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Corydon #1
Corydon and the Island of Monsters
Corydon is thrown out of his town for being born with a goat's leg. Captured by pirates and put into a freak show with other monsters, he meets Medusa the gorgon, the Minotaur, the Sphinx and many other mythical creatures and manages to free them and lead their escape into the mountains.
384 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
8 people are currently reading
214 people want to read
About the author
Tobias Druitt
7 books8 followersTobias Druitt is a pen name for the mother-and-son writing team of Diane Purkiss and Michael Dowling. Purkiss is on the faculty of Oxford University, and Dowling attends the prestigious Dragon School. They both live in Oxford, England.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
March 20, 2018
Long ago, 10 yo me picked this book in the public library because the cover looked cool - in France we don't have the same one. I remember that I liked it a lot. So when the library sold books for charity and I saw the trilogy in there, I took my chance and bought them so I could read them again. Had little me good tastes?
Whether or not I had great tastes, it's the book that made me so invested in the gorgons - my passion for the Minotaur came later. It made me know what no other story told me before, that Stheno and Euryale existed. This book is the reason I'm writing my own mythology retelling today. I'm forever grateful for that.
About the story and its quality, here is what I can say:
Be it nostalgia or not, I liked this book as much as the first time. I was rediscovering the characters and I enjoyed it very much.
The characters are all unique and the monsters are depicted as persons that just happen to be different, with their life, struggle and loneliness. They were strong, had their weaknesses, as everyone does. They were loving and caring. I loved their depiction a lot - as well as the heroes', with a representation I wish I'd see more often: not glorified.
The writing is sometimes a bit childish. I don't know if it's the translation that is at cause here or if it's actually true to the original style. Either way, it didn't really bother me as it was fluid and nice to read nonetheless. Also, I believe the story is aimed at children, so that makes sense to me.
What confused me a little is the timeline. It is clearly hinted that the Trojan War hasn't happened yet. And yet, they talk about Homer and his stories, which is about that same Trojan War...
Other than that, good book! Mixing sweet scenes, humor and some quite dark, it is a beautiful story.
I can't really judge on the quality of the actual writing as I own a translation, though.
Whether or not I had great tastes, it's the book that made me so invested in the gorgons - my passion for the Minotaur came later. It made me know what no other story told me before, that Stheno and Euryale existed. This book is the reason I'm writing my own mythology retelling today. I'm forever grateful for that.
About the story and its quality, here is what I can say:
Be it nostalgia or not, I liked this book as much as the first time. I was rediscovering the characters and I enjoyed it very much.
The characters are all unique and the monsters are depicted as persons that just happen to be different, with their life, struggle and loneliness. They were strong, had their weaknesses, as everyone does. They were loving and caring. I loved their depiction a lot - as well as the heroes', with a representation I wish I'd see more often: not glorified.
The writing is sometimes a bit childish. I don't know if it's the translation that is at cause here or if it's actually true to the original style. Either way, it didn't really bother me as it was fluid and nice to read nonetheless. Also, I believe the story is aimed at children, so that makes sense to me.
What confused me a little is the timeline. It is clearly hinted that the Trojan War hasn't happened yet. And yet, they talk about Homer and his stories, which is about that same Trojan War...
Other than that, good book! Mixing sweet scenes, humor and some quite dark, it is a beautiful story.
I can't really judge on the quality of the actual writing as I own a translation, though.
May 24, 2009
Mythology has always been an inspiration for YA fiction, and Greek mythology in particular has been conspicuous of late thanks to Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson series. CIM is the first of a trilogy by Tobias Druitt (a pseudonym for a mother-son writing team in which the mother is a literature professor, though interestingly not classical literature).
Like Riordan and Anne Ursu, Druitt pulls figures from Greek myth and reinterprets them, in this case by making the traditional mythological monsters – Medusa, the Sphinx, the Minotaur, etc. – into sympathetic characters who are misunderstood by humans and attacked by the Olympian gods. Where Riordan uses humor and clever modernization of myth, and Ursu marries the snarky modern teenage girl into a creepy mythological framework, Druitt reverses “us” and “them” but otherwise sticks to mythological tradition. Monsters are heroic and heroes are cowards; Corydon, the titular hero, has one goat-leg and is cast out of his village, but finds a family and a purpose (in true coming-of-age fashion) amongst the monsters on a Greek island at some time in the pre-industrial past.
Druitt includes some asides that reference mythological figures and stories that do not make it into the glossary in back. I guess they function like “Easter Eggs” on DVDs – if you know about them you get a special something (in this case, self-satisfaction), but they don’t really affect one’s enjoyment of the rest of the book.
