Amazing Immortals: A Guide to Gods and Goddesses Around the World

by Dinah Dunn Williams

A culturally diverse, fact-filled, and gorgeously illustrated introduction to over 80 gods and goddesses from around the world—a perfect introduction to mythology for young readers.

With heroic deeds, family drama, pulse-pounding battles, and shape-shifting magic, mythology fascinates us all. But even the biggest enthusiasts find it hard to keep track of who’s who!

Packed with facts and full-color, lush illustrations, Dinah Williams’s Amazing Immortals is a fascinating introduction to these larger-than-life gods and goddesses, highlighting their big personalities, famous adventures, formidable powers, family trees, animal companions, and appearances in pop culture. Organized by theme—from gods of creation to gods of death and the underworld; from gods of water to gods of fire; from gods of love to gods of war—this diverse encyclopedia features both familiar and underrepresented deities.

Filled with betrayal, intrigue, romance, and impossible feats, their captivating stories entertain us, explain our world, and help answer some of life’s biggest questions.

Includes gods and goddesses from 30
Akan * Annang *Aztec * Babylonian * Bushongo * Canaanite * Celtic * Chinese * Efik * Egyptian * Finnish * Greek * Hawai’ian * Hindu * Hittite * Hopi * Ibibio * Incan * Inuit * Korean * Lithuanian * Māori * Mayan * Navajo * Norse * Pueblo * Roman * Shinto * Sumerian * Yoruba

Genres: Nonfiction, Mythology, Audiobook, Middle Grade, Childrens, History

208 pages, Hardcover

Published April 2, 2024

Reviews

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just one long list of interesting fun facts. OK

[Shai · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and ABRAMS Kids for the Advanced Reader Copy.

I enjoyed reading this book. Although the formatting was off on the NetGalley app, the content was still readable (although sometimes it would run on between one god and the next which was a little confusing at first).. The book included descriptions and depictions of various gods from around the world, including some I was not familiar with such as Mbombo and Amaterasu.

In my years as an elementary school teacher, I have found that books such as these appeal to children in grades 3 +, as children are fascinated with myths and legends. The images in this book might remind chidlren of some of the superheros they see in their graphic novels and it might encourage them to learn a little more about the gods.


I would probably recommed this book for children in grades 5+ as it delves into topics such as murder, has vivid descxriptions such as "her rotting, maggot-filled corpse", and higher level vocabulary.

[Stephanie Tournas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This attractive book profiles fascinating lesser known deities from around the world. It’s divided into chapters by powers, such as Leaders, War, and Tricksters, so readers can compare the stories of gods with similar powers by culture. There is Atum, the great he-she creator from ancient Egypt; Saraswati, the Hindu goddess of the arts and sciences from India; Cernunnos, a Celtic god who rules over plants and animals in the wilderness; Tenjin, the Shinto god of learning from Japan; Māui, a Māori god of fire from New Zealand. There are also gods and goddesses from Palestine, China, Nigeria, Lithuania, Mexico and South America, and others.

Amazing Immortals is a gorgeous, well designed book that is a pleasure to peruse or read straight through, with the stunning artwork as a highlight. Each god or goddess gets a two page spread, in a unique palette, each with illustrations from an artist from that culture, with a few paragraphs on their powers and exploits, along with animal companions or favored weapons. Information on the god’s religion and country of origin is easily found on a border with a pattern inspired by that culture. Young readers will enjoy the mentions of where gods appear in modern culture, such as movies, comics books or video games. A section at the end gives brief bios of the different artists and there’s a bibliography, ideas for further reading and an index.

[Amelia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was like a beautiful mini coffee table book for kids! The illustrations are amazing and I love how they didn’t entirely exclude Roman and Greek gods, but they were only mentioned to help give context since that’s what a lot of people know as far as mythology goes.

Every detail was well thought out- the grouping (all the creation myths/gods together, all the water gods, etc…) the details on the side of the page to indicate where and when these gods and goddesses were and are worshipped (some are still present day!!) and the “fun fact” and “in modern times” snippets were mostly interesting- questioning the fun fact about the origin of Kamikaze pilots in WWII, but most were actually fun.

I felt the need to set down the book after nearly every one because I wanted to google to find out more! The mythologies are so intricate that it was hard to follow some of it, but that’s not necessarily the point. This isn’t a cover to cover read, but I could see it being very engrossing. Definitely for fans of mythology and kids who have read every Rick Riordan ever- this will help expand their knowledge!

This would be a beautiful gift book. The pages are thick, the are is amazing, and it’s a pick up and pick any page type of book.

[Katerina Karavapori · Rating 4 out of 5]

Organized by theme—from gods of creation to gods of death and the underworld; from gods of water to gods of fire; from gods of love to gods of war—this diverse encyclopedia features both familiar and underrepresented deities, Dinah Williams delivers a collection of stories that will enthuse the fans of legends and myths. The stories include gods and goddesses from 30 pantheons:
Akan * Annang *Aztec * Babylonian * Bushongo * Canaanite * Celtic * Chinese * Efik * Egyptian * Finnish * Greek * Hawai’ian * Hindu * Hittite * Hopi * Ibibio * Incan * Inuit * Korean * Lithuanian * Māori * Mayan * Navajo * Norse * Pueblo * Roman * Shinto * Sumerian * Yoruba

Being Greek, I was drawn to the brilliant storytelling and the fantastic illustrations, I think that upper KS2 and KS3 will really enjoy this book. There is a fair amount of literature out there about Greek/ roman and Norse gods/goddesses and deities but I found so many interestings stories I had not come across before. A very enjoyable read indeed!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my review copy, all opinions are my own.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before science was able to explain how things worked, people created stories to explain the world around them. Each spread introduces a different god/goddess from around the world sorted by theme or thing they oversee (creation, war, etc.). It only mentions the Greek and Roman gods in the introductions to each section because people are more familiar with those and focuses instead on other mythologies and religions, like Aztec, Celtic, Chinese, Hindu, Māori, Norse, and more. There are mentions of how these deities appear in modern culture, like in Rick Riordan's books or the Marvel movies, which are very mainstream. A more encompassing look. I wish a pronunciation guide was given for each spread. Many illustrators from different cultures contributed to give renderings that honor the culture that the deity came from.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mythology from around with world but not the Greeks and Romans - finally a very diverse and comprehensive look at creation stories and mythology around various themes from a global perspective.

What I loved: Each character/god/goddess has a page that's beautifully illustrated and shares a key part of their story. The page might also include a "fun fact" or an "Our World" connection (such as a link to Marvel comics or another pop cultural reference). I also love the way the book is organized - by theme. It's a fun small but stout volume to browse through and many kiddos find themselves sucked in quickly!

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are multiple gods and goddesses in almost every religion across the world. But who are they? Why were they important to these civilizations? In this book, you are going to learn about several of the gods that these civilizations turned around, and who they were. What their strengths were, what downfalls they might have had - and so much more!

Perfect for younger readers who are interested in learning more about these different civilizations and the leading gods for each.

[Sesana · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bunch of very brief profiles of various deities. I liked that Williams didn't include Greek or Roman gods, because they're so ubiquitous, but I don't think Egyptian and Norse gods are any less so. That aside, there was a pretty good mix here, with origins from all over the world and featuring deities will all kinds of personalities. The art is the highlight, though, with multiple artists delivering beautiful and culturally resonant portraits of each god.

[Jessie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely great illustrations. Definitely why I'm giving it 5 stars.

The facts were good for a brief overview, not in-depth at all.

Loved the little tidbits and modern facts. Thought that was interesting.

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome so much information great facts and illustrations

[Jenni · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the coverage of various areas of the world and breadth mythologies covered. A lot of deities that I have not seen before. The illustrations were wonderful as well.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

So much information packed in this little gem. Love the illustrations to go with each god.

[realNateCash · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good overview of the many gods throughout history and tie in to where they are discussed in modern day.

[Aspen Benz · Rating 1 out of 5]

very confusing and it didn't have what I wanted to learn