Spring has sprung! It is now April, and that means it’s time to exchange the dreary cold of winter for flowers, spring rains, and sunshine (at least here in my part of the world)! In honor of the changing of the seasons, I want to highlight some books that give a fresh spin on the spookiest of spring goddesses: Persephone. According to Greek legend, Persephone is the daughter of the harvest goddess Demeter. One day while she was out gathering flowers, Persephone was abducted by Hades, the god of the dead, and taken down to the underworld. While in Hades’ realm, Persphone ate six pomegranate seeds, which obligate her to return to Hades for six months out of the year before returning to her mother. When her daughter is away, Demeter mourns and neglects the earth, but when they’re together, they make flowers bloom and plant life grow. This myth serves to explain why vegetation flourishes for half year but becomes dead and barren in the winter. Persephone is a fascinating and paradoxical character, serving both as a maidenly goddess of spring and as the queen of the underworld. Below are a few of my favorite books that incorporate the myth of Persephone in unique ways: Continue reading Persephone Myth Retellings
Tag: mythology
Review of The Night Tiger—Malaysian Magical Realism
What’s more terrifying than a werewolf? Perhaps a man-eating weretiger! Yangzse Choo’s second novel, The Night Tiger, which came out last month, explores the Malaysian folklore surrounding harimau jadian—tigers who can take on the form of a man in order to get closer to their prey, almost the reverse of the werewolf myth. As in her first book, The Ghost Bride, Choo cleverly weaves together vivid depictions of Malaysia under British rule with a sense of magical realism that brings the region’s unique blend of cultures and beliefs to life. Continue reading Review of The Night Tiger—Malaysian Magical Realism
Forest of a Thousand Lanterns Review—Rooting for the Villains
As a lover of the dark side, I often find myself more intrigued by the villains of a story than by the heroes. Villains have such complexity of character and face the hardest decisions—not to mention that they tend to have a vastly superior wardrobe and aesthetic. I was delighted, then, when it slowly dawned on me while reading Forest of a Thousand Lanterns by Julie C. Dao that this book is the origin story of a villain—of one of the most classic of villains, in fact. Set in a fantasy world resembling ancient China, this novel re-imagines the tale of Snow White and gives it a new spin by focusing on the ascent of the woman who will ultimately become the “Evil Queen.” Forest of a Thousand Lanterns is the first book in the Rise of the Empress series. Its sequel, Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix, comes out tomorrow, November 6, so now is the perfect time to hop on the bandwagon! Continue reading Forest of a Thousand Lanterns Review—Rooting for the Villains
Modern Journeys to the Underworld
The journey to the underworld has been a popular plot motif for millennia. It can take many forms, but generally involves the hero of the story crossing over into the land of the dead to rescue someone, speak to someone, or otherwise complete a quest. This trope appears in many classic myths, such as the Greek tales of Orpheus and Eurydice or Hercules’s twelve labors. It also became a staple of epic poetry, beginning with the Odyssey, continuing in the Aeneid, and becoming the basis of Dante’s Inferno. Scholars of epic poetry even have a word for this recurrent plot element: katabasis, which means “to go down” in Greek. With such a storied history, it’s not surprising that we see variations on journey to the underworld cropping up in modern fantasy novels. Below are a three of my favorite recent variations on this classic trope: Continue reading Modern Journeys to the Underworld
Beneath the Haunting Sea–A Mythic Debut
Talia doesn’t believe in the old gods and the legends that her mother used to tell her beside the fire. But just because she doesn’t believe, doesn’t mean they aren’t real.… Ancient curses and buried prophecies rise up from the depths in Joanna Ruth Meyer’s Beneath the Haunting Sea. What better way to start off the new year than with a brand new book from a debut author, right? It’s the perfect time for fresh voices and new perspectives. Beneath the Haunting Sea comes out tomorrow, January 9th. Find it at your local retailer, or scroll to the bottom of this post to buy it online and support the blog by using my Bookshop.org affiliate link. Continue reading Beneath the Haunting Sea–A Mythic Debut
The Sea Monster Literary Canon
This week I continue my quest to establish a literary canon for each and every monster in the gothic tradition. So far, I’ve done three of the most prominent types of monsters in horror fiction: vampires, zombies, and demons. But now it’s time to venture into uncharted waters and see what I can do for monsters with a less clearly defined canon. And where better to start than with one of the oldest and most pervasive of monsters: the sea monster? Continue reading The Sea Monster Literary Canon