Hilarious rendition of popular Greek myths!
The author never ceases to entertain in this collection of funny and wild stories!

<i>3.5 stars</i>

<i>Zeus Is A Dick</i> is a very fun, conversational retelling of the Greek myths, primarily featuring stories which focused on Zeus, and all his despicable behaviour throughout history. Though this book takes a decently jovial tone, it doesn't forget to remind us in exactly what ways Zeus is indeed a dick.

Thanks to Rick Riordan and the plethora of memes out there, it's been very conveniently forgotten that the Greek Gods, especially the male ones, were terrible <i>terrible</i> people. While Riordan does talk about them being petty and arrogant, he forgets a few things to make it kid-friendly. They rape women who say no to their advances. Zeus especially does not know what consent means. There's also all that bestiality and incest.

Susie Donkin, on the other hand, doesn't shy away from this. She isn't afraid to call out Zeus for what he is, and the manner in which she does this, which often had me chuckling or saying "OMG, YASS", pretty much complements the fact that she is one of the writers for <i>Horrible Histories</i>. (Also, if you haven't watched the show, you definitely must! You learn history, with all its weird and gory parts, all while laughing like a maniac.)

This book uses quite a bit of foul language, and I know that's not everyone's cup of tea, but it was right up my alley, and it just added to the humour for me. The style was very conversational (as I already mentioned) and was full of pop-cultural references. It's even self deprecating at times, and it was a very light and easy read. I don't often entire read books told in such a vein and it was a great palette cleanser.

I particularly enjoyed the "Medusa deserves better" line of thinking -- as someone who's been reading Greek mythology actively, this is something I've always felt as well! Because let's be honest, what happened to Medusa was terrible, and she didn't deserve to be turned into a Gorgon by Athena as punishment for getting (surprise, surprise) raped by Poseidon. And then she's beheaded many years later by Perseus for being a dreadful monster -- what happened to Medusa is awful, and I definitely think the chapter was titled aptly -- 'Hot take: Medusa deserved better'.

It would have been a 4 star read, if only Donkin had covered a little more about Hermes. Even Hestia and Dionysus had more screen time (page time?) that Hermes, who's one of the Twelve Olympians. While all of Zeus' children who are part of the "Big 12" are discussed, and their origin stories as well, but Hermes' story is summed up in just one sentence -- "one of her (Hera's) husband's bastards" -- while Apollo had two entire chapters dedicated to him. Considering the length of the book (only 240 pages), one more chapter on Hermes would have been a relevant addition. (Especially considering Hermes was the product of Zeus raping yet another female.)

However, maybe brevity is key to this style of narration. It worked for 240 pages, but longer and the reader would have grown tired of it? It might have an editorial decision to cut out Hermes' origin story, but I was definitely looking forward to reading about how Hermes, an infant, managed to steal his half-brother Apollo's cattle.

Nevertheless, I definitely enjoyed this book, and look forward to reading her future works, and revisiting Horrible Histories whenever I'm in the mood for it. :) Thanks to Hodder Studio for providing me with an ARC via NetGalley. It was a hoot!

Thanks to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for the advance review copy in exchange for an honest review.

I normally really like these irreverent takes on Greek Mythology but my enjoyment depends very much on the voice of the author. Natalie Haynes is an example of someone I like, she's funny and snarky yet faultless in her knowledge and I just "get" her sense of humour.

I just found the "voice" of this book too juvenile for my tastes which jarred a bit with the most certainly not youth appropriate use of expletives. The dialogue between mythical characters felt like I was reading the Greek equivalent of the Kardashians.

I'm aware this is just my own preference in terms of tone and style but some of the information was inaccurate also which didn't allow me to even engage with that side of the book. Just not for me I'm afraid.

I’ve engrossed myself in Greek mythology recently, and this comic retelling from Susie Donkin of Horrible Histories fame was a refreshing take in what is seemingly becoming a crowded market. The style of writing really is something though... it’ll have a marmite effect on readers. If you love Horrible Histories or did as a child, then you may well love this style. I found myself torn - in some ways I loved the concept that Greek myths were passed down in part as entertainment, and this retelling certainly brings back the laughter and merriment the tales no doubt originally in part invoked. However, sometimes I found myself tiring of the delivery, and wishing that there was a book somewhere in between, say, Stephen Fry and Susie Donkin - one a little dialed down from this irreverent romp through classic tales. I’d recommend it to younger readers as a fun way of becoming familiar with Greek mythology. With thanks to the publishers for a NetGalley review copy in exchange for an honest review.

