Ladies: Retold Tales of Goddesses and Heroines

Personally, I am not a big fan of retellings of myths. Generally, I find that a lot of the structural meaning of the myths are lost in such retellings. Perhaps a large part of the problem is that I tend to read myths differently than most people. Having said this, this book retells the myths in some fairly impressive ways, adding a great deal of the author's sense of humanity to them. These are not the old mythic tales but are better seen as new written stories based on the old tellings. The stories are well done. The artwork is also amazing. I would give this 5 stars here and recommend this for anyone looking at new stories based on the old myths.

This book has magnificent drawings and paintings and the stories are well-written. Definitely a choice for Vallejo fans as it is a good sampling of his ability. "Deianira" is my favorite for sure, and the reader will find Persephone, Gorgon, Ariadne, Coronis, Medea, Circe, Eurydice, Arachne, and Pandora. Some consider Vallejo's drawings sexist, but I consider them to be symbolic of the beauty and complexity of women, and that is true in the fantasy world as well as reality.

If you know a little about mythology it will be interesting to read about the same tales in the point of view of the goddesses. I liked the story from the eyes of the gorgons epsecially. But if you are looking for a great collection of art by Boris Vallejo, I suggest getting yourself "Mirage" or "Fantasy Art Techniques". "Ladies" only has about 10 colored paintings and maybe 20 pencil drawings. The paintings aren't nearly as beautiful as in his other books. (but you may like them more if you are interested in mythology) Many of the figures have big 80's-looking hair that just doesn't look good. (as do several figures in "Dreams")They do not look well-planned. But if you are a fan of Boris Vallejo, you should get this book to add to your collection.

I love fantasy books of any kind and this was a book I thoroughly enjoyed