Wonder Woman : Gods and Goddesses

Rating:
Summary: a good, quick, read.
Review: As a fan of Wonder Woman, i support any work that includes her. Bryne's novel is to the point. It isn't much different from his writing in comics but still is a good story. I thought that the book was good in having a more realistic view towards the large issues that are brought up. The only problem that i have with the book is the fact that it is written omnisciently. It would have been better if it were all told through wonder woman's eyes. Like a previous reviewer, i too would like more detailed action scenes.

Rating:
Summary: just this
Review: I don't need to talk about the plot because previous reviewers have already done that job. At first, I was going to give this book 3 stars, but after reading the other WW novel, Mythos, I said, "OMIGOSH! The one by John Byrne was a better read!" There's a scene in this book where a priest of the Judeo-Christian religion gets to interview Athena, the goddess of wisdom of the ancient Greeks. She honestly and humbly admits that the gods were not responsible for the creation of man. And that the gods did not create the souls of the Amazons (including that of Diana) but that these souls had already been existing before; the gods merely had them reincarnated into the Amazon nation. This led the priest to believe that his Judeo-Christian God was the ultimate source of all life. What a beautiful confirmation of his faith! The only thing that unsettles me is Athena's indifference to the name of Jesus. If you were to come across this scene, you will notice that Athena knows little about Jesus, despite the fact that Christianity had helped sculpt Western civilization. I know that it would have been silly to have Athena convert to Christianity and leave Mt. Olympus for Mt. Zion, but I wish Byrne had made her speak a little more about the goodness that this divine personality had contributed to the world, regardless of Christianity's superceding the ancient Greek religion. I wish she had more reverence towards Jesus; she certainly can't compare herself to Him in terms of holiness. There are some myths that portray her as being silly, not at all befitting a goddess of wisdom (e.g., Arachne, the Trojan War).

Rating:
Summary: An overlooked gem!
Review: I only found this book by accident. After reading Wonder Woman: Gods and Goddesses I was shocked. This book is wonderful! I was not a great Wonder Woman fan, but this book changed that. Mr. Byrne's story is very engaging. We learn a lot about the heroine, and about the world as it may be if such a heroine were to exist. The story elements dealing with society's fears and insecurities translate very well to our world. I was always a fan of Mr. Byrne's comics work, but I have learned to love his novel as well. This book ranks with the best books of this genre.

Rating:
Summary: An overlooked gem!
Review: I only found this book by accident. After reading Wonder Woman: Gods and Goddesses I was shocked. This book is wonderful! I was not a great Wonder Woman fan, but this book changed that. Mr. Byrne's story is very engaging. We learn a lot about the heroine, and about the world as it may be if such a heroine were to exist. The story elements dealing with society's fears and insecurities translate very well to our world. I was always a fan of Mr. Byrne's comics work, but I have learned to love his novel as well. This book ranks with the best books of this genre.

Rating:
Summary: better if it containes more fighting scenes
Review: It bought it to entertain battle scenes against her foes. But it lacks of these scenes except for last. And last scene are too short and lacks of direct description either. I'd like more hard-boiled battle scenes.

Rating:
Summary: Not as bad as the rest of them make it out to be
Review: This was my first novel by this author, and my first in this genre. It wasn't half bad. It was very entertaining on a thought-provoking level. The thing that rubbed me the wrong way was the portrayal of Wonder Woman. She seemed flat, and didn't have much rounding out of her character. All the characters had this flatness to their personality, but it was most pronounced in WW and in the cameos by the other superheros. I definatley reccomend it for a weekend read.

Rating:
Summary: Entertaining, but hardly profound.
Review: Unlike a previous reviewer, I did not miss the battle scenes. Unlike another, I was not surprised by the ending. And unlike one other, I can spell "prose." *grin*

The story was fun and moderately interesting, if not crafted like a fine Tiffany vase. I was, however, disappointed in one major element. I was hoping that once taken outside the confines of the comic book format, Byrne could concentrate on developing the character of Diana, Princess of Themiscyra, in greater depth. I found very little of this. Most of the characters (Diana especially) were a bit two-dimensional and very unsurprising. Rather bland, if truth be told. Regardless, it is an entertaining quick read, if you're not interested in anything profound. Good for a plane trip or something equally as mundane.

Rating:
Summary: Poor Plot and Excessive Characters
Review: With enthusiasm, I awaited the delivery of this book to my door; however, after I finsihed reading it, the book left me with a very disatisfied vision about the greatest female hero ever! The author's intentions were excellent: 1. to explore Wonder Woman's religious affiliation in a society mainly governed by Christianity and 2. propose a "what if" situation by introducing anatagonists who attack and question the effects of her religious affiliation in a world that reveres her. The intention was there, but the plot lacked engagement and action, and the excessive characters deviated the focus from the plot. I wish the author would have placed plot transitions that kept the reader interested and several climaxes, which protrayed Wonder Woman as the greatest female hero ever. Furthermore, I wish that this excellent writer would have reinvented Wonder Woman as an enigma--a mystery--of society, granting her a secret identity, rather than maintain her as a regular civilian living with a single mother and her young daughter in a house on a hill. I think that Wonder Woman Second Genesis is a much better read--and it is not even a book! Good intention by the author, but poor execution. I don't get it! These writers have the opportunity and license to create a world of superheroes through writing, but they simply do not put their passion into it!

Rating:
Summary: Fantastic Story--Two Thumbs Up!
Review: WONDER WOMAN: GODS & GODDESSES is sure to delight diehard comics fans and neophytes alike. Our heroine finds herself in quite the dilemma when a popular televangelist sets her sights on the Amazon Princess, convinced that the star spangled heroine is nothing less than the devil incarnate! Now the Amazon must bring to bear all her powers and legendary weapons in order to clear her name and find out who's behind this diabolical plot!

Featuring a varied and colorful cast of characters, the story is quite engaging and never fails to entertain.

And, as every good Wonder Woman story does, it has a message that we can all learn from.