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kahuggs 's review for:
The Shadow of Perseus
by Claire Heywood
I have really enjoyed mythology retellings, particularly those with a feminist lens that give tragic female characters more dimension and agency. I was especially looking forward to The Shadow of Perseus, as I am particularly interested in retellings of the Medusa myth. I appreciated its premise to reframe the Perseus myth with the three most significant women in his life at the center: his mother, Danae; his conquest, Medusa; and his wife, Andromeda.
However, I'm not sure that the execution was successful. Because the narration is split into four parts (two from Danae's POV, and one each to Medusa and Andromeda), I found Perseus to be a rather flat character with inscrutable motivations. I was baffled by his swings from the sweet, tender child to his ruthlessness and violence as an aspiring hero. While the events are more plausible, I didn't find the resulting story compelling.
The most difficult change was the removal of supernatural elements, including the direct interventions of the gods and the presence of monsters. While this change fits with the author's background as an antiquities scholar, I didn't feel that it served the story. I recognize the author's goal to shift the myth's themes of choice vs destiny, but I felt that the missing magic instead flattened the story. Medusa's story is especially brutal without the fantastical elements. Her section is the shortest, and although she is presented as a woman with agency, her much more violent murder is a totalizing event. I truly didn't understand Perseus' motivation in killing Medusa, as she was stripped of her magical qualities. While that change removes her monstrousness, I did find that it stripped her story of the possibility of nuance. Her severed head becomes a gruesome trophy, and more tightly defines her as a pure victim. I had hoped for more for her.
The story is readable enough, but feels rushed, and the grounding of the story in a more realistic setting strips it of its complexity. What is left is a stark and grim retelling, lacking the magic of its source material.
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
However, I'm not sure that the execution was successful. Because the narration is split into four parts (two from Danae's POV, and one each to Medusa and Andromeda), I found Perseus to be a rather flat character with inscrutable motivations. I was baffled by his swings from the sweet, tender child to his ruthlessness and violence as an aspiring hero. While the events are more plausible, I didn't find the resulting story compelling.
The most difficult change was the removal of supernatural elements, including the direct interventions of the gods and the presence of monsters. While this change fits with the author's background as an antiquities scholar, I didn't feel that it served the story. I recognize the author's goal to shift the myth's themes of choice vs destiny, but I felt that the missing magic instead flattened the story. Medusa's story is especially brutal without the fantastical elements. Her section is the shortest, and although she is presented as a woman with agency, her much more violent murder is a totalizing event. I truly didn't understand Perseus' motivation in killing Medusa, as she was stripped of her magical qualities. While that change removes her monstrousness, I did find that it stripped her story of the possibility of nuance. Her severed head becomes a gruesome trophy, and more tightly defines her as a pure victim. I had hoped for more for her.
The story is readable enough, but feels rushed, and the grounding of the story in a more realistic setting strips it of its complexity. What is left is a stark and grim retelling, lacking the magic of its source material.
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.