The Mythic Dream

by Dominik Parisien (Editor), Navah Wolfe (Editor), John Chu (Contributor)

An all-new anthology of eighteen classic myth retellings featuring an all-star lineup of award-winning and critically acclaimed writers.

Madeleine L’Engle once said, “When we lose our myths we lose our place in the universe.” The Mythic Dream gathers together eighteen stories that reclaim the myths that shaped our collective past, and use them to explore our present and future. From Hades and Persephone to Kali, from Loki to Inanna, this anthology explores retellings of myths across cultures and civilizations.

Featuring award-winning and critically acclaimed writers such as Seanan McGuire, Naomi Novik, Rebecca Roanhorse, JY Yang, Alyssa Wong, Indrapramit Das, Carlos Hernandez, Sarah Gailey, Ann Leckie, John Chu, Ursula Vernon, Carmen Maria Machado, Stephen Graham Jones, Arkady Martine, Amal El-Mohtar, Jeffrey Ford, and more, The Mythic Dream is sure to become a new classic.

Phantoms of the Midway (Hades and Persephone) / by Seanan McGuire --
The justified (Hathor and the destruction of mankind) / by Anne Leckie --
Fisher-bird (The labors of Hercules) / T. Kingfisher --
A brief lesson in Native American astronomy (Deer hunter and White Corn Maiden) / by Rebecca Roanhorse --
Bridge of crows (The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl) / by JY Yang --
Labbatu takes command of the flagship Heaven Dwells Within (Inanna takes command of heaven/Inanna & Enki) --
Wild to covet (Thetis) / by Sarah Gailey --
¡Cuidado! ¡Que viene el coco! (El Coco) / by Carlos Hernandez --
He fell howling (Lycaon) / by Stephen Graham Jones --
Curses like words, like feathers, like stones (The children of Lir) / by Kat Howard --
Across the river (The legend of Akdamot/the legend of Rabbi Meir and the Sambatyon) / by Leah Cypess --
Sisyphus in Elysium (Sisyphus) / by Jeffrey Ford --
Kali_Na (Kali) / by Indrapramit Das --
Live stream (Artemis and Acteon) / by Alyssa Wong --
Close enough for Jazz (Idunn and her golden apples) / by John Chu --
Buried deep (Ariadne and the Minotaur) / by Naomi Novik --
The things Eric eats before he eats himself (Erysichthon) / by Carmen Maria Machado --
Florilegia; or, Some lies about flowers (Blodeuwedd) / by Amal El-Mohtar

Genres: Fantasy, Short Stories, Mythology, Anthologies, Fiction, Science Fiction, Retellings

368 pages, Paperback

First published September 3, 2019

About the author

Dominik Parisien is an editor, poet, and writer. He is the author of the forthcoming memoir On a Scale of 1 to 500 Miles and the poetry collection Side Effects May Include Strangers (2020). He is also the co-editor, along with Navah Wolfe, of The Starlit Wood: New Fairy Tales, Robots vs Fairies, and The Mythic Dream. With Elsa Sjnunneson-Henry, he is the co-editor of Disabled People Destroy Science Fiction. His anthologies have won several awards, including the Hugo, Shirley Jackson, British Fantasy, and Aurora Awards.

His work has appeared in The Fiddlehead, The Humber Literary Review, Arc Poetry Magazine, Quill & Quire, Uncanny Magazine, Strange Horizons,, and various other journals. Dominik is a disabled, bisexual, French Canadian. He lives in Hamilton.

Reviews

[Melanie (meltotheany) · Rating 3 out of 5]

➽ Robots vs. Fairies ★★★

━━♡ Phantoms of the Midway by Seanan McGuire ★★★
a very beautiful, smart, sweet, and sapphic hades + persephone reimagining. our main character lives with her mom among a traveling circus, but this current stop is going to be very different for them both. i didn't love this at first, but by the end i was emotional and invested.

tw/cw: mention of fire in past, mention of death of a child in past

━━♡ The Justified by Ann Leckie ★★
an interesting futuristic scifi reimagining of sekhmet/hathor. they just wanted to live a life of solitude, but mankind can be so annoying (very true). sadly, this one just wasn't for me.

tw/cw: blood, death, murder, gore, violence

━━♡ Fisher-Bird by T Kingfisher ★★
a reimagining of the labors of hercules, but it took me far too long to figure that out. this was supposed to be funny with mentions of different gods and stories, but it just really wasn't for me personally.

tw/cw: very brief mentions of cannibalism and animal deaths

━━♡ A Brief Lesson in Native American Astronomy by Rebecca Roanhorse ★★★
a very unsettling story, about a futuristic cyberpunk world where, if you're powerful enough, you can prolong lives + memories digitally... but at a cost for sure. deer hunter and white corn maiden legend

tw/cw: death, grief, unsettling imagery of decomposition

━━♡ Bridge of Crows by Neon Yang ★★★★★

"Sometimes, to undo all the wrongs you have to undo the entire system."

absolute perfection. this is a the cowherd and the weaver girl, but sapphic scifi masterpiece, reimagining. this is a new tale within old tales and it really just blew me away from first to last sentence. this is a mini quest, where our main character is going up a mountain to seek a powerful witch's help - which sounds amazing on it's own, but it's layered with so much more. from love + sacrifices, to broken + corrupt systems, to how we perceive stories being told to us + how they can be so much bigger and/or smaller... this was just everything for me as a reader and ended so powerfully. (also our mc is fae which you all know is always an added bonus for me!)

tw/cw: captivity, banishment, talk of war

━━♡ Labbatu Takes Command of the Flagship "Heaven Dwells Within" by Arkady Martine ★★★★
sumerian poetry, but make it a space opera. this was impressive and enthralling and i know i will be thinking about these origin stories for a long time to come. this is a story about how the greatest captain + thief captured a starship... while being brave, and charming, and empowering. i am even more excited to finally read a memory called empire soon (i promise)!

tw/cw: blood, talk of war, brief fighting/battle scenes. i see some reviews didn't like the more bold language used in this, but i think it just added to the power of inanna + the story! :)

━━♡ Wild to Covet by Sarah Gailey ★★
a modern historical story about thetis from greek mythos, who is most known for being achilles’ mom… and whose story ends when his story ends. this is all about identity and being more than just a vessel for childbirth, but i just didn't enjoy reading it. i feel like i should have loved this, but i just didn't.

tw/cw: blood, war, loss of a child

━━♡ ¡Cuidado! ¡Que Viene el Coco! by Carlos Hernandez ★★★★★
oh, this was heartbreakingly lovely. this is a story a little bit about el coco, the cuban boogeyman-like entity! but mostly this is a story about mental health, fatherhood, and navigating parenthood as a child who was abused. with a lot of themes of sacrifice, forgiveness, and love. We follow a man, on a ship alone with only his ai psychologist and his baby. we get to also see his relationship with his currently separated wife, and we get to see his past and his present living with BPD. this was able to evoke so much emotion from me, and was just a wonderful reminder of how much i love powerful, beautiful, quiet short fiction like this. (and finding new authors through anthology bindups!)

tw/cw: mention of suicidal thoughts, mentions of child abuse + abusive parents in past, self harm, dissociation, scary imagery

━━♡ He Fell Howling by Stephen Graham Jones ★★★★★

"I don't bite holes in the world because I dislike the world, I bite holes in it because I have these teeth."

oh, i know this is going to be a polarizing one because of the darkness to this story, but this was insanely well crafted and told - i loved it. this is a imagining of what happens to lycaon after zeus curses him for feeding him his own child. this is a very unsettling story as we see lycaon become a wolf (think werewolf/lycanthrope... get it), where his hunger for power and vengeance and cruelty does not stop in this new animal body. this is very much a story told in the pov of a villain gaining strength at any cost to take down another villain... oh, and he is personally telling the story to you so it's even more chilling and haunting. this is not going to be for everyone, but this is short form horror perfection for me.

tw/cw: cannibalism (and... as a wolf eating his own wolf pups too), human sacrifice, human death, animal death, animal sacrifice, blood depiction, mention of spiders, implications of sexual assault

━━♡ Curses Like Words, Like Feathers, Like Stories by Kat Howard ★★
this was so beautifully + lyrically written rendition of the children of lir, but it also analyzes how that story feels disjointed, almost as if it were two stories combined, maybe as if someone else wrote the ending. this also discusses how stories are passed down, and how things can change over time, and this author does a beautiful job honoring her attachment to the story. i personally didn't love this one, but i loved the writing and what it obviously meant to the author.

tw/cw: grief depiction

━━♡ Across the River by Leah Cypress ★★
a story about a jewish poet, living in germany, who can see a magical river that most people cannot. then a sorcerer comes to town killing jewish people with just a touch, and our mc asks the river for help. this is a retelling of the sambatyon, but also inspired by a real life man who was cited to have some of this water from the story trapped in a glass. sadly, this one just didn't work for me as a reader.

tw/cw: antisemitism, unwanted touching, talk of death + murder

━━♡ Sisyphus in Elysium by Jeffrey Ford ★★
this was for sure the one that felt most like a retelling for me. this is the story of sisyphus, who is being punished, by hades for cheating death, by pushing a huge bolder up a hill, until it crashes and disappears. we get to see him ponder about life, think of his mistakes, realize what is important in life. and i feel like it makes the reader think about life and eternity, but it didn't leave me feeling anything and i just didn't really enjoy this one.

tw/cw: talk of death, mention of cannibalism, isolation depiction. fighting

━━♡ Kali_Na by Indrapramit Das ★★★
inspired from a hindu goddess but also by the microsoft ai bot who was corrupted by racist online trolls. this was a very smart, but very heavy on the heart to read story. we get to see this vr world being ruled by myths and religion and all things social media, while also seeing that our actual world is ruled by the very same. and how evil people will profit on all three of these things simultaneously, if they are able. especially when the backdrop of both worlds are filled with hate, racism, and misogynistic views. and the people are able to be very bold, very loud, and very proud to be anonymously hateful.

tw/cw: online harassment, verbal abuse, colorism, + just harmful and scary online bullying and abuse

━━♡ Live Stream by Alyssa Wong ★★★★★
if you've read my anthology reviews in the past, you might know that alyssa wong is my favorite short story writer of all time. this was, hands down, the story i was most excited for, and i really did love it a lot, even if i read it with such a heavy heart. being a women who puts herself into online spaces that are mostly populated by cis men can be such scary experience in general, but i feel like anything involving the video game community is ten times amplified. this is a reimagining of artemis and actaeon, but told from the pov of a twitch streamer who is facing unmeasurable online harassment because of a man in the industry with immense power. and sadly, this is such a reality for so many people who i personally know. it just hit hard for so many reasons, but hit harder knowing this is something a favorite author of mine has also dealt with. (cis men marvel stans can be pretty horrible too!) but this story is very powerful, and also talks about surviving, and finding support systems, and taking back your own agency and communities and power. ahhh, i dunno... i just love alyssa a lot a lot. i bet this one resonates a lot with people reading this review, too!

tw/cw: sexual assault, stalking, pictures being taken and shared without consent, harassment, online abuse, power imbalances, vomiting, blood mention, anxiety depictions, maybe agoraphobia

━━♡ Close Enough for Jazz by John Chu ★★
this one just was not for me whatsoever. this is a "reaction" to idun, goddess of youth, where we see a tech startup pitching those magical apples, but these can change your body autonomy... kinda. this is also about how society and corporations will always try to capitalize off the very deep discussion on body image, but i just felt like this wasn't very well done/could have been done better.

tw/cw: mechanical spiders, power imbalances, and lots of themes of body image

━━♡ Buried Deep by Naomi Novik ★★
one of my favorite things in literature is a good big sister + little brother relationship, so i feel like this reimagining of ariadne and the minotaur really should have worked for me, but it just didn't. i loved seeing this tale told from ariadne's point of view, and i adored reading the unwavering unconditional love she had for her brother, but it was just so long and dare i say everything else but the sibling relationship was boring.

tw/cw: abandonment, captivity, slavery, human sacrifice, death, physical abuse, horrible parents

━━♡ The Things Eric Eats Before He Eats Himself by Carmen Maria Machado ★★★
carmen maria machado is one of my favorite short story writers of all time, so i was very surprised that i didn't love this modern day reimagining of demeter's revenge curse on erysichthon. but maybe i just wasn't in the mood for body horror. probably just wrong short story at the wrong time kind of thing. but a solid story on how some men will truly grow up learning only how to take, and continue to take, regardless of the cost, until it consumes everything.

tw/cw: gore, self mutilation, cannibalism, lots of food descriptions, murder, death, animal death

━━♡ Florilegia; or, Some Lies About Flowers by Amal El-Mohtar ★★★★

"There are so many flowers, and so many birds, and so many women in the word and they all deserve to be more than set dressing in men's stories."

oh, what a beautiful way to end this anthology. a powerful, sapphic, blodeuwedd reimagining that was so heartfelt and just so lovely. and a good reminder that we really can be anything that we want to be, while growing however we want to grow.

tw/cw: abuse, blood, unwanted touching

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[Peter Tillman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Partial reread Sept/Oct 2021.
The standout story for me is the Arkady Martine: she rewrites ancient Sumerian poetry as space-opera! Strong 5 stars. John Chu’s tech startup tale, and Jeffrey Ford reimagining the myth of Sisyphus “amid the rolling green meadows of Asphodel” were just a half-star behind. And a whole batch of 4 star stories, and other good ones just behind those. Excellent anthology: strong 4 stars overall. Look for the Martine and likely some of the others on next year’s award ballots*. I read it because of Jonathan Strahan's comment here: "If you like SFF and short fiction, this one is a no-brainer essential purchase." Marked for a priority re-read -- hey, it's already been a year. And I can't wait to re-read Arkady Martine's masterful rewrite of ancient Sumerian poetry as space opera! Worth the price of admission right there. 6 stars! Amazing story, that I'm sure I'll be rereading again, and again, and again.... See link to a free copy online below.

I was pleasantly surprised how many of these re-imagined myths became science fiction (or at least science-fantasy). All original stories.

• “Phantoms of the Midway.” Seanan McGuire’s retelling of Persephone in Hades, which I doubt I’d have guessed. Solid fantasy: 3.5 stars
• “The Justified”. Ann Leckie tells a bloody story of Sekhmet, Hathor and others in the Egyptian pantheon, as far-future science-fantasy. 3.5 stars.
• “Fisher-Bird”, by T. Kingfisher. Her retelling of the Labors of Hercules in 16 pages, features, what else, a talking Kingfisher! Good stuff, 4+ stars, kicked up to strong 5 stars on reread. Old Herk is a bit dim, but the Fisher Bird soon sets him right! Reread, and I'm kicking it up to the full 5 stars. One of her best. Don't miss! Not online (sob!), but plenty are: https://www.redwombatstudio.com/portf...
• “A Brief Lesson in Native American Astronomy.” Rebecca Roanhorse moves a classic Tewa story to a future Hollywood. First-rate science-fantasy, 4+ stars
• “Bridge of Crows.” JY Yang retells a Chinese folk tale, “The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl,” as a fantasy quest. The titular “Bridge of Crows” is the Milky Way. Good story, has an SF bit (spaceship). 3 stars.
• “Labbatu Takes Command of the Flagship Heaven Dwells Within.” Arkady Martine rewrites ancient Sumerian poetry as space-opera, in the wildest 14 pages you’re likely to read this year. Six stars! I hope she does more of these, preferably a novel set in this universe. I read a translation of what’s left of these poems years ago. She includes some lovely excerpts, from around 4300 years ago: “[Inanna] is clothed in terrifying radiance….” Free copy online at
https://www.sundaymorningtransport.co...
• “Wild to Covet.” Sarah Gailey retells the story of Thetis and her son Achilles, transposed to the early 20th century. It’s a little heavy on Message for me. 2.5 stars.
• “!Cuidado! !Que Vienne El Coco!” by Carlos Hernandez. This one just didn’t work for me. DNF, and didn't even try the 2nd time.
• “He Fell Howling” by Stephen Graham Jones. Horror, not read, nasty stuff.
• “Curses Like Words, Like Feathers, Like Stories”. Kat Howard retells the Irish legend of the Children of Lir. Meh, 2 stars for me.
• “Across the River”, by Leah Cypess. She retells a Jewish legend about defeating an evil sorcerer. 3 stars
• “Sisyphus in Elysium” • Jeffrey Ford reimagines the myth of Sisyphus, “amid the rolling green meadows of Asphodel.” It’s an amazingly complex and masterful story, a world rebuilt in just 11 pages. 4.5 stars! Bumping up to the full 5 stars on reread. Complex story. I would have preferrd a happier ending, but a Greek tragedy is an appropriate choice....
• “Kali_Na” by Indrapramit Das. “The moment the AI goddess was born into her world, she was set upon by trolls.” Shiva Industries designed her to learn from users on the fly. The trolls are about to get a nasty surprise. A hopeful SF story based on the Hindu pantheon. Strong 4 stars.
• “Live Stream” by Alyssa Wong. A grim story of date-rape and online abuse, which the author says she’s experienced. Protag Diana/Artemis humiliates the rapist; The End. Well-done but zero fun. 3+ stars
• “Close Enough for Jazz.” John Chu puts Idorru, the Norse goddess who kept the Golden Apples, into a tech startup that pitches buff bodies to the bros. And other, more significant stuff. Really good SF, 4.5 stars. Just as good on reread.
• “Buried Deep.” Naomi Novik retells the Minotaur legend. King Minos isn't a nice man, in her version. Well-written, maybe you’ll like it more than I did. 2.5 stars for me.
• “The Things Eric Eats Before He Eats Himself.” Carmen Maria Machado’s take on Erysichthon of Thessaly is what it says. Black humor and kind of a Trump joke. 3.5 stars.
• “Florilegia; or, Some Lies About Flowers.” Amal El-Mohtar rewrites Blodeuwedd from the Mabinogion as an oppressed wife breaking free from a bad marriage, taking a new lover and venturing out into the world. First-class story: 4 stars.
---------
*Award nominee updates 10/15/21. Listed in the GR header above. As usual, the only one of my faves nominated was “Fisher-Bird” by T. Kingfisher, a strong 5-stars on reread for me. And check her Cinderella remake in the comments below!
Anthol itself got 3 nominations.

[The Artisan Geek · Rating 5 out of 5]

------------------VIDEO REVIEW------------------


10/11/19
I finished reading The Mythic Dream last week and what a stunner it was!! In this anthology a host of amazingly talented authors reimagine old myths, interrogating issues of gender, politics, sexuality, patriarchy, power dynamics and family. This is perfect if you’re looking to not only read myths of the Greeks and Romans, but those of Mesopotamia, Egypt, Japan, Irish, Indian and many more. There’s not a single story in this book that I didn’t enjoy.

You can find me on
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[Fiona Knight · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love a good anthology - The Mythic Dream isn't just good though, it's great.

Every anthology carries the implicit promise that you'll find at least some stories you like - the other side of that coin, of course, is that it's almost impossible that you'll like every story. Editors have to cast a wide net to catch as many readers as possible, and taste is a varying thing. Somehow, though, I enjoyed each and every story here - there's genuinely not even one dud.

Don't think that means they've sacrificed variety here; yes, all the stories relate to a piece of mythology, but you'll find stories inspired by humanity's oldest tales from all around the globe here. Jewish, Indian, Native American, Nordic, Greek, Egyptian; stories that only tangentially touch on their inspiration and others that modernise but otherwise don't interfere with the original.

It's a great collection - anyone even vaguely familiar with modern authors is going to recognise most of the names on the author list, and that's another promise that won't let you down - and an impressively cohesive and yet thoroughly varied anthology. One I'll recommend time and again, and definitely one I'll come back to myself.

[Sahitya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Average Rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️.9

I’m always looking for anthologies, particularly fantasy ones because I find it to be an excellent opportunity to discover new authors. So, when I happened upon this one during my endless browsing on goodreads, I knew I had to read it. I was also impressed when I saw that it was a collection of mythology retellings, which reminded me a lot of another anthology A Thousand Beginnings and Endings (also happens to be my favorite).

