimate Olympian insider" due to "his cunning, his curiosity, and his mischievous nature." He is always in the right place at the right time, and his intimate view of the world provides a unique perspective in considering the ancient tales. We follow Hermes on five mythical adventures. He bears witness to the stories of Demeter and Persephone, Perseus and Medusa, the Judgement of Paris, the Trojan War, and Calypso's release of Odysseus adding his characteristic humor and charm—and aversion to violence—to each. As a motif running throughout the tales, Hermes, as the son and personal messenger of Zeus, is humanized by his desire to make his father proud. He becomes a full character as well as a gossipmonger. Even those not familiar with the myths will find Hermes' rendering easy to follow, compelling, and rich with enough detail to provide a sense of the originals and perhaps inspire interested readers to follow up and read more on their own. To help comprehension, the text also includes a map of Greece circa 1500 B.C., a glossary of characters, and an author's note. Highly recommended for classroom use and independent reading. 2005, Knopf, Ages 12 to 17.
Editorials
From the Publisher
“A sparkling and witty book . . . Seldom in any genre, let alone among books for children, does one come across such a splendid opening line as: ‘It’s dark and gloomy, and it smells like dead sheep, but when Zeus says go to Hell, I go.’ So begins the tale of Hermes, fleet-footed messenger of the Olympian gods, who . . . explains his decisive role in some of the best-known Greek myths.” –The Wall Street Journal“Hermes is a wonderfully engaging narrator. . . . It’s good to be a god.” –Kirkus Reviews, Starred
“A narrative filled with thrilling action . . . drawn straight from the original stories. Teens will connect with Hermes’ immediate, often very funny voice…a rich, accessible entrée into classical mythology.” –Booklist
“Hermes, the winged messenger of the gods, narrates a compelling and amusing account of his experiences with some of the most well-known characters in Greek mythology. . . . Teens who love mythology will be thrilled with Spinner’s deft and witty retelling of Greek legends.” –VOYA
“Smart-aleck irony mixed with charm makes the god’s account a memorable, entertaining avenue into Greek mythology.” –Horn Book
“The hip but not hypertrendy tone of the narration as well as the bite-sized stories afforded by the episodic structure will entice junior-high and high-school aged readers to try Hermes’ winged sandals on for size.” –The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
Children's Literature
This wonderful collection of myths follows the lesser-known Greek deity, Hermes (also known as Mercury), as he does Zeus' bidding amid humans, gods, and goddesses alike. Spinner chose Hermes as her focus based upon her interest in his role as "the ultimate Olympian insider" due to "his cunning, his curiosity, and his mischievous nature." He is always in the right place at the right time, and his intimate view of the world provides a unique perspective in considering the ancient tales. We follow Hermes on five mythical adventures. He bears witness to the stories of Demeter and Persephone, Perseus and Medusa, the Judgement of Paris, the Trojan War, and Calypso's release of Odysseus adding his characteristic humor and charm—and aversion to violence—to each. As a motif running throughout the tales, Hermes, as the son and personal messenger of Zeus, is humanized by his desire to make his father proud. He becomes a full character as well as a gossipmonger. Even those not familiar with the myths will find Hermes' rendering easy to follow, compelling, and rich with enough detail to provide a sense of the originals and perhaps inspire interested readers to follow up and read more on their own. To help comprehension, the text also includes a map of Greece circa 1500 B.C., a glossary of characters, and an author's note. Highly recommended for classroom use and independent reading. 2005, Knopf, Ages 12 to 17.—Wendy Glenn, Ph.D.