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Women's Fiction
Wonder Woman : Mythos

Wonder Woman : Mythos

List Price: $6.99
Your Price: $6.29
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 2 stars
Summary: JONESING, DUDE!
Review: In her acknowledgments for MYTHOS, Carol Lay states that this is her first novel, and that she would like to thank her friends for their support. But soon after you polish off the last page you may be wondering if those friends were either too fairweather or too afraid to tell her that she has not so much written a novel, but instead has turned in what amounts to a first draft in a freshmen English creative writing class. It's a repeative and lackluster work filled with little in the way of plot, story or even action. And while it's true that WONDER WOMAN predates Xena by decades, you'd be hard press to find any lick of difference between the two women here. WONDER WOMAN is simply given no real personality, no real identity, no depth whatsoever. She's so lightweight she almost easily brushed off the page. And this is a crime, because of all the hero's in the DCU (that's the DC Universe for all of you who only know of WONDER WOMAN outside of comics)WONDER WOMAN has had the hardest climb, the lonest trial of any there. Only now after decades of being brushed aside, passed over and taking her share of hard knocks has she finally been allowed to play in the Big Boy's club and has gone on to become part of the "HOLY THREE" at DC - Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman. There Wonder Woman is more than equal, she is her own woman... here in MYTHOS, Lay seems contended to push her into the background, often leaving her helpless and on the cutting edge of being... assulated, molested... Unforgivable. Granted these books are more written for the young adult crowd, but even they will be hard pressed to find anything of interest here. For fans there are moments to enjoy (oddly, her writing of BATMAN is far stronger and more vivid than anything she has to say about WONDER WOMAN), but for first time readers or those new to WONDER WOMAN, check into her background first before picking this up.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Verrrrry slow and uncompelling, sorry
Review: Long-time WW fan here, so I'll read just about anything about her. I had to FORCE myself to make it through this book. There's no compelling hook, no conflict that incites more than a mild anxiety in the characters, and the first 95 pages AT LEAST could be dropped without harming the novel. Not having to read through those 95 pages would probably help it.

Even if Ms. Lay was unfamiliar with WW when she started this project (as referred to in her dedication) she should have become aware of the times in WW's many eras when WW not only had character but teemed with life. She was vibrant, outrageous, optimistic, gutsy... Of course, for the past few years she's been bland as mayonnaise, but that was no reason to use the mayonnaise version for this book.

Novels about characters operating in other media are a time to get in there and dig through what makes them tick. Mayonnaise does not tick. WW's Amazons should not come off as fussy Victorian-style maiden aunts who are thrown into a tizzy at the very idea of a battle. WW's enemies should not be mindless drones who walk this way and that, and when they're done they do it again and again until you just wish they'd walk into the sea and never return.

The Amazons should be professional in their soldiering and devout in their peacemaking. WW is measured by her enemies so those should be cunning and powerful with plans to take over the world that actually make a little sense and seethe with danger.

A superhero venue would seem to indicate a hard-action story. This was a chance to show off WW and her venue to the ultimate, without even the limitations of printed illustrations to slow the writer down. What we got was boring, repetitive interior ramblings that exemplified "tell, don't show." If I'd been the editor on this, I would have sent it back at proposal stage for a complete re-think.

There are some funny lines, but not many. Some flashes of poety -- again, not many. The descriptions of the fish are interesting, but I didn't pick this up for fish.

What age group was this written for? The majority of it was written simplistically, as if for grade-schoolers (wouldn't the JL series be more appropriate for such a style?), but the concept of rape was brought up again and again, and the words "whore" and "slut" were used, which I don't consider kid material.

Why did the two women in the novel constantly go around kissing all the men on the cheek to show their approval of them? How very, very strange.

I wanted an exciting adventure starring the dynamic Wonder Woman -- the personification of empowerment. Instead I got a book I had to struggle through and certainly never enjoyed.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Pass this one up unless it is being purchased for a 14 y/o
Review: Once again the character of Wonder Woman is 'redone'. This time though into a 'version' of the character that is second to everyone and best at nothing. The book is clearly written at a teen level but deals with highly violent concepts like rape in childish language. The emotional writing is immature, with Wonder Woman 'crying' and sobbing more than anyone would expect of a warrior born (no matter how traumatic a fight or experience she endures... )The polarization of the sexes with man as the violent savage and woman as the noble while intriguing is to contrived and has been overdone in other Wonder Woman stories.

The characters are not well fleshed out and the protagonist, Wonder Woman is portrayed as an indecisive character unable to make a decision without it being reaffirmed by others. A dismal book.

