Rating: 
Summary: I couldn't put it down!
Review: A lot of people have written Wonder Woman over the years, most of them men.
I picked up this book to see how a woman would handle the star-spangled icon
of kitschy feminism and was NOT disappointed. From page one I was drawn in
with vivid visual descriptions (Lay's scuba diving passages made me feel
like I was underwater), caped crusaders with more than the usual two
dimensions, and a plot that, while certainly comic-booky, nevertheless had
me glued to my chair, turning the pages.Lay crosscuts between team members to weave tension and build toward a
climax that has every one of the JLA working for a solution, with WW acting
both alone and as a member of a team. The human protagonist, Ana, is
wonderfully drawn - spirited, courageous, and resourceful - a positive and
strong feminine voice who complements and reinforces WW's own powers. Psychological horror spices the story as several JLA members are seduced and
controlled by the evil entity in Mythos. One passage in particular gave me
the willies; another charmed me completely until Lay threw in a dash of
creepiness, sending a shiver down my spine. Other bits are amusing, such as
when WW contemplates how the Greek Gods could benefit from counseling from a
good therapist, or when Hippolyta chides her daughter for using the vulgar
word "TV." Because so many revisionists have trampled over WW, it's refreshing to see
her portrayed as a warm and human woman, not some feminized version of a standard-issue super hero. She probably most resembles George Perez's
version of the character, a refined and strong individual who can still
react like a typical daughter when hanging around Mom. Another gratifying aspect of the novel is Lay's treatment of Paradise
Island. Her description of Themyscira makes sense - a Greek city-state
operating communally, with a good explanation for why these women haven't
slit their immortal throats out of boredom for having been stuck there for 3000 years. Lay pulls off this novel with a splash of fins and a pirouette in the air.
Highly recommended. MUCH better than the Batman book in the same series.
Rating: 
Summary: A poor rendition, a character that deserves better
Review: As glad as I am to see DC comics branching out with prose novels (as opposed to graphic novels) featuring their iconic characters, I can't help but wish the results were better. The first book in the series "Batman: The Stone King," was okay. "Wonder Woman: Mythos," I'm sorry to say, is mediocre at best. The story has promise -- a honeymooning couple scuba-diving in the Bermuda Triangle uncovers an island of men planted as an army for Ares, the God of War. Wonder Woman and the Justice League are called in to rescue the husband and, as it turns out, save the world. Standard superhero stuff, but it could have gone somewhere. Unfortunately, it really didn't. There were a lot of minor problems -- anarchronisms like the Justice League operating out of the satellite instead of the Watchtower, for instance -- that got under my skin, but that I could have forgiven if the story were better. Sadly, it just wasn't. None of the JLA is written in character. The Flash and Green Lantern are, at times, bizarrely analytical. Oracle feels "off" to say the least. Wonder Woman -- she's supposed to be the star here, but Carol Lay never conveys the sense of nobility, the regal air that the likes of George Perez and Phil Jimenez have created in the comic book. She tosses around uncharacteristic slang and doesn't seem quite as capable as fans know her to be. The whole thing came out hokey. A weak effort. Dennis O'Neil is doing the next book in the series, starring Green Lantern. I'll keep my fingers crossed that the old master can do better.
Rating: 
Summary: Not for a JLA or Wonder Woman Fan
Review: I am an avid comic reader and have read all the youth Justice League series books to my children (These books are great: good feel to them; high vocabulary; twisted plot lines). I was excited to see an adult/mature version of the Justice League. After reading Louise Simonson's "The Gauntlet" from the youth series, I couldn't wait to get my hands on "Mythos." Boy, was I disappointed. The vocabulary was low; the imagery was cliche. None of the characters felt authentic. The author contrives a sinister device--a mysterious globe--that causes the characters to "dream" that they are in some kind of utopia (Superman dreams of Krypton), but the images they see are not consistent with the characters or their respective histories. It's as if Ms. Lay simply makes up everything about these tried and true characters without researching them or getting a true feel for their personalities. I was extremely bothered by the unoriginal, simplistic writing style. I was shocked that Wonder Woman made an allusion to something she'd read in "The Hobbit," as if Princess Diana has Bilbo Baggins ingrained in her psyche like the rest of us. I was extremely annoyed by the newlywed woman whose husband has been possessed by Ares and by her ability to use discussion of "love" and "happiness" to return Wonder Woman from her globe-induced trance. OH MY GOSH! WHAT A HORRIBLE READ! In short, I wouldn't buy this book again.
Rating:
Summary: Not for a JLA or Wonder Woman Fan
Review: I am an avid comic reader and have read all the youth Justice League series books to my children (These books are great: good feel to them; high vocabulary; twisted plot lines). I was excited to see an adult/mature version of the Justice League. After reading Louise Simonson's "The Gauntlet" from the youth series, I couldn't wait to get my hands on "Mythos." Boy, was I disappointed. The vocabulary was low; the imagery was cliche. None of the characters felt authentic. The author contrives a sinister device--a mysterious globe--that causes the characters to "dream" that they are in some kind of utopia (Superman dreams of Krypton), but the images they see are not consistent with the characters or their respective histories. It's as if Ms. Lay simply makes up everything about these tried and true characters without researching them or getting a true feel for their personalities. I was extremely bothered by the unoriginal, simplistic writing style. I was shocked that Wonder Woman made an allusion to something she'd read in "The Hobbit," as if Princess Diana has Bilbo Baggins ingrained in her psyche like the rest of us. I was extremely annoyed by the newlywed woman whose husband has been possessed by Ares and by her ability to use discussion of "love" and "happiness" to return Wonder Woman from her globe-induced trance. OH MY GOSH! WHAT A HORRIBLE READ! In short, I wouldn't buy this book again.
Rating:
Summary: I loved this book! Spend the 7 bucks!!
Review: I bought this book because I'm a fan of Carol Lay's Story Minute strip. Even though I'm new to JLA, I thought, why not? C'mon, the book was [a great price] (been a long time since I paid so little for such a great read) so not much to lose. What a surpise! I'm hooked. Let me tell you, I loved this book. Who knew Wonder Woman and the JLA would be so compelling (well, lots of people, I'm sure, and now I'm one of them). Lay's rendition is action packed with well-drawn (written), believable characters (I especially loved Ana, the human, and the super heros' mortal characteristics, elegantly and often comically revealed. The plot is of the can't-stop-reading, what-will-happen-next variety, with beautiful scenery (the dive scenes took this non-diver deep into the sea). I was on the edge of my seat, I loved the mythology, and now I want to read so much more JLA, and, most of all, I want more by Carol Lay. This is intelligent, intense, and sometimes laugh out loud funny story telling. Amazing!! Read it.
Rating:
Summary: Carol Lay rules
Review: I knew Carol Lay's work from her weird and wonderful underground comics series from the eighties, Good Girls, and from her weekly comic strip Story Minute. Thus, I was already aware that she is a gifted storyteller. But I had no idea she'd be able to write such a terrific novel, particularly when working in a genre that isn't really her own. It was a very pleasant surprise, therefore, to find myself pulled in to this novel from the first few pages, unable to put it down. The story grabs you right away, and makes you laugh, gasp, shudder, and even cry a couple of times. Ms. Lay brings the characters to life in such a way as to make them completely believable, which is no mean feat. It's really great fun to read.
Rating:
Summary: This is for ALL JLA and Wonder Woman fans!
Review: I really liked this book, of course Wonder Woman IS my favorite superhero. ;) Very well written, and researched on the authoresses part. I recommend this to everyone. =) Now, I'm going to go read The Stone King by Alan Grant(about Batman) =D
Rating:
Summary: Greatful for "adult" JLA reading material!
Review: I thought that this was a wonderful novel. It was a great plot that not only gave insights into Princess Diana's home island but it a very interesting twist to the possiblities to other hidden island lands like Themyscira. I felt that it was very well written and truely held my interest through out the novel. Even though you know that the good guys will win in the end, it was still a page turner. I recommend it as well as the other JLA novels out there! Happy reading.
Rating:
Summary: My favorite Wonder Woman story ever!
Review: I've been a fan of Wonder Woman for a long time, and she's certainly been kicked around a lot. For some reason, DC has never even tried to maintain continuity with her story lines. So it's up to each new writer to reinvent the character and place her in some sort of context. For that reason, I can't quibble about details of WW's present or past that vary from author to author. To give you an idea of where I'm coming from, my favorite Wonder Woman writer up to now is George Perez. I love Carol Lay's version of the Amazon Princess. She's smart, funny, strong, dynamic and exciting. And so is this book. I found the writing in The Stone King overblown and predictable. I prefer a more straightforward style, where the author gets out of the way of the story. Lay doesn't write like Alan Grant, and to me that's a good thing. She writes more like Steven King or Robert Heinlein. Here's an example, from one of my favorite scenes, a dream sequence: "The golden lasso tigthens around her neck when they land on Themyscira. Henry looms over her, his mask a part of him now. He puts his sword in her hand. The day is bright and sunny. The sea is turquoise, but it will soon be red.
[...]
"Polyxena, the poet who sings of love and beauty, fights as fiercely as her sisters, but is brought down by a mace that takes off half her face. The poet is still alive. Jerks and twitches animate her body as she tries to gurgle out a scream. Diana turns her head away from the horrid sight. Henry notices and commands her to look. A warrior approaches the wounded woman, kneeling to mount her. Diana internal screams of rage and despair grow louder. The sword she carries mocks her. She wants to swing it around and cut off Henry's head, but she's powerless to do so. He holds her golden lasso." Obviously, there are parts of this book that are not appropriate for young teens. I'd say Mythos is best suited to more mature readers who can appreciate its craft and power.
Rating:
Summary: My favorite Wonder Woman story ever!
Review: I've been a fan of Wonder Woman for a long time, and she's certainly been kicked around a lot. For some reason, DC has never even tried to maintain continuity with her story lines. So it's up to each new writer to reinvent the character and place her in some sort of context. For that reason, I can't quibble about details of WW's present or past that vary from author to author. To give you an idea of where I'm coming from, my favorite Wonder Woman writer up to now is George Perez. I love Carol Lay's version of the Amazon Princess. She's smart, funny, strong, dynamic and exciting. And so is this book. I found the writing in The Stone King overblown and predictable. I prefer a more straightforward style, where the author gets out of the way of the story. Lay doesn't write like Alan Grant, and to me that's a good thing. She writes more like Steven King or Robert Heinlein. Here's an example, from one of my favorite scenes, a dream sequence: "The golden lasso tigthens around her neck when they land on Themyscira. Henry looms over her, his mask a part of him now. He puts his sword in her hand. The day is bright and sunny. The sea is turquoise, but it will soon be red.
[...]
"Polyxena, the poet who sings of love and beauty, fights as fiercely as her sisters, but is brought down by a mace that takes off half her face. The poet is still alive. Jerks and twitches animate her body as she tries to gurgle out a scream. Diana turns her head away from the horrid sight. Henry notices and commands her to look. A warrior approaches the wounded woman, kneeling to mount her. Diana internal screams of rage and despair grow louder. The sword she carries mocks her. She wants to swing it around and cut off Henry's head, but she's powerless to do so. He holds her golden lasso." Obviously, there are parts of this book that are not appropriate for young teens. I'd say Mythos is best suited to more mature readers who can appreciate its craft and power.
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