Snakehead

by Ann Halam

Vivid and twisted - a stunning retelling of the classic Medusa myth..Life on Perseus's island of Serifos hangs in a precarious state of balance - the legacy of war - but his own routines are relaxed and calm. However, a beautiful stranger arrives and shatters the peace for everyone. Perseus is smitten, but others are suspicious, for Andromeda has a unique and potentially powerful gift. But she also has a harsh destiny to fulfil. She must die to save her people, and a stunning, word-changing discovery will die with her - unless Perseus abandons all his beliefs to confront the horror of the Medusa quest.In a mesmerising novel which combines Ann Halam's own skilful blend of magic realism with the rich otherwordly power of a favourite Greek myth, this is a story of hope and survival, and the sheer determination of two young people against all the odds.

Genres: Fantasy, Mythology, Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Greek Mythology, High School

215 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Ann Halam is a pseudonym of Gwyneth Jones.

As well as being a children’s author, Ann Halam writes adult science fiction and fantasy books as the popular and prizewinning author Gwyneth Jones. Her most recent titles for Wendy Lamb Books are Dr. Franklin’s Island, Taylor Five, and Siberia. She lives in Brighton, England.

Reviews

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Snakehead was like a breath of fresh air for my summer reading. The author retells the story of Perseus (best known for chopping off Medusa's head) and Andromeda (best known for being chained to a giant rock as a sacrifice to a sea god/monster). The book starts with teenage Perseus living a quiet life on a small Greek island, just waiting for the chance to prove himself and rid his home of its unjust king. Andromeda is fleeing her role as sacrifice and arrives on the island of Serifos in disguise as "Kore" (which, of course, doesn't last for long as her past catches up with her). Both of them are swept up in the machinations of the Greek gods, and leave the safety of Perseus' home for a fantastic, perilous adventure. I really liked the blend of epic and everyday, and the way that the mythical comes to life as believable and relatable. Beautiful descriptions, a great sense of humor, and plenty of romance!

[Mely · Rating 3 out of 5]

Historical fantasy retelling the legend of Perseus and Andromeda and the killing of Medusa; the fantasy aspects are mentioned early, but become more prominent later on, which feels a little unbalanced; there's so much more at the end than the beginning.

Good on the politics of the Greek city-states as the Achaians come from inland and displace the old, tribal, matriarchal societies with a more patriarchal and militaristic culture; Halam has some anachronistic touches, sometimes just with language ("refugees" sounds so modern, even if the concept is old) and sometimes not (Danae's adoptive father invents spaghetti). Sometimes this was striking, bringing the harsh nature of events home ("refugees") and sometimes it just felt silly (spaghetti). What's most striking is the Ethiopian princess Andromeda, who takes the symbolic Phoenician script a step further and invents alphabetic writing, although useful as it is I'm not convinced it's necessary for civilization (China seems to have done okay without it). But there's some gorgeous and playful stuff about invention here, as well as some serious stuff about cultural conflict and the small starts of world changes.

Also, this is probably the least depressing of Ann Halam's children's books I have read since The Daychanger trilogy.

[Terry · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a big fan of historical fiction and retellings of myths/legends. Unlike the popular Percy Jackson books (which takes place in modern times), this story takes place in ancient Greece, although the author intentionally sticks in some anachronisms which seem out of place. The author uses both first person (for Perseus) and third person (for everyone else's point of view), which makes it sometimes confusing. The first 2/3 of the book moved at a leisurely pace and it was great to "be" in the ancient world. The last 1/3 was much faster, and I was sometimes not sure how the characters were getting from one place to another, it was a little too mysterious and confusing. Even so, this book would be worthwhile to mention if someone asks about books on this subject.

[Justine · Rating 1 out of 5]

I love Greek mythology, but I read the first chapter of this novel and couldn't really get into it.

[Brian Paterson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Watching paint dry had better not be there when the International Standards Organisation finally pushes through binding global specifications for ‘The Novel’ to make this consumer’s experience more predictable. Paint dries in this story. Alas this odyssey operates on ‘island time.’ The voice of the young Perseus is its only highlight – read it for that alone. He gets his first taste of the seemingly necessary evils of Classical male statecraft. Weirdly, I’m reminded of 2001: A Space Odyssey.
In case you don’t know that: an alien monolith taught our male ancestors that they can kill each other far more effectively with jawbone of an ass or something like that. The rest is our history- literally. Is it any wonder that today, looking at the state of the world, the vile ‘supernaturals’ and any other aliens up above us find they have nothing to say in their defense? Mmmm? Still, what made me put the book down was the muzzling of the ‘girl’ (Andromeda). I didn’t expect to find her side of the story told by something that seems supernatural. Listen carefully the next time you are in a room with someone experiencing trauma. I doubt that anything godsplains their experience for you. If you can hear a disembodied voice telling you how they feel, the $3 that I spent to buy this book went to a charity that may be able to assist you.

[Areej Chaudhary · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ann Halam retells the story of Pursues and Andromache. Perseus takes his life very easy on Serifos, but this happiness doesn't last for long as Gods and politics come in the way. That's when Perseus meets Andromache, a beautiful stranger from another disaster zone. Perseus's main challenge in this book is choosing whether to leave with Andromache, or go face to face with Medusa.

I rated this book 2 stars because I found it very boring. To me, the author describes characters with very few details, making it hard for me to picture in mind. I do enjoy reading about Greek Mythology, but I just find that there was a lack of detail. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes historical fiction

[Debbie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I tried to read the book. Several days in a row. I think I had problems because it was an advance reader I got from a teacher friend, but the opening two chapters were too tough to get into. The relationships between characters seemed wrong, a few quotation marks in those chapters were missing, and overall I was confused.

I'm all for retellings, but I'll pass on this one.

[Mars · Rating 1 out of 5]

This reads like a middle schooler was told a few details about greek mythology and was told to write a book on it. I was falling asleep reading it very boring.

[Erica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book Talk: Perseus lives a quiet life on a small island with his mother, until one day he meets a beautiful princess on the run from her parents. Before long, Perseus' own father, Zeus shows up to complicate his life further and set him on a quest to kill Medusa, whose looks can literally kill. The old gods of the islands are on the decline as the new Olympian gods rise, but where do humans stand? Are they ever anything more than the play things of these gods, subject to their whims? Is it possible for a mortal to assert his own will in the face of divine intervention? Will he be able to complete his fated quest? Will he be able save the princess from her own fate? Perseus doesn't know that if can, but he knows that he must try.

Rocks My Socks: In addition to re-telling the myths of Perseus and Andromeda there is also a lot of interesting information about ancient Greek politics and society. It reminds me of Mary Renault, but for children. I also love the female characters in this book; they are strong and layered and full of life. I always enjoy it when, during re-tellings, famous romantic couples are allowed to actually meet and get to know each other and fall in love over a longer period of time than it takes to kill a dragon and steal a kiss. There's also some good substance to the book and commentary on current events using the lens of the past that are rather thought-provoking, which I always enjoy.

Rocks In My Socks: There are some more modern elements and view points incorporated into the text which are a bit annoying in that they are anachronistic, but seem to be done intentionally. Mostly it's in a more modern perspective, which I don't really mind being incorporated into historical fiction. Others are obviously just meant to be jokes, though, like the 'invention' of various modern foods by the chef at the tavern. It also doesn't sit right with me that the lovely, intelligent Andromeda resigns herself to her fate, but I guess Halam had to get her to her proper place in the story somehow.

Every Book Its Reader: I'd recommend this book to teens who enjoyed the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. Although set in ancient times, there are enough similarities in pacing and subject matter that fans should enjoy this story about Percy's namesake. There's great, strong characters of both sexes, so both boys and girls will have great characters to identify with, and the romance is pretty understated. Adults who enjoy fairy tales and myths re-told will find plenty to satisfy them as well.

Read more of my reviews at http://auldschoollibrarian.blogspot.com

[The Library Lady · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a sucker for mythology--the old traditional mythology I grew up with. Some of the current "gods in modern times" books have been entertaining, but I love the old stories best.

Ann Halam here retells one of my favorites--that of Perseus and Andromeda. Did you realize that they are the ONLY couple in the traditional myths with a HAPPY ending?

Halam re-imagines the tale a bit. She adds some in-jokes and contemporary touches, but they integrate well into the story and won't make it seem dated in a few years. Her characters are well drawn and engaging.

