Review: Hera: The Goddess and Her Glory by George O’Connor

How did I get it: The library.

Why did I get it:  I loved both Zeus: King of the Gods (one of my favorite books of 2010) and Athena: Grey-Eyed Goddess (an awesome graphic novel about my favorite Greek goddess) so of course I had to read the third installment in the Olympian series. That and I absolutely love Greek Mythology.

How I would rate it: 5 out of 5 stars.

Summary:

In Olympians, O’Connor draws from primary documents to reconstruct and retell classic Greek myths. But these stories aren’t sedate, scholarly works. They’re action-packed, fast-paced, high-drama adventures with monsters, romance, and not a few huge explosions. Volume 3 of Olympians, Hera: The Goddess and Her Glory, introduces readers to the Queen of the Gods and Goddesses in the Pantheon. This volume tells the tales of the many heroes who sought and won Hera’s patronage, most notably Hercules.

Review: Wow. I am just blown away by this graphic novel! It is definitely one of my favorite books of 2011.

Everything was perfection from the writing, the art, the flow of events, and the insight into Hera, Zeus, and Hercules.  It would be impossible not to notice how much George O’Connor cares about these myths and these gods, especially Hera. The love all but oozes off of every page, and his storytelling is just as skillful as it was in the first two books of his Olympian series if not more so. There is so much humor, heart, and emotion in this graphic novel that I will be buying myself a copy of it as soon as possible.

In conclusion, decidedly glorious. This graphic novel is a beautiful, well-crafted, and moving homage to a goddess that I’ve honestly never been all that crazy about. Now that I’ve spent more time with Hera, I think it is safe to say that I love her and feel bad that I’ve judged her so harshly over the years. So really if you want something truly awesome to read, pick this up! And needless to say I await the release of Hades: Lord of the Dead in January with baited breath.

PS – I would strongly urge other readers to take a look at the Author’s Notes as well as the little notes O’Connor gives on certain panels at the end of the book. They’re a lot of fun to read over, and I love that he took the time to explain why he altered certain details for the sake of telling a great story.