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Medousa
by
Classic Greek mythology paints Medousa as one of the most loathsome creatures of the ancient world. Feared by man and shunned by the Gods themselves, with a visage so hideous, any living creature that looked upon her would be instantly turned to stone. But what made Medousa such a monster?
Author Michael F. Butchin retells the classic story from Medousa's point of view, fro ...more
Author Michael F. Butchin retells the classic story from Medousa's point of view, fro ...more
Paperback, 646 pages
Published
January 15th 2016
by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
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Showing 1-49
This book was a fucking journey. And it completely 180'd my perception of the Gods, Olympians and the legends within Greek mythology.
The story details the life of Medousa, from child stolen to serve as a slave, to young woman battling for self respect and a place within society - all under the watchful eye of the goddess Athena.
It details her dramatic transformation into a Gorgon and the decades that follow - that part of her stream of consciousness was tough to read as you could feel the despai ...more
The story details the life of Medousa, from child stolen to serve as a slave, to young woman battling for self respect and a place within society - all under the watchful eye of the goddess Athena.
It details her dramatic transformation into a Gorgon and the decades that follow - that part of her stream of consciousness was tough to read as you could feel the despai ...more
***Note: I received a copy curtesy of Netgalley and BooksGoSocial in exchange for an honest review.
“…Many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view.” (quote from ObiWan Kenobi)
Quite interesting interpretation of Medusa (Μέδουσα), the famous Gorgon in Greek mythology – as the author points at the end of the book, «I liked the idea of doing a story that, in the tradition of Philip Jose Farmer, essentially said, “You’ve always heard this version of the story; now let me ...more
Choosing to humanise a mythological character is difficult to achieve. Still, this book nails it, converting Medousa into a tragic heroine.
Its well written and except for a couple paragraphs that are a bit repetitive, very entertaining.
Some passages brought tears to my eyes - hey, its a tragedy after all and the author has to be faithful to the sources of the story, and he does for the most part.
I really enjoyed it!
*Disclaimer: I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest revi ...more
Its well written and except for a couple paragraphs that are a bit repetitive, very entertaining.
Some passages brought tears to my eyes - hey, its a tragedy after all and the author has to be faithful to the sources of the story, and he does for the most part.
I really enjoyed it!
*Disclaimer: I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest revi ...more
I received an ARC copy of this book from NetGalley
This was actually a very impressive book, both in terms of the story and the sheer scope of it, but although I did enjoy it I also can't really rate it higher than 3 stars for a couple of reasons [although your mileage may vary because it really is such an interesting project]. The first was just the length of the book. This book is very very long and I have a very very short attention span. I know a lot of people like longer books, but most of w ...more
This was actually a very impressive book, both in terms of the story and the sheer scope of it, but although I did enjoy it I also can't really rate it higher than 3 stars for a couple of reasons [although your mileage may vary because it really is such an interesting project]. The first was just the length of the book. This book is very very long and I have a very very short attention span. I know a lot of people like longer books, but most of w ...more
Trust me... this is the best novel I have read on Medusa. I thoroughly enjoyed the poor girls story of slave to demigod. I laughed, I cried, and have a whole new perspective on Medusa, This book I rate five stars for all round it fitted, it was fresh and New and if you're a fan of Greek history this tome packs a punch to satisfy your desires.
Update: The author has since reworked the novel, and was kind enough to provide me with a copy of the new edition. While I quite enjoyed the original version, I found the new version even more compelling, with an increased focus on the character Medousa's heartwrenching childhood as a Spartan helot and the emotional connections between her, her mistress/lover, her friends, and Athena. It also delves into the self-blame victims often feel, and how one can unwittingly become a monster, morally or
...more
This is a retelling of a tale that anyone with any interest in Greek Mythology should read; it really changed my perception of what I had learned years ago
Medousa was considered less than a human from the time her family was killed and she was mad a slave, only two humans ever treated her with any kindness in the palace and they were unable to protect her. She would have been much better off if Athena had never noticed her. If the Greek goddesses and gods were so powerful, why did she not look i ...more
Medousa was considered less than a human from the time her family was killed and she was mad a slave, only two humans ever treated her with any kindness in the palace and they were unable to protect her. She would have been much better off if Athena had never noticed her. If the Greek goddesses and gods were so powerful, why did she not look i ...more
Gave it up at the 24% mark. I just couldn't bring myself to go any further. The plot was okay, but the writing was ridiculously trite and "junior high"ish. The dialogue between the characters was, at best, worthy of great eye rolls and, at worst, so horrible and unbelievable it made me want to throw the book across the room. Plus, the book was just SOOOOOOOOOO SLOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWW. I wanted to finish it; I really did. There have only been maybe two times in my entire life that I didn't finish a
...more
In classical myth, Medousa (Medusa) was a priestess raped by Poseidon and cursed by Athena to lose her humanity or other theories propose to protect herself from men. Michael Butchin flips the story by writing from the perspective a young girl taken as a slave, being defiled and refusing to commit suicide. All-in-all, a story of tragedy, grief and love. Because this takes place when the gods and other heroic and mythical creatures existed, they make appearances, bringing comedy and philosophical
...more
Content note: slavery, sexual harassment, sexual assault, child abuse, rape, victim blaming, solitary confinement,
Overall, this felt like a refreshing take on the legend of Medousa, and examining through fiction how some of the myths about her may have come about. There is experience of madness through essentially the solitary confinement of not being able to interact with other beings. She also learns over time to control both her anger and urge to lash out - both as a human and later as a Gorg ...more
Overall, this felt like a refreshing take on the legend of Medousa, and examining through fiction how some of the myths about her may have come about. There is experience of madness through essentially the solitary confinement of not being able to interact with other beings. She also learns over time to control both her anger and urge to lash out - both as a human and later as a Gorg ...more
I love retellings so I was intrigued when I heard about "Medousa" and this retelling definitely didn't disappoint.
I liked how Butchin put a new spin on well-known myths, including not only the story of Medousa but also touching on the fall of Troy, Heracles, and the war between Titans and Olympians.
The main weakness of this novel, in my opinion, is that it felt somewhat repetitive at points with characters making the same point over and over again, but the overall story is still fascinating and ...more
I liked how Butchin put a new spin on well-known myths, including not only the story of Medousa but also touching on the fall of Troy, Heracles, and the war between Titans and Olympians.
The main weakness of this novel, in my opinion, is that it felt somewhat repetitive at points with characters making the same point over and over again, but the overall story is still fascinating and ...more
Loved the book and if you like mythology so would you.
Medousa takes a monster and makes her human in a literary story that draws on classical mythology and weaves an engaging prose narrative. Recommended for those of us who revel in the myths and appreciate a new approach.
What a wonderful little book. This novel follows a recent trend of humanising the Greek and Roman myths (or am I noticing it more because I am addicted to BBC's Troy?) A wonderful literary take on the scapegoated woman, very refreshing.
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Michael Butchin is a writer living in the Delaware Valley. He was born in Philadelphia, and studied Chinese Language and Literature at Rutgers University, New Brunswick.
Butchin lived for several years in Taiwan, where he worked as a teacher, and has traveled extensively in China. He has spent much of his life amongst a fascinating variety of unconventional characters. He is also an unlikely martia ...more
Butchin lived for several years in Taiwan, where he worked as a teacher, and has traveled extensively in China. He has spent much of his life amongst a fascinating variety of unconventional characters. He is also an unlikely martia ...more
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