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Classical Mythology by Scott Lewis
Egyptian Mythology: Classic Stories of Egyptian Myths, Gods, Goddesses, Heroes, and Monsters
Do you know that the ancient Egyptians believed that People were made out of clay by their river god?
For eons, the wisdom cultivated by the Egyptian people has been extolled time and time again. These timeless myths are fountains of insight and, many would argue, beacons of light that can shatter the darkness of ignorance. For those of you that are ready and willing to receive these ancient messages, your time has come. All you need to do is start reading. Then the wisdom of Thoth will begin to stir inside you.
Some of the stories that you will find in this book
The Story of ReThe Book of ThothThe Story of Isis and OsirisAnubis and the UnderworldThe Great Queen The Conquer of SetThe Shipwrecked SailorThe Girl with Rose-Red SlippersThe Adventure of SinuheThe Taking of JoppaThe Land of the DeadThe Golden LotusThe Seven Year Khnemu of the NileBastet and the CatsThe Peasant and the WorkmanSphinx and the PrinceThe Treasure ThiefAnd more!Every story has been formatted to create a clear and concise retelling for all of those who are not already familiar with the lore of ancient Egyptian culture!
For eons, the wisdom cultivated by the Egyptian people has been extolled time and time again. These timeless myths are fountains of insight and, many would argue, beacons of light that can shatter the darkness of ignorance. For those of you that are ready and willing to receive these ancient messages, your time has come. All you need to do is start reading. Then the wisdom of Thoth will begin to stir inside you.
Some of the stories that you will find in this book
The Story of ReThe Book of ThothThe Story of Isis and OsirisAnubis and the UnderworldThe Great Queen The Conquer of SetThe Shipwrecked SailorThe Girl with Rose-Red SlippersThe Adventure of SinuheThe Taking of JoppaThe Land of the DeadThe Golden LotusThe Seven Year Khnemu of the NileBastet and the CatsThe Peasant and the WorkmanSphinx and the PrinceThe Treasure ThiefAnd more!Every story has been formatted to create a clear and concise retelling for all of those who are not already familiar with the lore of ancient Egyptian culture!
149 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 14, 2018
32 people are currently reading
156 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
February 1, 2021
idk whether i set myself up for disappointment by expecting this to be as good as stephen fry's trilogy but man this was a slog to get thru.
the entire time i found myself reading thru this i was just like "ok but why? what does this mean?? what does it signify??? what beliefs, traditions, and bits of history is this connected to? what is the pointttttt of this"
if you're gonna write something intended to be a primer for people who know little to nothing about the subject, you can't just shove completely disconnected stories at them, not even attempt to try and connect them to a larger picture even a little bit, and expect them to a) enjoy themselves b) take anything actually useful away from yr book. like, it's fully possible to do this within the context of the narrative, even. the author just literally did not bother to try.
anyway. if anyone has a recommendation for an actually good intro to egyptian mythology pls hmu lol.
the entire time i found myself reading thru this i was just like "ok but why? what does this mean?? what does it signify??? what beliefs, traditions, and bits of history is this connected to? what is the pointttttt of this"
if you're gonna write something intended to be a primer for people who know little to nothing about the subject, you can't just shove completely disconnected stories at them, not even attempt to try and connect them to a larger picture even a little bit, and expect them to a) enjoy themselves b) take anything actually useful away from yr book. like, it's fully possible to do this within the context of the narrative, even. the author just literally did not bother to try.
anyway. if anyone has a recommendation for an actually good intro to egyptian mythology pls hmu lol.
December 22, 2020
I needed an Egyptian Mythology equivalent to Stephen Fry's Greek Mythology book(s), but haven't quite found them yet. This one was an interesting primer, but a little too short. The audiobook version that I listened to was well done, the narration on point and the dramatization not overdone. Does not really compare with Fry’s books though, which might be an unfair comparison but that is what I want!
Rating 3.5 rounded to 4
Rating 3.5 rounded to 4
January 17, 2025
Easy book for an introduction to Egyptian Mythology. The stories are entertaining, but really only touch on the surface of the material. Would recommend to anyone who is curious about the subject to see if they would be interested in delving further into the lore. Anyone who is already well-experienced in this branch of mythology, though, would probably be better looking for something else.