All in all, nicely done. I'm not sure that the Rick Riordan crowd will all love it, but it's worth a shot--especially with the girls.

[Courtney · Rating 3 out of 5]

We've heard the story of Perseus and Medusa, but we've never heard it from Perseus's point of view before. Here you'll meet a cast of characters both familiar and new, including Andromeda, Cassiopeia, Dictys, Jason and his crew and many, many others. It's an interesting enough retelling, told with a bit more humor than most. Yet it still somehow seems to drag and I found myself struggling to keep interest in the story, even though I love Greek mythology and the concept of re-envisioning classic tales. This one just didn't work as well for me as others have, even though I can find no real problems with the writing, characters or plot. In fact, I still can't quite put my finger on what made this book less-than-memorable for me. Alas, these things happen.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story of Perseus and Andromeda-before they begin to take part in their known adventures. Perseus embarks on his quest to kill Medusa at the request/conniving of an evil king. Andromeda has run away from home (and conveniently ran into Perseus) before realizing that she must mentally prepare herself to become a human sacrifice. The story was ok...some of the character dialog was choppy. At one point Perseus declares his overwhelming love for Andromeda but there was not any previous mentioning of liking or affection for her...where did it come from?

[Pam Donato · Rating 3 out of 5]

This retelling of the Greek myth of Perseus and Andromeda is told with modern language and some modern twists thrown in. Some of it seemed a bit contrived at times. The target audience for this book is young adult and I bought it for my teenage son who is interested in the ancient Greek mythology. He hasn't read it yet so I though I would see what it's like. There is not much action like I would expect after the recent action packed movies of the same theme. Still, it was interesting and worth reading.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the author's "what might have happened" version of the story of Perseus, Andromeda, Polydectes, and Medusa. It comes in before the legend we know, and suggests that Perseus and Andromeda were already acquainted. It makes for a fantastic story, and with the current interest in Greek gods, this one ought to be a hit with older children or teens.

[Tim · Rating 2 out of 5]

While this novel had some interesting plot points, Snakehead was pretty slow going. The events of Perseus and the Medusa really didn't take off until about the 200-page mark, and the love connection between Perseus and Andromeda was hard to follow/believe. It was a valid attempt to recreate the Greek myth, but there were some significant holes in Halam's interpretation.

[Audrey Hacker · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is really bad. It took me 2 weeks just to get through the first 100 pages!!!! it was very weird and i could find none of the original myth in it! i know the author was trying to create a new myth but it just fell flat. I couldn;t find much backround on the charcters and the writing was just blah. Dont read this is you want a cool book and a revamped myth!

[Terri Pray · Rating 3 out of 5]

A so-so read. No where near as engaging as some young adult ancient Greece novels that I've read. The author also makes the mistake of using too many modern terms that jump out as 'wrong' in the story.

[Angela]

An interesting retelling of the myth of Perseus and Andromeda. AKA Perseus vs the Medusa. So far pretty good.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice mythological retelling. Modern elements are to sporadic and intrude way to much, the ending does not make good connections nor do you really connect with the characters overall.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perseus must cut off the Medusa's head to save his beloved Andromeda from becoming a human sacrifice.

[Holly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun re-telling of Perseus and Andromeda. Not set in contemporary times like Percy Jackson. I quite enjoyed it.

[Karin · Rating 4 out of 5]

interesting blend of retelling of perseus myth with modern sensibility (but still rooted/grounded in historical time period).

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice kids book about Perseus and Andromeda. Fun twist on an old myth.

[Anita Prince · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is based on the Perseus and Andromeda myth of Ancient Greece. Unlike the Percy Jackson series, there is more focus on character development.

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

An interesting twist on a classic Greek myth, good writing and an almost modern feel.

[Kate Hastings]

SLJ Grades 8+; mythology--Percy Jackson

[Angelina Justice · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was fantastic. It is one that I commonly put in the hands of readers who liked Percy Jackson and the Olympians and/or Lester's Cupid.

[Ratforce]

Mythology fans might enjoy Ann Halam’s Snakehead. This dramatic story, full of Greek mythology, focuses on Percy Jackson’s namesake, Perseus.

[Millenia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Exactly what this review said

[Polly]

YA BOOK TOUR #24