Like Riordan and Anne Ursu, Druitt pulls figures from Greek myth and reinterprets them, in this case by making the traditional mythological monsters – Medusa, the Sphinx, the Minotaur, etc. – into sympathetic characters who are misunderstood by humans and attacked by the Olympian gods. Where Riordan uses humor and clever modernization of myth, and Ursu marries the snarky modern teenage girl into a creepy mythological framework, Druitt reverses “us” and “them” but otherwise sticks to mythological tradition. Monsters are heroic and heroes are cowards; Corydon, the titular hero, has one goat-leg and is cast out of his village, but finds a family and a purpose (in true coming-of-age fashion) amongst the monsters on a Greek island at some time in the pre-industrial past.
Druitt includes some asides that reference mythological figures and stories that do not make it into the glossary in back. I guess they function like “Easter Eggs” on DVDs – if you know about them you get a special something (in this case, self-satisfaction), but they don’t really affect one’s enjoyment of the rest of the book.
December 13, 2011
Admittedly I bought this book but was not expecting a great deal from it as the blurb was interesting but the book title was atrocious! When I had finished the first couple of chapters I was far from convinced that I was going to enjoy it but fortunatly it prooved me wrong. (NOTE- I would have wanted to give it 3.5 stars but there are no halves here to give and it didn't feel like a 4 star.)
Once the story truly begins this book is gripping but a lot of characters feel underdeveloped although I assume that they are building up for greater things in the subsequent books. Throughout reading the book I found myself with little interest relating to the fate of the main character Corydon and much more interested in Medusa and even the Naeman Lion (who had few parts). For the most part I do not feel it would have made any difference as to if Corydon was in the book at all (except for maybe the title might have been better!)
Character development aside though (as there is always room to progress especially in a series of books) I found the story compelling a group of outcasts shunned, taunted and hunted down and all that occurs inbetween. I enjoyed the Sthenno and Eurayle especially as with these characters personality really shined through as with the underplayed Minotaur. The use of the staff is very interesting as the story goes on and is worth holding out for.
Once the story truly begins this book is gripping but a lot of characters feel underdeveloped although I assume that they are building up for greater things in the subsequent books. Throughout reading the book I found myself with little interest relating to the fate of the main character Corydon and much more interested in Medusa and even the Naeman Lion (who had few parts). For the most part I do not feel it would have made any difference as to if Corydon was in the book at all (except for maybe the title might have been better!)
Character development aside though (as there is always room to progress especially in a series of books) I found the story compelling a group of outcasts shunned, taunted and hunted down and all that occurs inbetween. I enjoyed the Sthenno and Eurayle especially as with these characters personality really shined through as with the underplayed Minotaur. The use of the staff is very interesting as the story goes on and is worth holding out for.
December 7, 2008
Corydon, a simple sheep-herder, is an outcast exiled from his village because of his deformed goat-like leg. Little does he know that he will become a hero as he joins forces with the monsters Medusa, the Minotaur, Sphinx, the Gorgons and othera to defeat the Olympian heroes led by Perseus. Corydon is the son of Pan, and he fulfills his destiny as he defeats the heroes, expelling them from the island. Along the way, he journeys to the world of Hades, meets shades and also encounters Persephone (the Lady of the Flowers), where she gently guides him in his brave and glorious quest. In the battle, the monsters lose two of their own, including Medusa who Corydon accepted as his second mother, but they gloriously celebrate her life, with her son by birth, Gorgoliskos. Together, the remaining monsters will raise and nurture little Gorgo as his mother would have wanted. At the feast to celebrate Medusa's life and bravery, Corydon is befriended by a stranger who hints of a prophecy which fortells of his new quest.
March 17, 2016
Rich in mythological creatures.
New sides of Medusa and Perseus discovered.
An excellent manipulation of the greek mythology mixed with adventure, mystery and friendship!
New sides of Medusa and Perseus discovered.
An excellent manipulation of the greek mythology mixed with adventure, mystery and friendship!
May 2, 2024
When i started reading it i thought it was way too dull for me but i kept reading and it was actually such a fun adventure and it was very adorable, although pretty predictable, but there were some things i didnt see coming. everything tied together nicely which i liked and it was just so cute
December 19, 2014
Corydon was a simple shepherd boy, although an outcast. Then one day pirates kidnap him to use in their show of monsters because his leg is twisted. There he meets a host of monsters that are the other exhibits: a lion that breathes fire, a man with the head of a bull, and most frightening of all, the one he cannot see because she turns men to stone. But when he gets the chance to escape, he decides to side with the monsters.
The book lightly skewers Greek myths even as it makes much of them. Perseus is a great hero only in looks; Medusa is sharp-tongued but warm-hearted. Even the gods themselves, though true to character, are often whimsical exaggerations of myth. Zeus is so busy and absent-minded he can't even be bothered to remember Perseus's name. And Corydon himself makes an endearing hero. He isn't strong or clever or gifted, but it is his actions that will save them all.
For a children's book, this had a few surprisingly detailed scenes of war, as well as a veiled flashback showing how Medusa got pregnant. The end lost itself a little; I was not at all clear why Corydon had to stab Hades or why that occurred to him (he needed the blood, but why?). And Kharmides is more tagging along with Corydon than doing anything himself, so it was hard to see how he was going with to help Corydon.