July 4, 2019
There are some really interesting and well-told renditions of Egyptian mythology in this book - but not in an order that works fluidly. As many other reviews have mentioned, there is also some repetition.
Perhaps it is unfair to move from Stephen Fry's tellings of Greek mythology to Neil Gaiman's Norse Mythology to this book - but the move is not seamless; not least of all because of the length - this is a short read (for better or for worse) - and the progression from story to story that is so prevalent in Stephen Fry's telling (whether that is simply moving from the father's story to the son's, or a callout to a future story - e.g. the golden fleece), it is not present here.
I've recently discovered a love of mythology and hope to explore Egyptian mythology again with a more rigourous book. For those that want a whistle stop tour - perhaps this will satisfy.
Perhaps it is unfair to move from Stephen Fry's tellings of Greek mythology to Neil Gaiman's Norse Mythology to this book - but the move is not seamless; not least of all because of the length - this is a short read (for better or for worse) - and the progression from story to story that is so prevalent in Stephen Fry's telling (whether that is simply moving from the father's story to the son's, or a callout to a future story - e.g. the golden fleece), it is not present here.
I've recently discovered a love of mythology and hope to explore Egyptian mythology again with a more rigourous book. For those that want a whistle stop tour - perhaps this will satisfy.
September 27, 2020
Fun book to know about Egyptian Mythology. I have always been fan of Egypt and its Mythological Tales. They are not as complex and intriguing as Greek Mythology but they have a very good stories.
I really think teaching kids these Mythologies is very important (minus the part of goddess marrying, doing stuff and etc which has always been described in detail in all mythologies which will never be PG13 as per to say).
This book is a must Read.
I really think teaching kids these Mythologies is very important (minus the part of goddess marrying, doing stuff and etc which has always been described in detail in all mythologies which will never be PG13 as per to say).
This book is a must Read.
March 3, 2021
4,5 stars. Probably 5.
I listened to this audiobook kinda randomly. I'm still not sure what it is or how the author found the stories or what kind of Ancient Egyptian stories are not included here. But this book by itself is very to the point and good. Of course it could use way more meta stuff. This is just a bunch of stories one after another and it's hard to fully understand how Egyptians told or understood the stories. So the stories reveal a lot about Ancient Egypt, but are never explained. The first part is about how gods created the world and Egypt and how they fought for greater power amongst each other. It's often dark and philosophically very deep. I was blown away by the very deep topics and ideas presented here about the creation of the world out of nothing and the fight between the gods of nothingness/destruction and the gods of life. It's so deep that there is no way to fully get it all at once. But it's dark enough to also make it uncomfortable. Reading about nothingness, darkness and the power of gods is eerie.
The final half of the book is about moral tales where gods and magicians play much smaller roles. Mostly it's about humans who get wealthy by striving for something more. And often it's not just the good guys who win, but rather the hard working stubborn men and attractive women. The women in the stories are very interesting. It's common that attractive women in movies win out, but it's often not just because they look very good. Here it's directly because of their looks no matter if they are queens, princesses or slaves. With men it's about being focused on a goal. The gods seem to forgive men who are amoral as long as they remain faithful to the gods and are interesting. Even though that stuff about believing in gods is kinda explained as karma or culture in some way. It's not clear the gods directly interact with humans all the time.
It's a great book with stories where the moral themes often have bad guys kinda winning which is really cool. Modern Hollywood is quite more primitive in their morals and stories so it's a breath of fresh air and much deeper than a regular movie. Yet the lack of historical context, dates and further explanations is irritating because I frankly can't even say when the stories were written or how they were discovered.
It's a recommend from me either way for sure. This is better storytelling than you find in most modern books and the audiobook version is very clear.
I listened to this audiobook kinda randomly. I'm still not sure what it is or how the author found the stories or what kind of Ancient Egyptian stories are not included here. But this book by itself is very to the point and good. Of course it could use way more meta stuff. This is just a bunch of stories one after another and it's hard to fully understand how Egyptians told or understood the stories. So the stories reveal a lot about Ancient Egypt, but are never explained. The first part is about how gods created the world and Egypt and how they fought for greater power amongst each other. It's often dark and philosophically very deep. I was blown away by the very deep topics and ideas presented here about the creation of the world out of nothing and the fight between the gods of nothingness/destruction and the gods of life. It's so deep that there is no way to fully get it all at once. But it's dark enough to also make it uncomfortable. Reading about nothingness, darkness and the power of gods is eerie.
The final half of the book is about moral tales where gods and magicians play much smaller roles. Mostly it's about humans who get wealthy by striving for something more. And often it's not just the good guys who win, but rather the hard working stubborn men and attractive women. The women in the stories are very interesting. It's common that attractive women in movies win out, but it's often not just because they look very good. Here it's directly because of their looks no matter if they are queens, princesses or slaves. With men it's about being focused on a goal. The gods seem to forgive men who are amoral as long as they remain faithful to the gods and are interesting. Even though that stuff about believing in gods is kinda explained as karma or culture in some way. It's not clear the gods directly interact with humans all the time.
It's a great book with stories where the moral themes often have bad guys kinda winning which is really cool. Modern Hollywood is quite more primitive in their morals and stories so it's a breath of fresh air and much deeper than a regular movie. Yet the lack of historical context, dates and further explanations is irritating because I frankly can't even say when the stories were written or how they were discovered.
It's a recommend from me either way for sure. This is better storytelling than you find in most modern books and the audiobook version is very clear.
March 3, 2023
Egyptian Mythology: Classic Stories of Egyptian Myths, Gods, Goddesses, Heroes, and Monsters by Scott Lewis is a good start for Egyptian Mythology. However, the second half of the book is stories about some of the well-known pharoahs like Ramses and Hatshepsut. They are good stories, so I am glad that they were included. I was just not expecting so much of the book to be about humans, rather than the Egyptian gods.
The first part of the book is devoted to the creation of the world. This is a little confusing since Re, Amun-Ra and M-Ra are three separate entities with similar roles. So, you have to pay attention to where you are in the creation story for it to make sense.
One surprise was the relationship of Sekhmet and Hathor. Sekhmet is the lionness headed goddess who hates humanity. I thought that her tame, non-destructor form was Bastet. But, it is Hathor. Bastet is created separately and has a completely separate role. But, the book does explain why you sometimes see a cat with Anubis as he guides the newly dead to the Afterlife.
Egyptian Mythology recommends that readers do further reading to learn more about the Egyptian gods. I agree with that instruction. This is a good start, but to fully understand the Egyptian Pantheon, you need to do more research and delve into the concepts that are harder to grasp. But, this is an enjoyable introduction to Egyptian religion and culture.
The first part of the book is devoted to the creation of the world. This is a little confusing since Re, Amun-Ra and M-Ra are three separate entities with similar roles. So, you have to pay attention to where you are in the creation story for it to make sense.
One surprise was the relationship of Sekhmet and Hathor. Sekhmet is the lionness headed goddess who hates humanity. I thought that her tame, non-destructor form was Bastet. But, it is Hathor. Bastet is created separately and has a completely separate role. But, the book does explain why you sometimes see a cat with Anubis as he guides the newly dead to the Afterlife.
Egyptian Mythology recommends that readers do further reading to learn more about the Egyptian gods. I agree with that instruction. This is a good start, but to fully understand the Egyptian Pantheon, you need to do more research and delve into the concepts that are harder to grasp. But, this is an enjoyable introduction to Egyptian religion and culture.
April 1, 2022
The writing in this is so bad that I literally used it as a rewriting project in a middle school creative writing class. The assignment was called "Improving Poor Writing," and even the middle schoolers were flabbergasted at how awful, awful, awful this writing is.
Best part was at the end of the (audio)book, when the author encouraged you to "genuflect" on the book for awhile. You mean put the book on the ground and literally kneel on it? Did no one actually proofread this and realize he wrote "genuflect" when he meant to say "reflect?"
Two stars though, instead of only one, because Egyptian mythology is still so cool. Not Egypt's fault it got such a poor retelling here.
Best part was at the end of the (audio)book, when the author encouraged you to "genuflect" on the book for awhile. You mean put the book on the ground and literally kneel on it? Did no one actually proofread this and realize he wrote "genuflect" when he meant to say "reflect?"
