Queer Heroes of Myth and Legend

De: Dan Jones

Narrado por: Dan Jones

Hidden in the margins of history books, classical literature, and thousands of years of stories, myths and legends, through to contemporary literature, TV and film, there is a diverse and other-worldly super community of queer heroes to discover, learn from, and celebrate.

Be captivated by stories of forbidden love like Patroclus & Achilles (explored in Madeleine Miller's bestseller Song of Achilles), join the cult of Antinous (inspiration for Oscar Wilde), get down with pansexual god Set in Egyptian myth, and fall for Zimbabwe's trans God Mawi. And from modern pop-culture, through Dan Jones's witty, upbeat style, learn more about '90s fan obsessions Xena: Warrior Princess and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Neil Gaiman's American Gods and the BBC's Doctor Who.

Queer Heroes of Myth & Legend brings to life characters who are romantic, brave, mysterious, and always fantastical. It is a magnificent celebration of queerness through the ages in all its legendary glory.

©2023 Dan Jones (P)2023 Octopus Publishing Group

Fun, but don’t expect historian Dan Jones!

Let me start by clarifying: this book is by a different Dan Jones—not the medieval historian, which caused some confusion when I bought it.

As for the content—this is a light, entertaining read that offers short, accessible chapters on a wide range of mythological figures, not just from Greek and Norse myths but also from African, Asian, and Indigenous cultures. The intent to celebrate queer identity across global traditions is clear and often delightful.

That said, the tone is pure pop history: breezy, repetitive (“so far, so queer” gets overused), and not especially well sourced. The first chapter sets the tone by leaning heavily on The Song of Achilles rather than the Iliad, and that general lack of critical depth continues.

While I appreciated most of the interpretations, the book sometimes strays into exactly the kind of revisionism it claims to avoid—like suggesting Sam and Frodo as a queer couple, which felt unnecessary and a bit forced. Queerness is broad and inclusive; it doesn’t require every close male friendship to be romantic or physical.

Enjoyable as a colourful, inclusive collection, just don’t expect scholarly analysis—or the historian Dan Jones.

Brilliant and Engaging and Witty and Joyous

So wowed am I by this gem of a book that I have vowed to read (listen to) every title by Dan Jones. The chapters whiz by as Dan delivers delicious tidbits of queer perspective. It's global and spans all eras of human existence. He's a scholar, but he never gets stuck in academic mire. I'm a lover of mythologies, but I learned something new in every chapter. Especially fun are the Asian, African and Native American tales. And then he has the audacity to weave in more modern myths in TV, comics, novels and movies - from American Gods to Xena, Warrior Princess. Thank you, Dan! This is a book I will listen to again and again.

Great compendium of queer heroes

From the first stories on to modern tvs, the author catalogues queerness in stories of all types. An excellent listen for anyone looking to expand their horizons of queer fiction, myths, or legends that is well researched and read.

Audible mislead me

This is more on audible. I saw Dan Jones and was interested because I am familiar with his work on other historical books...I clicked on the author to see if it was him and it confirmed it.

I purchased this and began listening only to very quickly learn it's a different Dan Jones.

Googling the book led me to the other author, but on audible it is the other Dan Jones...


REVIEW OF BOOK
it's ok. not my style, but interesting information. I wish there was more content that got delved into instead of feeling like a quick summary. I'm also not a huge fan of the modern nicknames and jokes. but that's just not my style.