This didn't work for me at all. The humour was repetitive and childish and in most cases shed no new light on the stories except to pack them full of swearing and the most basic lip-service to feminism. Sticking so determinedly with the ambition to be funny (and reader, this failed after the first few pages) meant that all those stories of violence, incest and rape sat very uncomfortably, mythological or not. I was expecting the writing to be a little bit more sophisticated than the provocative title but it continued in that exact vein until I was thoroughly relieved to finish.

Zeus Is A Dick by Susie Donkin is a rewritting of Greek myths, putting them into modern language and setting, as they would have been for the ancient Greeks. This means the gods and goddesses do things like using Google, swearing, and talking about swiping right.

If you've found Greek myths boring, then this might be a good starting point for you!

I found them entertaining, and a good reminder for some of the myths that I didn't remember, and the order they go in.

Zeus Is A Dick was published on 5th November 2020, and is available on  Amazon ,  Waterstones  and your  local independent bookshop .

You can follow Susie Donkin on her  Twitter .  And you might know her from Horrible Histories!

I was given this book in exchange for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to  Hodder & Stoughton .

Initially intrigued by the concept, I had high-hopes for Zeus is a Dick…hopes which fell flat.

I studied Classics for a few years at university and throughout my studies I always thought that, yep, Zeus is a DICK. (He really is). So this book would surely validate my hate, I thought. While it *did* achieve that goal, I just didn’t enjoy this read at all.

Positives:

Any attempt to demystify history and tear it from the grasps of academia is commendable and I must give Donkin kudos for that. The book takes the best (or in this case: worst) stories about Zeus from mythology and certainly leaves out any boring bits. Greek mythology is often rendered serious and academic, when it is anything but.

Critiques:

The humorous and playful tone is a welcome start but soon becomes abrasive. The tone is rather like someone trying to “appeal to the youth” and it became a tiresome read. Donkin was one of the Horrible Histories writers (a series I loved) so I was expecting a better balance between jokes and information as Horrible Histories did this so well.

Additionally, it felt rushed and letting the stories breath a little would have done wonders for the reader’s enjoyment of the book. At times, the structure felt chaotic and we were just hurried along to the next story, then the next, then the next…

Final Thoughts:

Overall, Zeus is a Dick was disappointing. But it did make a good point. Zeus is a Dick.

Zeus is a Dick was recently published in the UK by Hodder & Stoughton.

I received an ARC of Zeus is a Dick via NetGalley but all views are my own.

You can tell that Susie Donkin writes for Horrible Histories – the narrative style was very informal, crude and honestly like a soap opera. If the ancient Greek gods mingled with the cast of “Geordie Shore”, I wouldn’t be surprised, or be able to tell the difference!

This was a quickfire rundown of Greek mythology, giving a brief and speedy recap to the major players and how they related to each other – spoiler, they are all in fact literally related to each other! I really appreciated this format; it was nice to have a timeline to the random myths I’d always been aware of. And like the cast of “Geordie Shore”, the Greek gods were insane, horny and irresponsible. Donkin did an OK job of highlighting the wrongness of many of their actions, although I did tire of the writing style quite quickly. This is definitely a book to dip in and out of.

My understanding of the origin of myths is that ancient society used the stories to explain the world around them; the sea, the land, our relationships, even death, are controlled by the gods and that is who we need to appease so we don’t die from disease or famine. This is also why, I believe, so many myths are misogynistic and often involve rape: because the society that created them viewed women as lesser, so the gods did too.

Of course, this is my understanding and may be entirely wrong, but from my perspective, I can somewhat understand why Donkin wanted to write in this style: because the gods did do weird and stupid things and the subject matter lends itself to campfire stories. I can also understand why some readers didn’t appreciate Donkin’s assumptions of ancient Greeks’ motivation, because obviously there is no way to know why these myths were created.

Anyway, although the writing style took some getting used to, I actually liked this collection of myths. It was quite simplistic, assumed too many things and definitely brushed over a lot of details, but for an overall history of the Greek gods and goddesses, I thought it was good.