For a true book about a powerful woman called Wonder Woman, the reader is encouraged to get John Byrne's novel "Wonder Woman, Gods and Goddesses." It does a much more extensive dissection of the character, portraying her as a competent, intelligent confident well written multi-dimensioned female.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: I loved this book! Spend the 7 bucks!!
Review: Only a few times have I had the urge to rush through a book to find out what happens next. That alone is a good sign of a novel well written that keeps the readers interest. There are no art panels to accompany the story, but Carol Lays writing does not require a picture to "paint" a thousand words. Ms. Lay is a wonder woman in her own right.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A Must for Any Wonder Woman Lover
Review: Only a few times have I had the urge to rush through a book to find out what happens next. That alone is a good sign of a novel well written that keeps the readers interest. There are no art panels to accompany the story, but Carol Lays writing does not require a picture to "paint" a thousand words. Ms. Lay is a wonder woman in her own right.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Simply average fare
Review: The book opens with the JLA resting after some serious heroic action. THe heroes go their separate ways to recuperate. Wonder Woman returns to her home island of Themyscira to search for a missing diver in that area of the Bermuda Triangle. When she finds that the man is not on her home, she begins to search for him, thinking perhaps there might be an additional island hidden nearby.

Along with the wife of the missing man, Wonder Woman finds this other island, which is the opposite of her own home. This new island is populated entirely by men, with the missing man among them. During an abortive attempt to cheat fate, she manages to help a proscribed course of events along its course.

Among the results of her rescue attempt, the island begins to intrude upon our dimension, causing much in the way of tectonic upheaval. The rest of the Earthbound JLA main team journeys individually to investigate. As per the usual, all but one of the team is captured, though it is one of these that effects the release of the others. A big battle never really happens, though an ancient Greek god does make an appearance. In the end, the day is saved and nothing has been altered in terms of the JLA membership.

As in the title of this review, this book is simply average among other comic-based novels. There is also some glaring inconsistency between this book and the previous JLA book, The Stone King. In the other book Wonder Woman and Superman journey unprotected to the center of the Earth, yet in Mythos, Wonder Woman is unable to approach closely to a lava flow, which temperature is far less than the Earth's core, and alos lacking the core's extreme pressure. Someone needs to keep these things correlated correctly. Stalwart JLA fans might like it more than others, but I am hopeful the next book will improve things.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A Fine First Novel
Review: This book gets off to a fine start and keeps on going. After the introductions and set-up, Lay keeps the plot moving, juggling characters with a deft hand. It is written not like a comic book, but like a novel, with plain language, a light touch, and good characterizations. The JLA works as a team, although the focus is definitely on WW. She is strong, but falls short of perfection, a hero we can relate to in that her human side shines through.

True, Lay doesn't locate JLA HQ on the moon like Grant did in the Stone King, but she doesn't resort to dumb formula, nor are there glaring plot holes, as there are in Stone King.

I got so caught up in it I stayed up far too late to finish it - this novel is a lot of fun.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A Fine First Novel
Review: This book gets off to a fine start and keeps on going. After the introductions and set-up, Lay keeps the plot moving, juggling characters with a deft hand. It is written not like a comic book, but like a novel, with plain language, a light touch, and good characterizations. The JLA works as a team, although the focus is definitely on WW. She is strong, but falls short of perfection, a hero we can relate to in that her human side shines through.

True, Lay doesn't locate JLA HQ on the moon like Grant did in the Stone King, but she doesn't resort to dumb formula, nor are there glaring plot holes, as there are in Stone King.

I got so caught up in it I stayed up far too late to finish it - this novel is a lot of fun.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: great story keeps you guessing to the end.
Review: this book starts out with a honeymoon couple diving aroung the bermuda triangle. the man goes missing and the justice league and especially wonder woman thinks that he may have found a mytholgical island like her own paradise island. wonder woman goes on a hunt for the diver, and soon there are 4 other members of the justice league with her battling for the world against a formidiable opponent.

this book is just remarkable. from the use of ancient greek gods to the use of oracle from the birds of prey tv show, the author brings them all together in a truely unforgettable book. i had my doubts when i first bought it but i was pleasantly surprised.
i loved the tv show the birds of prey and was most disappointed when they cancelled it. it is nice to see that the legend lives in print if not on tv.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Wonderful!
Review: This novel is a fast-paced and interesting adventure with no boring passages that you have to plow through. Wonder Woman is the strong, nurturing, yet human superhero that William Moulton Marston created her to be. The nonsuper-human couple who are the focal point of the story show that maybe there is a little bit of superhero in all of us. I especially liked the part where Green Lantern points out that Batman has class. I hope Carol Lay writes more novels like this one.


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