In the end, the book's appeal is largely going to depend on the myth it embraces. If yet another re-imagining of Greek gods, a whimsical one, sounds at all interesting then this may be worth a look. I rate this book Neutral.
The book lightly skewers Greek myths even as it makes much of them. Perseus is a great hero only in looks; Medusa is sharp-tongued but warm-hearted. Even the gods themselves, though true to character, are often whimsical exaggerations of myth. Zeus is so busy and absent-minded he can't even be bothered to remember Perseus's name. And Corydon himself makes an endearing hero. He isn't strong or clever or gifted, but it is his actions that will save them all.
For a children's book, this had a few surprisingly detailed scenes of war, as well as a veiled flashback showing how Medusa got pregnant. The end lost itself a little; I was not at all clear why Corydon had to stab Hades or why that occurred to him (he needed the blood, but why?). And Kharmides is more tagging along with Corydon than doing anything himself, so it was hard to see how he was going with to help Corydon.
In the end, the book's appeal is largely going to depend on the myth it embraces. If yet another re-imagining of Greek gods, a whimsical one, sounds at all interesting then this may be worth a look. I rate this book Neutral.
March 31, 2008
Corydon is driven out of his village when his neighbors discover his birth defect, one goat leg, and he is captured by the operators of a freak show of Greek monsters including Medusa, the Sphinx, and others. Corydon helps them escape, and their adventures retell the Greek myths from a new perspective in which it is the gods and heroes who are evil and the monsters are tragic. The tone of the book is not always consistent, shifting from the serious tone of high fantasy into serio-comic or sarcastic humor at times, but the tale is interesting for its twist on the traditional point of view. The author also draws several obscure allusions that may elude modern readers, but middle graders interested in mythology and fans of Riordan's Percy Jackson and the Olympians series will enjoy this first novel.
August 31, 2010
~ Longer version @ my blog
It was cool to attempt to give the readers a different perspective on mythology and making the monsters the good guys..... but it's extremely boring. The book's trying to make the monsters as sympathetic as possible so hard... to the point that they've become annoying instead of pitiful. The "villains" are at least more entertaining, thanks to their silliness.
It was cool to attempt to give the readers a different perspective on mythology and making the monsters the good guys..... but it's extremely boring. The book's trying to make the monsters as sympathetic as possible so hard... to the point that they've become annoying instead of pitiful. The "villains" are at least more entertaining, thanks to their silliness.
March 28, 2010
I loved the way Perseus was portrayed as a coward instead of a hero. The generalizations that the Olympians are good and the monsters are bad was flipped and the monsters seemed heroic and the heros seemed...inglorious. I knew the legend about Perseus slaying Medusa and I was sad when I realized the way the story would end.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 27, 2011
There were some fun things about this book--it was full of Greek mythology, I occasionally liked some of the characters, and parts of the writing were ironic and funny--but there were a lot of slow parts and I only occasionally liked the characters. I had to force myself to finish, but maybe I am on juvenile book overload.
June 25, 2011
It was very interesting. I've read so many books about Greek mythology, but this one was like a mixture of everything. The ending made me really sad. Most of it made me sad. It's not a happy story, but one of overcoming. I'm not going to read the others in the series, but I'm glad I finished this one.
March 16, 2014
If you like the Rick Riordan books, you'll like Corydon. Medusa, gorgons, Zeus and Perseus are main characters. The "monsters" are living on an island and Perseus is determined to defeat them to give himself more credibility with his followers. This is a book about friendship, adventure and power.
September 8, 2008
A really good book, interestingly told from the monsters side of view. the monsters of the island must unify together to defeat the army led by Perseus, who is a coward. Will Corydon learn the magic powers of the staff in time to save his friends?
July 11, 2010
Interesting twist on the Greek Myths - the monsters are the good guys.
The monsters become more than just symbols but characters with personalities and feelings. Some violence but imaginative and entertaining first book in this trilogy. It will be interesting to see how the series develops.
The monsters become more than just symbols but characters with personalities and feelings. Some violence but imaginative and entertaining first book in this trilogy. It will be interesting to see how the series develops.
March 22, 2015
I read this book ages ago and I've been trying to remember the name. Today, it came to me. I might like into the other books. This was a great read and fleshed out some rather flat, tropey figures from well-known Greek myths into real characters with real pain.
Want to read
April 30, 2009Read alike to Percy Jackson Series.
October 5, 2013
This book is the fruit of reading Alice in Wonderland for the first time. I discovered the joy of reading fantasy children's books.
Read
August 16, 2010For Percy Jackson Fans? SLJ grades 7-9.
Want to read
April 30, 2011Just because one of the co-author is a 12 year old boy and was featured in Child Genius.
January 11, 2019
Rep: physically disabled mc
November 21, 2010
did not finish
January 24, 2016
Pretty good, but strange.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews