Reviews

Bull by David Elliott

ellementary's review against another edition

3.0

What we have here is a bawdy, but humorous, sort of re-telling of the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur. It is told from the multiple POVs of the many characters in verse. Each character has their own unique form of verse to match their unique part in the story. Poseidon the delightfully meddlesome God of the Sea is the clear winner here. He is the catalyst for the turn of events that shape this story while also providing his devilish commentary as things unravel. I'm not generally a fan of the non-traditional narrative, but this was a quick and amusing read. If you're a fan of Greek mythology and you're looking for a quick bite of snark, I would recommend it. As Poseidon says...

But it doesn't take
Much to bring you
Mortals to your knees.
Yeah, you're hard to respect
But easy to please.

mccarthygirl25's review against another edition

dark emotional sad

3.5

svangleboyer's review against another edition

adventurous lighthearted reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

breakfastgrey's review against another edition

4.0

This book was a hilarious, irreverent romp through Greek mythology. Sometimes it feels like someone wrote a book specifically for you and this is one of those times. I also appreciate the thought behind the different poetic forms used for each character, even if they did feel kind of same-y in practice. An abrupt ending and a little too much “Am I man or monster?” navel gazing in the middle kept things from 5 stars, but it’s still a fun read that I’d definitely recommend.

lernstreads's review against another edition

adventurous funny fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

notblue's review against another edition

3.0

Read it in a sitting. It would be better for a young teen interested in Greek mythology than it was for myself.

el_entrenador_loco's review against another edition

funny fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

elothwen's review against another edition

5.0

First of all, I LOVED the way the different poetry forms are used. Having each character get their own voice through the use of different poetic structures is a very awesome concept and tbh, although I think I liked Voices more, I am thoroughly inspired. Poseidon was fun to read (I actually really liked the "modern twist" on his words) and Pasiphae was very thought-inducing in a sad, pitiful way. As was Asterion :(

Boy I actually CRIED at the end of this book... not bawling, don't get it twisted, but I did tear up when Asterion realized that Ariadne betrayed him... seeing his descent into madness was really upsetting because you never see the "bad guy's" side in myth. We need more of that. In mythology in particular the "bad guy" is almost always BAD because of how THEY were treated/conditioned... But anyway.

This was a very good book. Read it and read Voices and be struck dumb by the brilliance of both.

I think I want to write something about Asterion now.

jessiemc13's review against another edition

5.0

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)

elishasbookreview's review against another edition

dark fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Would recommend if you enjoyed the game “Stray Gods”.