YOUNG ZEUS

How did Zeus become ruler supreme on Mt. Olympus? Inspired by a trip to Greece, Karas has woven familiar snippets from Greek mythology to create the backstory for Zeus. His childhood is enchanting! Karas’s Zeus has all the emotions, wishes, and dreams of a precocious youngster, and narrator Jonathan Ross emphasizes these character traits. He brings a childlike voice to Zeus’s pouting when his mother has not attended his birthday parties, quakes as he confronts a sleeping Cronus, and adds spice to supporting characters such as Zeus’s imperious grandmother and a sinister underworld dragon. Ross uses a dramatic tone when Zeus tosses mountains and travels down through “three layers of night.” Listeners will hear mythology in the making! A.R. © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine [Published: AUGUST 2010]