One man’s truth is another man’s myth and whilst the Greek Gods may have once been worshipped as real, they are now considered by most as myths. This is great for a genre review site as the Greek Gods are as fantastical as they come. They turn themselves and others into animals, have superpowers and live forever. They are also a bunch of dicks, that is according to Susie Donkin and her latest book Zeus is a Dick. If you read a few of his exploits contained within, you will soon agree.

During the dawning of time there were not many Gods around. Rather than immaculately create more Gods, they decided to sleep with one another. None was more prevalent at this than Zeus who slept with more than one of his own sisters. In the list of his crimes, this is but one. He also ate his first wife, raped several mortals and overall was a bit of a nuisance around anyone: be they women, man or beast. Donkin wants you to remember Zeus as he was – a bit of a dick.

From the title of the book alone you should cotton on that Zeus is a Dick is an irreverent and rude look at Greek Mythology. The secret is that although the tone may be light and borderline disrespectful (let's just hope the Gods aren’t real), Donkin sticks to the tales that are already known. A lot of studying history is reinterpreting events through the prism of the present. Donkin’s is just choosing to reinterpret Zeus’ greatest hits with a taste of reality. He was horrid.

The style that Donkin adopts is comedic and conversational. The book is split into several chapters. Each covers a certain story and not all of them are about Zeus. The likes of Apollo and Hera have their moments of disgrace. The prose is punchy and has many references to modern pop culture, almost as if the Greek Gods are living in a version of today. This is a little jarring at first, but the reader should get used to the patter soon enough. There are enough dry academic studies of Zeus available, this is more for people who want a little fun.

With the humour also comes knowledge. I know some of the Greek Myths and Donkin retells them truthfully. All that is happening is the pointing out of some of the absurdities of the Gods’ actions. How come these omniscient beings can continually rape people and no one calls them out on it? The lack of respect for women in Greek Myths is part of the time the stories arose, and Donkin’s is less than happy about this.

Among the myths that I did know are several tales new to me. Even in well-known myths there are elements that will come as a surprise. A lot of the tales were cleaned up a little as people became more puritan as time passed, but Donkin tells you what used to told around the fires of yore. If you think the likes of Zeus sleeping with all and sundry was bad enough – the original tales were worse.

Zeus is a Dick is a book for fans of history that are not fans of academia style writing. This book is the anthesis to this and instead goes out of its way to be comedic and engaging. The conversational style of writing that mixes the old with reference to the new will be jarring for some. Anyone looking for an entertaining book on Greek Mythology that will make them laugh, shock them, but also educate, need look no further.

Greek mythology for a YA audience – told Gossip Girl style, this wasn’t my cup of tea but will appeal to younger readers who will enjoy this colloquial tone. Warning for coarse language in case that offends…
Thanks to NetGalley for the free advance e-book copy of this title.

I love learning about mythology but, you know, hate reading dull-ass books. I’m fickle and that’s alright – I’ve come to terms with it. So when something comes along with the word ‘dick‘ in it, (I swear I’m in my 30s…) AND it’s written by one of the writers of Horrible Histories, I can’t not give it a go.

I’m going to say this right now – if you’re not familiar with British culture, the majority of the references will go right over your poor noggin.

I had high hopes for this little book. I really, really wanted to love you. Greek Gods are known to be dramatic, egotistical maniacs with a tendency to have sex with anything that moves after all. Yet there was just a little something that didn’t make me fall in love with it.

And I think that little something was the pace. This is a short book. 240 pages to be exact and there’s a LOT of information to cram on in there. One minute you’re getting to know all about Medusa and the next, Zeus’ next victim has been turned into a cow. The books goes fast and it leaves no prisoners behind.

That being said, if you are after a whirlwind of a book which gives you the basic understanding of the complex (and incestual) relationships of these mythical figures, then get this on your list pronto.

Despite my lack of enthusiasm, this book takes something that I would have otherwise found dull as a kid and whacked a big ol’ slice of modern-day references onto it with a slide of humour. Little Jen would have loved this, but Big Jen just wished it was a tv show instead.

One thing I have learned though is that Zeus is indeed a massive dick.

Rather a disappointment, sadly.

I was hoping for a nice, funny take on Greek myths; there's plenty of humour in there, after all. And the author worked on Horrible Histories, one of the best TV series ever. What I got was a stream of consciousness ramble where all the myths are taking place nowadays, until they aren't for a joke; so Danae is rescued from her island by a match she made on Tinder, but Apollo's joke falls flat because he's referencing a band that doesn't exist (yet).

It's not even easy to read, as everything is crammed together and punctuation is very haphazard. So you get sections like this:

And Aphrodite is all, *this is my line*, and Zeus goes *Well I reply with this*, and Athena butts in *but don't forget about me* and *I'm still here* says Ares.

It makes it very hard to follow, and the way the stories jump around doesn't help. Plus the whole thing just stops dead after referencing some things that are due to happen.

It's not all awful. The idea of it - treating the myths as a sort of giant soap opera and laughing at the ridiculousness - is good, and there are spots where the tone is fantastic. Overall, though, I'm afraid I won't be rereading.

You know these bad stand-up comedians that think they’re superfunny if they swear A LOT? This is the book equivalent. I was looking for a light-hearted, humourous take on the labyrinthine world of Greek gods, instead I got a puerile summary in teeniespeak, with tipos like “ski daddle”, “pseudobabblenonsence” and “flex your pecks”.
But then again, I did not think “Smack the Pony” was funny, either.

I absolutely loved this book! I've always been interested in learning more about (Greek) Mythology and I love learning about it in a humorous way (see: Rick Riordan's books). This book made me laugh out loud so much I knew I couldn't give it anything less than four stars. If you're interested in Rick Riordan's books and want to read more (beware this book is *very* much an adult book, not a children's book) I highly highly recommend Zeus is a Dick!

Donkin’s new book is one of the most brilliant funny and informative book that I have ever read and although I will be chuckling for days afterwards, I have learned so much at the same time. She is a brilliant force to be reckon with and can’t wait to read more from this author.

Donkin’s new book is the story of the Greek Gods but instead of a dry story giving us a play by play of the history of the Gods, we get a fun, comedic joyride giving us the stories and histories that helps to put all the many liaisons, family relationships and children in an order that we can finally grasps. I love the Greek Gods and their stories have always loved since I was a youngster but I found it terribly difficult to put things in order. Donkin does this with a flourish that is all her own.

This is a must read and one that everyone should at least own or pick up and read. Funny, intelligent and plan bonkers which is the way that all those ancient Gods were. I really hope that Donkin explores other books and makes this a series, like the Roman, Norse, Egyptian and even some of the modern religions could use this type of look and feel. I for one have learned so much and laugh to I cried. My only complaint is I want more and more and so much more.

Loved this and this is one that I will be shouting from on my weekly show, my monthly newsletters and anyone who will give me a listen. This one of the must reads of the year. Outstanding.

*Rated 2.5/5 stars.

Oooh boy. This book is something. Anyone who knows me will know I'm a huge Greek Mythology fan, and have a fair few of these recountings despite having read various versions by now. It's always interesting seeing how people tell the stories.

Susie Donkin very clearly states that this book is written through the lens of humour, which is pretty evident from the cover and title. It's fair to say you know what you're getting yourself into before you start on the stories. Through this book, Greek Mythology is transformed into a soap-opera-esque gossip section, with only the most shocking of stories to be told.

Buuuut...I had a few problems with this telling.

In the introduction where Donkin explains that her intention is one of hilarity, she claims to do so because it's what the Ancient Greeks intended. Now of course, stories are told for entertainment and there may very well be proof that some people found them hilarious, but the very basis of mythology is so much more nuanced than that and making such a broad, bold claim was immediately jarring. There is no one intention behind mythology, the stories being passed through so many years and voices that it would be a convoluted mess to try and figure out. What's more jarring is that the introduction even acknowledges this to some extent - and then contradicts itself in basing the entire book on this supposed intention of hilarity. I also feel like that impression would annoy a lot of Greek Myth fans. I know it made me question some things, at least. And this is coming from someone who loves the Greek Myths partially for their weird and wonderful (and sometimes ridiculous) ways.

Now this actually caused a whole mess of contradicting thoughts on my part, as every single author who has ever retold the Greek Myths will have put their own spin/biases on it, intentional or not. It's just that Susie Donkin does so in an over-exaggerated way. And again, she does make this explicitly clear in the introduction, so it can't be criticised for claiming otherwise.

