Medea of Colchis

Great Women of Greek Mythology #1

by Mike French, Vittorio Mattioli, Little Miss Grumpy (Cover)

All is lost. The love of her life, Jason, has betrayed her and is leaving her for another woman. She is alone, in a foreign land, with no friends or family save for her two young sons and a handful of loyal servants. But Medea is no mere princess. Her grandfather is Helios, God of the Sun. She is going to use her cunning and witchcraft to have vengeance. But revenge always has a price. Is she willing to give up everything to make Jason pay for his betrayal?

GREAT WOMEN OF GREEK MYTHOLOGY is a series of short books for young and old introducing readers to the ancient world through its heroines. Τhese books aim to bring readers on a journey filled with excitement, drama, death and love, all while focussing on the women that have played such an important role in our history yet are still remembered as mere bystanders.

144 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2024

About the author

Mike’s debut novel, The Ascent of Isaac Steward came out in 2011 with Cauliay Publishing and was nominated for The Galaxy National Book Awards which due to an unfortunate clerical error was awarded to Dawn French.

Mike's second novel a dsytopian sci-fi called Blue Friday was released in 2012 by Elsewhen Press and was nominated for the Arthur C. Clarke award 2013. Convergence, his third book, was released in October 2013 from Elsewhen Press and was nominated for the Arthur C. Clarke award 2014.

In Nov 2015 Elsewhen Press published Mike's hybrid novel & graphic novel called An Android Awakes with artist Karl Brown.

The sequel Fictional Alignment was published in paperback April 2018.

Mike was also the senior editor and owner of The View From Here literary magazine which closed in Nov 2014.

Reviews

[Julian Worker · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an entertaining book about the legend of Medea from Colchis (in the modern day country of Georgia) the daughter of Aeetes and the grand daughter of the sun gold Helios.

Aphrodite caused Medea to fall in love with Jason when he arrived to steal The Golden Fleece. She did help him on condition that he married her. Medea was a sorceress and magician and helped Jason to make off with the fleece by providing him with an ointment to protect him from fire-breathing bulls, so he could harness them. She helped him overcome an army of soldiers who sprang from dragon's teeth and sent the dragon to sleep who guarded the Golden Fleece. To aid their escape, Medea cut her brother into pieces to slow down her familial pursuers.

When they reached Corinth, Jason rewarded Medea by dumping her for Glauce, the daughter of King Creon. Medea didn't take this too well. She inveigled herself into the affections of King Aegeus of Athens who visited her in Corinth and once she secured an oath of protection from him, she set about her revenge.

Medea is not at all a sympathetic character and is full of cunning and deceit. This is well brought out in the book.

[Roula · Rating 5 out of 5]

"we women are weak and quiet in many matters . We cower at the thought if war ,even at the mere sight if a weapon . But if one dares slight us in our home ,break our marriage, there's no bloodier spirit in the world ."

Συνεχίζοντας το ταξίδι στις μεγάλες γυναίκες της μυθολογίας ,η δεύτερη στάση είναι στην ίσως πιο διαβόητη γυναίκα της αρχαιότητας . Η Μήδεια μέχρι και σήμερα με δυστυχώς πολύ πρόσφατες και ανατριχιαστικές ιστορίες ,παραμένει ένα σύμβολο απόλυτης βαναυσότητας και αγριότητας και αυτή που κάνει το πιο απεχθές και ασυγχώρητο έγκλημα : να σκοτώσει τα παιδιά της .φυσικά όλα αυτά είναι γνωστά και αυτό που μένει πάντα στο τέλος -ορθα βεβαιως- είναι ότι ήταν μια μητροκτονος .ωστόσο με μια πιο ψύχραιμη ματιά και την παραδοχή ότι οι αρχαιοι μας πρόγονοι ήταν παράξενοι για τα σημερινά δεδομένα και είχαν νόμους γραπτούς και άγραφους κυρίως που ήταν πολύ διαφορετικοί από τα σημερινά δεδομένα ,ίσως θα άξιζε και μια άλλη ματιά στην ιστορία της .αν λοιπόν πάρουμε την ιστορία της ως μια αλληγορία φεμινισμού και της θέσης της γυναίκας στην αρχαιότητα ,βρίσκουμε μια Μήδεια που έδωσε τα πάντα στον αχαρακτηριστο Ιάσωνα αποτελώντας ουσιαστικά το πρόσωπο κλειδί στην Αργοναυτική εκστρατεία ,θυσιάζοντας τα πάντα γι'αυτόν που αγάπησε,σκοτώνοντας με αποτρόπαιο τρόπο τον αδερφό της για να σταματήσει την καταδίωξη της και του Ιάσονα από τον πατέρα της και έκτοτε ζώντας ως φυγάς από την Κολχίδα στην Κόρινθο και από κει στην Αθήνα . Μέσα σε όλα αυτά ο Ιάσωνας εξακολουθούσε να θεωρείται ένας ήρωας,ενώ εκείνη ,ως γυναίκα ,κάτι ακριβώς αντίθετο .αργότερα με την προδοσία του Ιάσωνα μετατρέπεται σε προσωποποιημένη εκδίκηση ,που όμως βρίσκει αποδοχή από τους θεούς ,μιας και ως γνωστόν ,σε αυτούς δώσε δράμα και παρτους την ψυχή ,αλλά και για τους λογους που αναφερα παραπάνω με τους κανόνες περί εκδίκησης . Με δυο λόγια ,παρόλα τα μεγάλα λάθη και πάθη της ,η Μήδεια είναι το σύμβολο μιας γυναίκας που έζησε όπως η ίδια θεώρησε σωστό -με την ανταμοιβή αλλά και την τιμωρία των θεών - αρνούμενη να υποταχθεί σε όσα της επέβαλε η θέση της ως γυναίκα της εποχής και παίρνοντας την κατάσταση στα χέρια της και αυτό όπως και να χει την κάνει ΤΟΥΛΆΧΙΣΤΟΝ εξαιρετικά ενδιαφέρουσα ..

[Ria · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is a deeply flawed attempt to humanize one of Greek mythology’s most ruthless figures. By framing Medea as a "victim," the authors completely ignore her calculated agency and cold-blooded nature. She didn't just stumble into tragedy, she orchestrated it.
From betraying her own family for a lover to the horrific act of filicide for spite, Medea’s history is one of manipulation, not martyrdom. The book conveniently glazes over her later exploits in Athens, where she not only became a homewrecker by marrying a married man but also reached a new level of depravity: attempting to manipulate a father into poisoning his own son, Theseus.
Calling this an "empowering" or "tragic" portrayal is an insult to the source material. Medea was a formidable sorceress, but she was also an unrepentant villain. This book’s attempt to wash away her blood-stained history feels hollow and dishonest.

[h · Rating 4 out of 5]

My boyfriend brought the first three books in this series back from Greece for me as a souvenir, and I've really enjoyed getting to take a deeper look into the women Greek mythology often overlooks. This was a tragic but very well-told story, and I appreciated the additional context provided by the authors.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting aspect of the story written in simple English.