Two stars though, instead of only one, because Egyptian mythology is still so cool. Not Egypt's fault it got such a poor retelling here.
July 8, 2025
Quick and interesting intro to Egyptian mythology. I listened to the audiobook and liked the narrator—easy to follow.
The stories felt a bit all over the place though, and I got lost a few times. To be fair, the author does say upfront that Egyptian myths can be confusing.
As a beginner, I would've liked a bit more context or smoother storytelling to make it easier to understand. Not bad, just a bit rough for someone new to the topic.
The stories felt a bit all over the place though, and I got lost a few times. To be fair, the author does say upfront that Egyptian myths can be confusing.
As a beginner, I would've liked a bit more context or smoother storytelling to make it easier to understand. Not bad, just a bit rough for someone new to the topic.
March 26, 2022
Underwhelming. Not sure what I was expecting, but the absence of commentary / analysis / context left me unsatisfied. The author does say at the very end that this is meant to be a teaser and that the reader should continue his research on his own, and that's exactly what's not satisfying.
Also, from a #metoo standpoint, this didn't age too well :D
Also, from a #metoo standpoint, this didn't age too well :D
March 31, 2022
This was very interesting and told in a way that didn’t bore me to death. I had no idea that Cinderella was an Egyptian tale! I read a review complaining that the meaning and significance of the stories weren’t explained but I’m fine with that. If I wanted someone to interpret these for me I would read a longer book. I was looking for a quick intro and that’s what I got.
March 15, 2024
I love Egyptian mythology and this book was underwhelming. There was no fluid narrative and the writing was dull: lots of telling, no showing. There weren't enough details or connections made to care about anything the author wrote. I need something deeper and more carefully constructed. As a very *very* basic primer, it is fine.
April 19, 2024
Rating this feels strange because I didn’t enjoy it in the entertainment sense but I did learn a lot. Also who can say, maybe ancient civilizations had different story practices or maybe the myths were only partially discovered, which could be why some of these lack neat endings, traditional structures, etc. just a guess.
March 1, 2020
a decent introduction to Egyptian mythology. I’m not well versed in the Egyptian Pantheon and their stories, so I found this interesting. I found the stories entertaining, although somewhat repetitive in places. I’m now interested in checking out the other books by this author.
December 13, 2021
Excellent summary of Egyptian mythology told as a story. This little book is a quick read, well researched and presented entertainingly. If you are looking for one place to learn a little about this subject, I highly recommend this book.
March 3, 2023
Really enjoyed the stories in this one! I get why some people felt it was a little too brief of a survey, but I think it at least got me excited to maybe explore deeper later and I liked everything here. These myths are some of my favorites I've come across.
August 21, 2023
2.5. It was an okay introduction to Egyptian mythology and I did learn new things. I found it a bit dry, I felt like I was just getting through it at the end. It doesn’t have the heart and storytelling that Stephen Fry brings for Greek mythology.
October 12, 2019
These were a nice collection of meh.
January 10, 2020
A great introduction to Egyptian Mythology! Not as well narrated as the likes of Stephen Fry or Neil Gaiman, but still fabulous as a quick first nibble.
January 11, 2020
Just hopping it were longer...:*)
May 11, 2021
I enjoyed this book of classic Egyptian myths. This book was better than other versions of the myths I have started reading. Will definitely read again.
July 30, 2023
A decent overview of Egyptian mythology, all information that is Wikipedia findable but put in a convenient easy to read package. Not much else to say on it.
September 24, 2023
An enjoyable introduction into egyptian mythology.
October 9, 2023
The stories themselves were captivating enough but too short as was the overall book. Decently written.
October 23, 2023
I listened to this as an audio book. The beginning was the best. Later stories were less interesting in my opinion. I also think there is much left unsaid: the book could be longer.
March 3, 2024
Such a great book! Alot of great stories and lessons to lean!
April 11, 2025
Decent basic intro to Egyptian deities, got bored with the stories toward the end.
December 22, 2025
A very nice dramatization of the key stories in Egyptian mythology. I really liked how the author smoothly connected such a complex mythology notorious for having completely different versions (sometimes even contradicting!) into a consecutive narrative. On the room for improvement side, a new edition listing the author references and naming the source papyruses could go a long way!
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews