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Bull
by
SEE THE STORY OF THESEUS AND THE MINOTAUR
IN A WHOLE NEW LIGHT
Minos thought he could
Pull a fast one
On me,
Poseidon!
God of the Sea!
But I’m the last one
On whom you
Should try such a thing.
The nerve of that guy.
The balls. The audacity.
I AM THE OCEAN!
I got capacity!
Depths! Darkness! Delphic power!
So his sweet little plan
Went big-time sour
And his wife had a son
Born with horns and ...more
IN A WHOLE NEW LIGHT
Minos thought he could
Pull a fast one
On me,
Poseidon!
God of the Sea!
But I’m the last one
On whom you
Should try such a thing.
The nerve of that guy.
The balls. The audacity.
I AM THE OCEAN!
I got capacity!
Depths! Darkness! Delphic power!
So his sweet little plan
Went big-time sour
And his wife had a son
Born with horns and ...more
Get A Copy
Hardcover, 200 pages
Published
March 28th 2017
by HMH Books for Young Readers
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Community Reviews
Showing 1-30
Start your review of Bull
It’s interesting:
As a god I almost always find,
The more repressed the mortal,
The dirtier the mind.
4 1/2 stars. I loved this!
Bull is going to be a hard sell. To be honest, if you'd told me what it actually is before I requested it from netgalley, I never would have read it. And that would have been a real shame. It's a hilarious and creative retelling in verse of Theseus and the Minotaur. Easily one of the best novels in verse I have ever read.
Despite thinking I was about to open a dark and d ...more
7 out of 10
That was unexpected. I mean, this is not an actual retelling, it's rather a telling only in a modern language and with an addition of new information about the Bull's childhood and motivations of other characters from the original myth.
Each of the heroes has a unique voice (and a form of verse!): Poseidon is a King of Sass, Asterion is a tortured soul, Minos is a moron, his wife is a delusional creep, and Ariadne is a typical YA heroine! I swear. She has a goal, but once a pretty ...more
I know nothing about poetry, but this novel in verse has some fun rhymes. It is an entertaining piece of writing, funny and at times explicit. But it is not very interesting as a myth retelling. There is almost nothing new in it besides its modern language.
ASTERION
Age 9
These horns are heavy on my woolly head.
My tongue is thick and rough.
It’s hard to speak.
I can’t stop hearing all the things they said
when they called me
Horny Boy and Freak.
Sometimes it makes me wish
that I were dead.
My mom says it’s because I am unique
that makes them laugh and say those awful things.
Instead of horns, I wish I’d sprouted wings.
I’d fly away. I’d leave them all behind.
I received an advance readers copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review
I wasn't sure what to expect from this book but I absolutely loved it. I loved the concept and Greek mythology and most of all, I loved Poseidon. I thought he was so hilarious and he reminded me of Deadpool with his sass and snark.
I haven't read a lot of books in verse so I can't confidently say this book is really well written but I personally thought it was great.
The humor in this book is more ...more
I wasn't sure what to expect from this book but I absolutely loved it. I loved the concept and Greek mythology and most of all, I loved Poseidon. I thought he was so hilarious and he reminded me of Deadpool with his sass and snark.
I haven't read a lot of books in verse so I can't confidently say this book is really well written but I personally thought it was great.
The humor in this book is more ...more
"But I wouldn't
couldn't
didn't
they understand he
was my first my bully
boy my beautiful beautiful
monster."
Holy crap, where was this retelling when I was studying Greek mythology my freshman year of high school?
The plot is almost identical to the original myth; so there really isn't anything new to the sequence of events. However, what the author has done is fleshed out the characters with their own unique voices to try and interject some modern thinking into their actions. Cause lets fact it; ...more
couldn't
didn't
they understand he
was my first my bully
boy my beautiful beautiful
monster."
Holy crap, where was this retelling when I was studying Greek mythology my freshman year of high school?
The plot is almost identical to the original myth; so there really isn't anything new to the sequence of events. However, what the author has done is fleshed out the characters with their own unique voices to try and interject some modern thinking into their actions. Cause lets fact it; ...more
I won a copy of this book in the Instagram giveaway from HMH Kids. As soon as I saw the cover on Instagram, I knew I wanted this book. I might be one of those kind of readers, but I have to admit that it’s just one beautiful cover. All the cover love. And when I heard it was about Greek mythology as well. After reading the Percy Jackson series, I have a love for all things Greek mythology. So I was incredibly happy when I won an ARC copy of the book.
I have to say, this is the fifth novel in ver ...more
I have to say, this is the fifth novel in ver ...more
My son loves Greek Mythology. He’s always telling me stories he’s read or learned at school. I was intrigued by the cover of this book a few years ago. I was excited to find it at my local library bookstore for $1. It’s been sitting on my shelves until today. I knew it was written in verse, but I haven’t found a book in verse that I’ve liked. I decided to give this one a try finally and absolutely loved it. 5 million stars!!!
This book like I said is written in verse. The modern language, i.e. c ...more
This book like I said is written in verse. The modern language, i.e. c ...more
What is it with you mortals?
You just can't seem to learn:
If you play with fire, babies,
You're gonna get burned
* * * *
4 / 5
Bull was a wild ride. I am not an expert in the story of the Minotaur, so I went into this virtually blind and was rewarded with a hilarious, witty, and surprisingly sorrowful tale. Does Elliott do the original justice? I have no idea. What I do know is that I had fun.
So this Minos
This "king"
This two-faced
Turd.
The guy's all ego.
BUT I'M ALL ID.
Bull is guilty of the s ...more
You just can't seem to learn:
If you play with fire, babies,
You're gonna get burned
* * * *
4 / 5
Bull was a wild ride. I am not an expert in the story of the Minotaur, so I went into this virtually blind and was rewarded with a hilarious, witty, and surprisingly sorrowful tale. Does Elliott do the original justice? I have no idea. What I do know is that I had fun.
So this Minos
This "king"
This two-faced
Turd.
The guy's all ego.
BUT I'M ALL ID.
Bull is guilty of the s ...more
If you ever wanted to find out how a rap retelling of the myth of the Minotaur would be like, this is the book for you.
I laughed out loud all the way to the end reading this short book, which tells the myth from the POVs of Poseidon, King Minos, Queen Pasiphaë, Asterion (the Minotaur), Ariadne, and Theseus respectively, in free verse. Which made it all the funnier to me, I couldn't help but "sing" each chapter in my head and imagine it was a six-way rap battle. I'm sure that's not what the autho ...more
I laughed out loud all the way to the end reading this short book, which tells the myth from the POVs of Poseidon, King Minos, Queen Pasiphaë, Asterion (the Minotaur), Ariadne, and Theseus respectively, in free verse. Which made it all the funnier to me, I couldn't help but "sing" each chapter in my head and imagine it was a six-way rap battle. I'm sure that's not what the autho ...more
3.25 stars
Not as good as I thought it'd be but still enjoyable. Some of the verses felt awkward too at times.
Poseidon was my favorite of the bunch. ...more
Not as good as I thought it'd be but still enjoyable. Some of the verses felt awkward too at times.
Poseidon was my favorite of the bunch. ...more
POSEIDON
Whaddup, bitches?
3.5 stars. This was awesome, basically.
Bull is a dramatic retelling of the Theseus and Minotaur legend, with a hint of parody and a hint of interesting expansion on the myth. It's told partially from the point of view of the Minotaur himself.
My favorite thing about this is the difference in voices throughout! Asterion’s voice is tortured yet uplifting. Poseidon’s voice is more amusing and fun. Elliot writes in multiple verse styles, using one per character and vary ...more
A laugh out loud modernization of the myth of the minotaur. It's a nice quick read told through verse. Poseidon is literally the king of sass in this which just makes everything even better than it already is.
I received an ecopy of this book through Netgalley; however, my opinions are my own. ...more
I received an ecopy of this book through Netgalley; however, my opinions are my own. ...more
Okay, I kind of loved this. It's a verse novel retelling the Minotaur legend. A couple of months back I had the absolute delight of reading Kyla Stone's brilliant retelling of this story, Labyrinth of Shadows, so I was interested to see what another take on the story would be like. While both retellings have some similarities (if you loved this one, read Kyla's!!!), this one focuses more on Asterion than on Ariadne, and very much has the tone of a classical tragedy (by way of, I am informed by t
...more
This retelling is so imaginative that it makes me angry.
Ask the Minotaur. Who is crueler: god or man?
A sort of Hamilton flavored take on the myth of Theseus and the minotaur, told largely without Theseus at all. It's much more about the minotaur himself, Asterion. And this is going to be a tough one for a lot of people to get into, much less love. There's a lot to like in here, when the focus is on the "onstage" characters. Watching Pasiphae and, later, Asterion deteriorate is heart breaking. Ariadne's devotion to her brother and contempt for her father are nicely written. And Minos himself is
...more
This book is a retelling of the Greek Minotaur in the Labyrinth story - and i think it was executed so effectively. It’s written in verse (with more modern language) that I think would draw in more contemporary readers.
Besides the retelling, I appreciated the discussion at the end regarding poetry form and why certain forms were used for specific characters. Quite telling and fascinating.
Besides the retelling, I appreciated the discussion at the end regarding poetry form and why certain forms were used for specific characters. Quite telling and fascinating.
A short, modern retelling of the Minotaur myth. It was pretty hilarious, I admit.
Creative and entertaining re-telling of the Greek mythology of the Minotaur. I enjoyed the author's use of prose and felt it was an easy read.
...more
Very well executed story of the Minotaur, with the voices of Poseidon, Minos, Ariadne, Daedelus, the Minotaur, and his mom. Oh and a few from Theseus. Each character had their own form of poetry which worked well. Unfortunately it's not a good fit for me, as I tend to dislike verse poems and found the hip-hop styles (especially of Poseidon) irritating (because I am old and cranky, not because they were poorly written).
But I'd comfortably offer it to anyone who was into Greek Mythology or Percy J ...more
But I'd comfortably offer it to anyone who was into Greek Mythology or Percy J ...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
SAD.
I really enjoyed how every character's verses gave them a different feel. I REALLY enjoyed Asterion. It was also way too much fun to read out loud (I censored words :D). Also I butchered ALL of the verse when I read it out loud so. Sacrifices were made. ...more
I really enjoyed how every character's verses gave them a different feel. I REALLY enjoyed Asterion. It was also way too much fun to read out loud (I censored words :D). Also I butchered ALL of the verse when I read it out loud so. Sacrifices were made. ...more
I enjoy novels in verse and this one was nicely done. It was the traditional story with a greater focus on Aterion, the Minotaur's, point of view. Poseidon was a complete jerk, which is typical and I prefer when the Greek gods are not shown in a good light. I also enjoyed the use of different poetic forms for the different voices.
...more
“Lightning flashes. Thunder rumbles. That’s the way the cookie crumbles.”
This book proves that not everyone can effectively tell a story in poetry/verse. LOVE the idea. Hate the execution. The poetry itself is cheesy and cringe-inducing. If you can get past the writing, then it’s a very original modernization of the classic Greek myth of King Minos and his minotaur son, Asterion. I just couldn’t get past the writing.
Positives & Negatives:
+ I grew to love Poseidon and that is what kept me from ...more
This book proves that not everyone can effectively tell a story in poetry/verse. LOVE the idea. Hate the execution. The poetry itself is cheesy and cringe-inducing. If you can get past the writing, then it’s a very original modernization of the classic Greek myth of King Minos and his minotaur son, Asterion. I just couldn’t get past the writing.
Positives & Negatives:
+ I grew to love Poseidon and that is what kept me from ...more
I received this book as an advance readers copy (ARC) in exchange for my review. I will start by saying that this book is very unique. It retells the story of the minotaur in poetic form, featuring Posieden as the narrator who outlines the causes of the myth, as well as the in-between parts of the tale.
At first I wasn’t too sure about this book. I expected it to have a far more serious tone than it ended up having. It has a very irreverent way of retelling this myth, casting Poseidon as the cras ...more
At first I wasn’t too sure about this book. I expected it to have a far more serious tone than it ended up having. It has a very irreverent way of retelling this myth, casting Poseidon as the cras ...more
Feb 06, 2018
DebsD
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
fiction,
humour,
recommendedtome,
literary,
action-adventure,
classics,
poetry,
rating-5-stars
Brilliant. Greek mythology meets Hamilton, but that description doesn't do it justice. This can certainly be read as a short, entertaining version of the Greek myth of Theseus and the Minotaur - and it works, as that; parts of it made me snort with laughter, parts of it made it catch my breath with sadness. But it's also an extremely impressive...experiment, almost - in which each character speaks in a different form of verse, in which each character is in some ways defined by the form of verse
...more
Well life's not for wimps.
Sometimes gods are gods
And sometimes they're pimps.
This was a hilarious take on the story of the Minotaur. Poseidon was so funny and full of sass. (I see where Percy gets it from) ...more
Sometimes gods are gods
And sometimes they're pimps.
This was a hilarious take on the story of the Minotaur. Poseidon was so funny and full of sass. (I see where Percy gets it from) ...more
Apr 06, 2017
Deborah
rated it
it was amazing
Shelves:
poetry,
violence,
abuse,
mature-teen,
verse,
humerous,
mythology,
responsibility,
human-rights,
sacrifice
I loved this book!!! I have no idea who I'm going to sell it to, but by Olympus I shall. It will have to be someone who loves a bad-ass, hip-hoppy remix of the Minotaur/Theseus myth. Imagine blonder Al Pacino from the Devil's Advocate as Poseidon with Lin Manuel Miranda's rhythm and George Carlin's vocabulary. Though, actually, I think Ariadne's language had more F bombs. Still, they are such complete, complicated, screwed-up characters with so much potential! They resonate authenticity and rele
...more
This one took me by surprise. When one of my freshman students introduced this book to me last week, I thought it would be a cute YA novel(ty), but this was actually a pretty impressive effort. I've always loved these stories—the Minotaur, Daedelus, etc.—but I legit loved the creativity and ingenuity Elliott uses to elevate them. I experienced a wide range of emotions—joy, pity, heartbreak—in just the simple hour it took me to read the book. A wonderful way to end the school year: creative use o
...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Madison County NC...: If you like mythology . . . if you like poetry . . . | 3 | 8 | Jan 15, 2020 05:43AM | |
| Into the Forest: Bull Spoilers Allowed | 4 | 14 | Oct 29, 2019 12:49PM | |
| Into the Forest: Bull - No Spoilers | 6 | 16 | Oct 29, 2019 10:34AM | |
| David Elliot | 1 | 13 | Oct 27, 2016 11:29AM |
Readers also enjoyed
David Elliott is the author of THE COOL CRAZY CRICKETS and THE TRANSMOGRIFICATION OF ROSCOE WIZZLE. He says of AND HERE'S TO YOU!, "My neighbor’s rooster and I were having a disagreement. I wanted to sleep in the morning; he wanted to crow. The rooster won, of course. The first verse of AND HERE'S TO YOU! is a tribute to his victory and to the joys found in simply following your nature."
...more
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