Ladies: Retold Tales of Goddesses and Heroines [Paperback]

Boris Vallejo (Author), Doris Vallejo (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 15, 1999

In Ladies' ten signature paintings and numerous drawings, Boris Vallejo depicts the magic time when goddesses roamed the earth; they are the perfect accompaniment to Doris Vallejo's poetic and chilling retelling of ten classic tales. This is myth transfigured by a modern sensibility: retelling mythic tales from the points of view of the goddesses, heroines, sorceresses, princesses, wives, and daughters. Readers see Persephone, condemned by a god's adoration to live six months of each year in the kingdom of death; the Gorgon, a great beauty transformed into monstrosity by her own longing to be loved; Apollo's mortal bride, Coronis, left behind each time her godly husband returned to the heavens; and Pandora, who discovered knowledge no mortal was meant to have and paid the price.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Boris Vallejo is one of the world's top fantasy artists, best known as the visual creator of Conan the Barbarian. He lives in Allentown, PA. Doris Vallejo is the author of Windsound and The Boy Who Saved the Stars.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Running Press (November 15, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1560252162
• ISBN-13: 978-1560252160
• Product Dimensions: 11.7 x 8.7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,779,232 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good stories and art, April 10, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Ladies: Retold Tales of Goddesses and Heroines (Paperback)

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.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nice artwork, human retellings, November 13, 2008

By 

Christopher R. Travers "Einhverfr" (Chelan, WA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Ladies: Retold Tales of Goddesses and Heroines (Paperback)

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.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Delightful, May 26, 2001

By 

Dr. Lee D. Carlson (Baltimore, Maryland USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Ladies: Retold Tales of Goddesses and Heroines (Paperback)

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.