This book is part of Grupo Editorial Luis Vives’ series Colección Mitos Clasicos. It is one of the more ambitious books in the series because it focuses on a group of people rather than a single narrative. Author Ricardo Gómez describes three episodes from different myths in which the Amazons play a major role: The ninth labor of Hercules to capture the girdle of the Amazonian Queen Hippolyta, the Amazons’ siege of Athens to rescue their kidnapped princess Antiope, and the duel between Achilles and Penthesilea during the Trojan War. It’s a pleasure to read these narratives as told from the Amazons’ point of view. Even though the endings are tragic, there’s great nobility in the Amazons’ heroic attempts to help their allies and protect one another. More than ever, it’s clear that the Greek heroes are always the aggressors. 

Gómez makes the excellent choice to found his myths in historical fact according to our best understanding. He starts the book with a description of the Amazons as female warriors who were part of the horse-riding nomadic cultures of the West Asian steppe. Consequently, the myths in the book give the reader a chance to think about how cultural prejudices color people’s understanding of others and how those prejudices can be handed down. Rebecca Luciani’s expressive illustrations help to reinforce that message. Her Amazons all have distinct appearances and personalities, while her Greek heroes’ faces are often hidden behind helmets. Readers will also be glad to see that Luciani populates her pages with people of different skin tones, reflecting the actual diversity of the Mediterranean in ancient times. 

The book is published in Spain, which makes it a little hard to find in the United States. Still, persistent searches on various online booksellers’ websites will turn up copies for sale, and you can order the book through the website of the publisher, Edelvives (Grupo Editorial Luis Vives). – Krishni Burns