From School Library Journal
Starred Review. Grade 8 Up—In
Snakehead, the world of the ancient Aegean comes alive, and Perseus, the only Greek hero to have a happy ending, gets a compelling treatment. He has long lived in the household of "Papa Dicty," the rightful king of the island Serifos. His mother, Danae, was a princess of Argos, and his father is Zeus. Perseus is less interested in this heritage than he is in keeping Papa Dicty's taverna running. When an earthquake sends refugees to Serifos, including the beautiful Kore (which means "girl"), Perseus realizes that things are coming to a head. As Kore, who is actually Andromeda, begins to reveal her secrets, the silent war between Dicty and his brother-usurper Polydectes heightens, and Perseus is sent on a mission to slay the monster Medusa, a once-beautiful woman who caused a feud between Athini and Poseidon, the god to whom Andromeda has been pledged as a sacrifice. Though there are some anachronisms in the story, for the most part the attitudes and understanding of the world experienced by the main characters are true to their setting: Perseus struggles with his identity as half-immortal, and Andromeda with her fate as a sacrifice. Readers of Rick Riordan's "Percy Jackson" series (Hyperion) will be delighted to read a tale of that Percy's namesake, and lovers of Greek myth will find plenty of details and hints to keep them involved. The mentions of early Minoan civilization and the islands of Nexos and Fira, now called Santorini, all give the setting a realistic feeling.—
Alana Abbott, James Blackstone Memorial Library, Branford, CT Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
To get young Perseus out of the way so that he might sate a long-held lust for the lad’s mother, Polydectes, the corrupt island ruler of Serifos, commits Perseus to an impossible task: bringing him the head of the Gorgon, Medusa. Halam expands on and enhances the well-known Greek myth, relating Perseus’s story in his own voice and surrounding him with a likable cast of characters and a lovingly described place. Perseus is a kind, upright young man who has grown up on Serifos and who is intrigued by the mysterious new girl in town, Andromeda. Thoughts of romance are upset, however, as Perseus is pulled toward that fateful moment when he receives Polydectes’ charge. Along the way, Andromeda’s secrets are revealed and various entertainingly reimagined characters make appearances, including Zeus, Hermes, Athini (Athena) and Jason. Halam’s version is sophisticated but teen-friendly and will certainly interest fans of myth. Wider appeal may be limited by a stronger focus on the story’s building blocks and less on critical action and climax. Grades 9-12. --Holly Koelling
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