I think it just ended up missing the mark for multiple reasons within that. First, there is a level of discomfort that comes from presenting serious topics with an edge of lightheartedness. Don't get me wrong, the sexual assault in the myths are called out and we have famous instances such as Medusa's villainy cleared up. But the very title of this book is "Zeus is a dick", and the whistle-stop tour of the myths relating to this ended up feeling like nothing short of an eye roll and shrug of the shoulders. Another case of sexual assault would blitz by with an "oop, he did it again" attitude that just felt weird. Second, it proved inconsistent with its approach to these same topics. While some instances would be called out, instances of coercion would be presented as a game, and the famous Hades and Persephone story told through the romanticised version. It was hard to tell what stance we were aiming for here.

The entire book has a conversational tone, littered with pop culture references throughout. This did suit the humorous intentions and would make this book an accessible read to many, eliminating any reason to be daunted by Greek Mythology. It read like an exaggerated version of Stephen Fry's Mythos, to put it into context. It felt weirdly familiar to me though - I think with Susie Donkin being a writer for Horrible Histories, the somewhat silly approach to history that ruled my childhood years was recognised in her writing. It very much felt like it could've been a Horrible Histories episode for adults. Still, despite the weird familiarity, I can't say I got along with the writing style. It felt like too much. You can't talk to me about Greek Mythology via Harry Styles and Sex Education - it's just too jarring.

So, long story short, I had many mixed opinions on this one. I can see it's intention, and I do think that it works well for its purpose and provides an accessible, more "fun" approach to mythology as opposed to the scary seriousness that can often surround it. While there is value in humour, however, I do feel like it just missed the mark in many areas, sadly.

CW: sexual assault/rape

Susie Donkin is one of the writers of the fabulous Horrible Histories and she takes some of the approach utilised there to give us a frenetically paced look at Greek Mythology and the Greek Gods. She casts a more critical, humorous and satirical eye on a subject that has more often than not been treated with more reverence than it deserves. This is an entertaining and fun read but the pacing was a little too much for me, resulting in me reading it in small chunks and it has to be said that Zeus really is a dick, especially when looked at the approach of retelling the stories through a modern life lens. It is perhaps not surprising that womanising Zeus turned out the way he did when you take a closer look at his family background. This is a family that has serious dysfunction running right through it, not to mention the unbelievably fantastical transformations laid out in the stories.

One thing you can say is that the storylines are memorable, often because they are bonkers, such as Ouranas getting together with his mother, Gaia, although incest and sexual relationships within the family are hardly unusual in Greek mythology. Gaia gives birth to the Titans, and unhappy with Ouranus, she seeks vengeance and goads Cronus to chop off his dick and the stories go on to inform us that Athena, the goddess of warfare and wisdom, emerged from the split head of Zeus and is instrumental in the gods winning the war against the Titans, and so on. No previous knowledge of Ancient Greece, Greek mythology and Gods is required from the reader to enjoy this book. This is an engaging and comic read, and if you enjoyed Horrible Histories, it is likely you will appreciate the style and wit of this too. Many thanks to Hodder and Stoughton for an ARC.

This had a fun premise but for me quickly out stayed it's welcome. There feminist slant was fun but I'm not sure the text speak worked. The cherry picking of stories worked quite well & I was pleased not to get fully bogged down in the Trojan War
For fun read Gods Behaving Badly and for properly feminist readings go for Natalie Haynes (who is also very funny)

2.5
I had such high hopes for this, I just love books that make fun of mythology. At the beginning it had me highly amused and I thought 'I'm going to love this'. Unfortunately after awhile the modern pop references and modern life inserts into ancient Greek tales started to get on my nerves. Don't get me wrong, there were things that made me chuckle but there were also just as much that just didn't hit the mark with me. I really enjoyed the first couple of stories and the Artemis centric ones since she's my absolute favourite. I also liked how the author pointed out all the injustices that the gods and goddesses commited against humans and each other and doesn't let them get away with it un-denounced. For example Athena victim blaming and gods forcing themselves on pretty much anyone they fancy just because. Though they did what I also find a bit disturbing and romanticised the Hades and Persephone story, I'm sorry but I still think it's highly iffy even if she grows to love him, I just can't see it as a fully consensual relationship.
If you like modern pop culture such as Twitter and many song references in your retellings then I think you will enjoy this much more than I did, it was very hit and miss for me in the end.

Three stars because whilst I can definitely appreciate the cleverness of this book and recognise that it is perfect for its audience, that audience isn’t me! I got tired very quickly of the hyper-modern, conversational tone. It felt forced in places and many jokes didn’t land. However if I had read this when I was 15, just trying to get my head around Greek mythology, I would have lapped it up!