Perseus [Hardcover]

Geraldine McCaughrean (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up | Series: Heroes

What does the future hold in store? Is it ever a good idea even to ask? There was a time once when the Three Fates sat in the corner of the young world and knitted like grandmothers for each newborn infant. They wove and worked and patterned each day of a man's life, from the first stitch to the last casting off. And in those days, there were oracles, too, fortune-tellers so sharp-eyed that they could see into the future, so unkind that they were prepared to say what they saw there.

In this second of four books in Geraldine McCaughrean's Heroes series, following the acclaimed Odysseus, readers follow Perseus as he lives the fate the oracles have declared, an impossible quest to kill the hideous, snake-haired Medusa to save his mother from marriage to an evil king. A power struggle among the gods both hinders and helps him along the way, and Perseus manages to find true love when he rescues the breathtakingly beautiful Princess Andromeda from the horrors of a bloodthirsty sea monster in this entrancing retelling of the classic myth.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-8–This retelling of the myth takes Perseus from the oracular pronouncement that he will cause his grandfather's death to the time the hero settles in as King of Little Tiryns. The writing is often energetic and riveting, as when McCaughrean describes the Medusa head's effects on soldiers ranged against Perseus: They saw the hand draw out something green, repulsive, and writhing. A nasty smell struck their nostrils, and curiosity plucked at their brains. But then their nostrils smelled nothing more, their brains struggled no more after understanding, and their eyes–their eyes that had focused on something so hideous that no eyes should ever have seen it–froze over…like winter ice sealing a hundred ponds, and they were stone, stone, stone dead. The story itself, with its twists and turns, its dangers and unexpected rescues, has compelled attention for thousands of years. While the author does not achieve the same dimensionality of characterization as some writers who expand on traditional fairy tales, she fleshes out the myth enough to provide motivation and emotions to all of the actors in it. For readers already in thrall of Greek mythology or those who must delve into it for schoolwork, this title will be a valuable addition.–Miriam Lang Budin, Chappaqua Public Library, NY
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 4-7. Like McCaughrean's Odysseus (2004), this retelling of a Greek myth in the Heroes series makes a thrilling read-aloud. The naive young hero, nicknamed "One-shirt Perseus," doesn't know what he's taking on when he agrees to bring the head of Medusa to the evil king. But Perseus not only beheads the gorgon but also rescues beautiful Andromeda from the parents and lover who betray her. McCaughrean blends the colloquial and contemporary into the heroic quest: "teenage" Perseus worries that the feathered magic sandals look "rather unmanly and tasteless," and when he first sees naked Andromeda chained to a rock, he tells her, "You're extremely beautiful, if you don't mind my saying so." It's the rhythmic storytelling of the gruesome and the heroic that will grab kids, whether the focus is on the three monsters sharing one soft, gray, slippery eye, or the brave hero on his quest to find himself. Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Cricket Books (April 10, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812627350
• ISBN-13: 978-0812627350
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #967,182 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

It's 30 years now since I first got published, and 50 since I found out how writing let me step outside my little, everyday world and go wherever I chose - way back in Time, to far distant shores, towards my own, home-made happy ending. Not that all my books are an easy ride. I write adventure, first and foremost, because that's what I enjoyed reading as a child. But since I have published over 150 books now, there are all manner of books in among that number - gorgeously illustated picture books, easy readers, prize winners, teenage books and five adult novels.
The White Darkness won the Printz Award in the USA, which, for as Englishwoman, was the most amazing, startling thrill.
Then there was Peter Pan in Scarlet - official sequel to J M Barrie's Peter Pan, written on behalf of Great Ormond Street Hopsital for Sick Children. I won the chance to write that in a worldwide competition, and because Peter Pan is loved everywhere, my book sold worldwide too. I can't say I expected that when, as a child, I dreamed of being like my older brother and getting a book published one day.
These days I have a husband (who's good at continuity and spelling) and a daughter who is an excellent editor. But she's at the Royal Academy of Dramtic Art now, studying to become an actor. So, naturally, I have turned my hand to writing plays. (So many actors, so few plays!)
My Mum told me, "Never boil your cabbages twice, dear," which was her way of saying, "Don't repeat yourself." So I have tried never to write the same book twice. You'll find all my novels quite different from one another. I have also done lots of retellings of myth, legend, folk and fairy tales, and adapted indigestible classics such as El Cid, the Epic of Gilgamesh, The Odyssey, Moby Dick, Shakespeare and the Pilgrim's Progress.
Something for everyone, you see, my dear young, not-so-young, eccentric, middle-of-the-road, poetical, sad, cheerful, timid or reckless reader.
All they have in common is that they all contain words. If you are allergic to words, you'd best not open the covers.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "Someone has Cut the Threads of Fate...", November 19, 2008

By 

R. M. Fisher "Raye" (New Zealand = Middle Earth!) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Perseus (Hardcover)

There are probably much shorter retellings of this hero-story, and there are probably quite a few longer ones - but if you wish to avoid the simplicity of a picture book and the long-windedness of an epic, then I don't think you'd find any reason to complain about Geraldine McCaughrean's version of the Perseus myth. In fact, I would go so far as to say that its fidelity to the well-known myth and the lyrical prose in which it is told make it the quintessential retelling of the ancient story (perhaps a premature claim considering I'm far from having read them all, but this would surely be up there in the top five!)

King Acrisius foolishly asks the Epidauran Oracle how he will die, and gets a devastating answer: that it will be at the hands of his own grandson. Inevitably, he takes pains to insure that his daughter Danae will never beget a child, by locking her up in a specially-designed tower. Just as inevitably, this attracts the attention of Zeus, the king of the gods...and a few months later Danae gives birth to a son: Perseus.

Horrified, Acrisius sets mother and son adrift on the sea in a wooden chest, only for them to be rescued by a fisherman and introduced to the King Polydectes. Coveting the hand of beautiful Danae, Polydectes sets her son an impossible task in order to pursue his reluctant bride without inference. Perseus is tricked into bringing back the head of the Gorgon Medusa - but you don't need me to tell you how this particular quest will pan out.

In fact, (though no fault of McCaughrean herself) this is one of the inevitable weaknesses of the book: that you already know what's going to happen! When Perseus discovers exactly who and what the Medusa is, I thought to myself: "wait - how can he not know that already?" The myth of Medusa is so well-known, it seems strange that anyone (even the characters in her story) wouldn't know about her! But of course, I was reading from the point of view of a person who has known these stories for years - for a young reader just discovering the world of Greek myth, this is the perfect way in which to introduce them.

McCaughrean takes us through all of Perseus's adventures: his encounters with the hideous Graeae and the beautiful nymphs, the accumulation of his god-given weaponry, his confrontation with Medusa and her sisters, his meeting with the Titan Atlas, the rescue of the beautiful Princess Andromeda from the sea-serpent, and the conclusion of his grandfather's long-awaited fate. Speaking of fate, McCaughrean weaves in an underlying theme of the immutability of fate and the despair that this can cause - yet manages to add in a glimmer of the hope that comes with free choice by the story's end.

McCaughrean retains the sensuality that is so prevalent in Greek myths, without making it all too obvious (such as Danae's union with Zeus as he appears as falling gold through her window: "Coins and ingots and gold dust pelted her like hail so that she reeled and fell on her back and drew up her knees and cried out in fright. But it was not unpleasant - just a little startling). Likewise, the author's prose throughout the story is wonderfully poetic and descriptive, from the beauties of Mount Olympus to the horror of the gorgons. It's quite reminiscent of Rosemary Sutcliffe actually.

The tone shifts mid-way through the story, from grim seriousness of Perseus's youth and the fight with the gorgons to a lighter and more comic confrontation with Andromeda's people (the poor girl is tied up naked to a rock on the shore, having to listen to Perseus muse about whether she'd like to marry him: "Sir! I would marry your horse if it would save me from being eaten!") but it was probably wise to write "love at first sight" with a touch of tongue-in-cheek.

Basically, I read "Perseus" in one sitting, and felt that although it was a story well-known to me, I had experienced it in a new, refreshing light. For any young person just beginning to get interested in the world of myth, this would be the book to get them (this and McCaughrean's other retellings of Greek heroes: Heroes: Hercules (Heroes) and Theseus (Heroes).

4.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful Retelling of Greek Myth, October 13, 2011

By 

H. Rieseck (USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Perseus (Audible Audio Edition)

First I should point out that this is not a novelization of the classic myth of Perseus but rather a retelling. We do not really get into the thoughts of anyone but instead follow the story of Perseus as he slays Medusa, takes down Atlas, fights various kings, saves a princess, and kills a sea monster (not necessarily in that order). This book really helped to flesh out my knowledge of Perseus - all I knew came from a video game that I had played where he was one of the heroes you requested to slay Medusa. As this is a retelling of a myth, I'm not going to critique the character or plot development. At 160 pages (the hardback version) I think that this is a pretty sufficient retelling - you don't feel like you are losing out on anything.

There is one thing that irritated me throughout the story - all of the pantheon of gods were referred to by their Greek names (like Zeus, Hera, and Artemis) with the exception of one - Hades was constantly referred to as Pluto, his Roman equivalent. This broke the continuity for me and was frustrating. I think to stick with the Greek names would have made the most sense as the story is taking place in Greece.

While McCaughrean's books are intended for a YA audience, suggested for 4th - 8th grade, this was still the enjoyable read for an adult. It didn't feel like the story had been watered down for youths. I certainly am interested in checking out the other Heroes that she has written about.

This was one of the best audiobook productions I have listened to in awhile. This is a full cast production. You have a different actor for each character - even the minor ones. This really helps to flesh out the characters even more and gives a good feel for their personalities - especially the gods. The storytelling was well paced and dramatic. There were tiny musical interludes between chapters - it reminded me of harp and drum music. This just helped to break up the chapters and didn't take away from the story - they were approximately 5 - 10 second clips. I would certainly listen to one of their productions again.