Browsing the Storybooks (Storybook Favorites)

Zeus's Ex-Lovers

The first on the list was the first to catch my eye - I took a class called Gods and Heroes in Art my first semester at OU and it was not just engaging but hilarious. I also took a broader mythology classics class before that, though it barley covered Greek mythology. When you first hear about Greek mythology and the Gods people worshiped, you expect them to be about holier-than-thou entities that makes good choices (for the most part) like other religions that people follow. Oh me, oh my, this is not the case. Greek mythological stories are more like a high school soap opera but with a death count. They are emotional and ridiculous but generally have a moral to their story if you search deep enough. My first semester I learned all about the marital atrocities that were essentially Zeus's hobbies and learned about the vibrant women he scorned. 

Beyond my initial interest in Zeus and Greek mythology in general, I liked the take the author had on making them human with no superpowers. The introduction was very realistic with the description of the characters as they would appear in real life; Zeus, an egomaniac womanizer. Hera, a bold personality who will not hold her tongue nor weapon. Aphrodite, passive but all too eager to participate in the drama. I appreciate the author's notes at the end, although I understood most of her references without them, they are an excellent tool for those who have no background in mythology. I personally loved the method the author used to tell the story - starting in the middle and then leading up to the background; it pulls readers in faster if they get thrown head first into the drama and makes them want to know more. 

Fun fact: Cuckoos are considered a social parasite (as defined by Carl Zimmerman in his book "Parasite Rex") or a brood parasite (as defined by the Wikipedia page where I found the image below, here) in the animal kingdom. These are animals that either lay their young with another parent's offspring or just kick those kids out and leave their own behind - in the end the foster parents know no difference, even as the new offspring grows to not only be a different species but often much larger than the parent.

A Cuckoo bird being raised by another, much smaller species of bird

Nine Lives of a Cat

The appeal of this storybook was simply that I love cats, and upon opening this storybook I loved the quotes at the beginning of every story. Interestingly this story had the opposite format from Zeus's Ex-Lovers, as the author here distinctly states they do not like the tactic of diving right into the action. Their method, of providing first person narrative with a mysterious opener followed by a constant timeline was equally appealing and made me want to keep reading. I personally like first person narratives, but I prefer when the narrator doesn't explain things and you learn as you read about what is going on with clever cues or conversations. In real life, you aren't providing background for the situation because you already know the situation and there isn't an audience watching. Writing in this manner makes it even easier for me to immerse myself in the book's reality. However - this style would not work for this story because it is an explanation for the existence of life as it is now, so I believe the author chose a great storytelling method of providing background and explaining the situation to the reader. 

I assume this is still a work in progress or that my Internet has failed, because the storybook ended after Muezza's tale. I was actually disappointing because the black plague is what sparked my interest in my major, microbiology, and I was excited to read their story relating to it.

Side note for recommendations: The quote on the introduction page reminded me of the movie Death Becomes Her, a 1992 "fantasy/horror"(really a comedy) about two women who take an immortality potion that is less than perfect. It's a hilarious and unique movie, but if you decide to watch it I would advise against watching the trailer (it gives away most of the funny parts and is essentially a summary of the whole movie). 

Death's Story

How random and lucky did I get to pick three different stories with three completely different storytelling styles? This author's method of pulling you in literally pulls you in and makes you apart of the story. It was also the shortest of the three, making it the one I have the fewest words for. Death as a somewhat mortal entity is a concept I have come across before, most memorably in the TV show "Supernatural". In it, the characters come across several reapers that can be killed and eventually meet Death, who also can be killed. The show is wonderful in my opinion because of its unconventional approach to the creators, destroyers, and participants of life as all of these previous stories have done. Angels aren't always the good guys, Demons can sometimes be helpful, and every supernatural creature you've ever heard of and more is explored through the in-depth story of two brothers who hunt monsters. If you enjoy mythology, I think you may enjoy this TV show (all current 13 seasons are on Netflix [with about 22 episodes per season] so its binge worthy).

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