Name: The Shadow of Perseus
Rating: 3.95 (10 reviews)
ISBN: 9780593471579

Claire Heywood

National bestselling author of Daughters of Sparta Claire Heywood returns with an imaginative and female-centered reinterpretation of the myth of Perseus. Myth remembers Perseus as one of its greatest heroes. A slayer of monsters. A rescuer of damsels. But the women who knew him best have a different story to tell. His mother, Danae. His trophy, Medusa. His wife, Andromeda. As Perseus becomes obsessed with the promise of his own destiny, his heroic journey casts a shadow of violence and destruction across all three women's lives. It takes strength to survive a legend.

A Novel

The Shadow of Perseus

Nationally bestselling author of Daughters of Sparta Claire Heywood returns with an imaginative and female-centered reinterpretation of the myth of the great hero Perseus, told through the voices of three women who are sidelined in the traditional version—his mother, Danae; his trophy, Medusa; and his wife, Andromeda—but whose viewpoints reveal a man who is not, in fact, a hero at all. Danae: Banished from her homeland thanks to a prophecy foretelling that her unborn child will one day cause the death of her father, the king of Argos, Danae finds herself stranded, pregnant, and alone in a remote fishing village. It’s a harsh new world for a young woman who grew up as a coddled princess, and forging a new life for herself and for her young son Perseus will be the hardest thing she’s ever done. Medusa: As a member of a reclusive band of women who live deep in the woods, known as the Gorgons, Medusa has eschewed all contact with the outside world. That is, until the day she finds an injured boy named Perseus in the forest. Andromeda: When a harsh sandstorm threatens to destroy her nomadic desert tribe’s way of life, Andromeda knows that a sacrifice will be required to appease the gods and end the storm. But when a forceful young Perseus interferes, Andromeda’s life is set on an entirely new path. As Perseus becomes increasingly obsessed with the promise of his own destiny, his heroic journey casts a shadow of violence and destruction across all three women’s lives. But even as he tries to silence them, the women may find that reclaiming their voices is their only hope for lifting themselves into a better future.

I’ve had this book in my TBR for a looong time. It was a good palette cleanser. However I did not like the main character. I love my Greek mythology as much as the next person but I think it altered too much of the figures we know so well.

Lauren Dale

The Shadow of Perseus is one of the best myth retellings I've ever read. It's real and raw, and I always say I love when authors aren't afraid to tell their own tale, to put their own spin on a myth. For me, that's the whole point of a retelling. The author stripping away the fantasy and supernatural elements worked well here. Instead of a story centering around gods and goddesses, magic and mythical beasts, we are gifted a novel about the women in Perseus' life. It's more historical fiction than anything, but it presents the myth in such a believable way. The historical settings were some of my favorite parts of this book as well. The author's note explains everything beautifully, and I learned so much about the original myth, not to mention about the Bronze Age Mediterranean world.

I loved each woman's POV chapters, as they were all well researched and grounded in historical fact. These were well rounded characters who bring new life to a very old story. Andromeda was my favorite, though. I enjoyed every second of her POV, as it begins in a lush oasis and details her struggle for survival after encountering Perseus. I was mesmerized by her entire tale, as it's so different than anything I've read before, from the setting to culture and traditions. She's one of the strongest characters I've ever had the pleasure of reading about. And Danae and Medusa weren't far behind. 

At first, I did feel kind of bad and sympathetic for Perseus, but I realize that's the point. The author shows how he was the one who became a monster and how the women in his life (his wife and mother) work to remove the shadow that fell over him. This book was brilliant in every way. And for such a small book (less than 300 pages), it packs a punch. So much is included in this story, from tension to heartbreak to fear and survival. My heart was racing for a good chunk of this book.

It's a myth where three dimensional women are at the forefront and get to tell their own stories. It shows the cruelty of men in all its forms and how women are affected by that. It also shows how they can survive (for the most part -- even though I knew what would happen to Medusa, I wished her fate was different). 

I have nothing but good things to say about this book. And while I was not too fond of the author's first novel, Daughters of Sparta, this book absolutely knocks it out of the park. I will be reading whatever she writes next!

Amanda

The Shadow of Perseus is one of the best myth retellings I've ever read. It's real and raw, and I always say I love when authors aren't afraid to tell their own tale, to put their own spin on a myth. For me, that's the whole point of a retelling. The author stripping away the fantasy and supernatural elements worked well here. Instead of a story centering around gods and goddesses, magic and mythical beasts, we are gifted a novel about the women in Perseus' life. It's more historical fiction than anything, but it presents the myth in such a believable way. The historical settings were some of my favorite parts of this book as well. The author's note explains everything beautifully, and I learned so much about the original myth, not to mention about the Bronze Age Mediterranean world.

I loved each woman's POV chapters, as they were all well researched and grounded in historical fact. These were well rounded characters who bring new life to a very old story. Andromeda was my favorite, though. I enjoyed every second of her POV, as it begins in a lush oasis and details her struggle for survival after encountering Perseus. I was mesmerized by her entire tale, as it's so different than anything I've read before, from the setting to culture and traditions. She's one of the strongest characters I've ever had the pleasure of reading about. And Danae and Medusa weren't far behind. 

At first, I did feel kind of bad and sympathetic for Perseus, but I realize that's the point. The author shows how he was the one who became a monster and how the women in his life (his wife and mother) work to remove the shadow that fell over him. This book was brilliant in every way. And for such a small book (less than 300 pages), it packs a punch. So much is included in this story, from tension to heartbreak to fear and survival. My heart was racing for a good chunk of this book.

It's a myth where three dimensional women are at the forefront and get to tell their own stories. It shows the cruelty of men in all its forms and how women are affected by that. It also shows how they can survive (for the most part -- even though I knew what would happen to Medusa, I wished her fate was different). 

I have nothing but good things to say about this book. And while I was not too fond of the author's first novel, Daughters of Sparta, this book absolutely knocks it out of the park. I will be reading whatever she writes next!

I enjoyed Heywood's previous release, so I was looking forward to picking this one up, and it was fine. I think it was a very straightforward retelling. I liked how it was told in different parts focusing on each woman. It made the story feel cut and dry, but it still got the point across. I was looking forward to Medusa's storyline the most since she is one of my favorite characters in Greek mythology, but Heywood's Medusa was different from any other take I've seen, and I'm just not sure it worked for me. I did like Danae's and Andromeda's storylines but found myself leaning more toward the latter as I thought she was slightly more interesting to follow. I thought Heywood's writing was easy to read, and I think this would be a good introduction to retellings, but I was hoping for a little more.

Heather Harrington

Mary Gilpin 

History remembers him as a hero. But the women who knew him best remember a different man... Perseus grows up wanting to be a hero, but he cannot become one if his mother Danae still sees him as a boy. When his stepfather Polydektes casts him away on a voyage across the sea, Perseus is determined to fulfil the great destiny of the son of a god and the grandson of a king. But the line between heroism and monstrosity is thin, and when Perseus attempts to seduce first gentle Medusa and then beautiful Andromeda, before finally reuniting with Danae, they each learn of the dangers of resisting a boy prepared to risk it all for greatness . . .

The Shadow of Perseus A Novel

Reviews

Highlights