This one has more stories inspired by Greek/Roman mythologies with a touch of Norse, Irish, Chinese and Indian in between, but I didn’t find that my unfamiliarity really hindered my reading experience. And while it has hits and misses like any other collection, it does have a few standouts and I’m definitely gonna be checking out the full length novels by some of these authors. I also liked the lgbt+ rep across multiple stories and the group of authors was equally diverse. I’m not sure exactly who would be the right audience for this but if you are a fan of mythological stories, then you’ll probably enjoy this more. And if you love reading stories by Hugo/Nebula and other award winning or nominated authors, then you’ll find a lot of them in this collection.

Phantoms of the Midway by Seanan McGuire

With a very weird setting of a moving carnival and elements of magical realism, this is an f/f retelling of the Hades and Persephone myth. I can’t say I was able to guess the mythology behind it while reading the story itself but it does explore the relationship between an extremely over protective mother and her very sheltered daughter.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Justified by Ann Leckie

While I can’t say I understood on what kind of fantasy world this took place or what type of advanced creatures these were, I liked the idea of a noble warrior being fed up of killing and wanting to live alone, and another trying to checkmate the extremely narcissistic ruler of this world. There was also another certain creature which reminded of a talking BB-8 and I thought that was cool.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Fisher-Bird by T. Kingfisher

This was a fun entertaining story, akin to a children’s fable and I didn’t understand any underlying message behind it until I read what myth this was based on - then it all clicked. Can’t say the main character in the story felt a lot like Hercules though.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

A Brief Lesson in Native American Astronomy by Rebecca Roanhorse

In a technologically advanced society where humans can prolong their life with digital means, this is the story of an obsessive lover who can’t let go and whose whole life revolves around his dead lover. Definitely creepy but quite well written.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Bridge of Crows by JY Yang

Even without any knowledge of the underlying myth, I thought this was a very well written story about what true love is, does it make a difference when there is a power imbalance in a relationship, and how sometimes it’s important to take down a whole corrupt system than just righting one wrong. Beautiful story.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Labbatu Takes Command of the Flagship Heaven Dwells Within by Arkady Martine

Retelling of two epic Sumerian poems, this story of a fierce, arrogant and deadly pirate captain of a starship was very entertaining but also emotional, showing that sometimes found family is more important than blood. I can’t wait to read the author’s full length novels.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Wild to Covet by Sarah Gailey

Wow.. this was just stunning. A retelling of Achilles’s story told through the POV of Thetis, this is about how we force woman to lose themselves in the name of motherhood, whether it is their choice or not. It’s really a chilling tale and I absolutely loved the themes explored in it.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

¡CUIDADO! ¡QUE VIENE EL COCO! By Carlos Hernandez

Based on the legends of El Coco, this story about a father suffering from mental illness who just wants his little girl to be happy is sweet in some ways but extremely creepy and horrifying in others. I still can’t tell what I’m feeling after finishing it.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

He Fell Howling by Stephen Graham Jones

A story of what happens to Lycaon after Zeus curses, this is more like an origin tale of werewolves and while it was a fascinating read, the amount of feeding/eating children really grossed me out. It was really well written though.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Curses like Words, like Feathers, like Stories by Kat Howard

Based on an Irish myth, this was about incomplete stories and curses and how sometimes a decision taken in anger can have unintended consequences. Beautifully written.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Across the River by Leah Cypess

I know nothing about the Jewish legend this story is based on, and my knowledge about the exile of the ten tribes is also limited but I still liked this story about a young man who is learning to be a cantor but feels there’s something missing in his music and yearns to unite all the twelve tribes. I admired his conviction and bravery and faith a lot.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Sisyphus in Elysium by Jeffrey Ford

A reimagining of the story of Sisyphus, this tale is about what would happen if you are punished for eternity, how much would that incessant work implore you to introspect and look back at the many wrong decisions you made. It’s a fascinating concept and while I enjoyed the story itself, I writing felt a little too metaphorical for my taste.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Kali_Na by Indrapramit Das

This was fascinating and weird, familiar as well as new and I enjoyed it quite a bit. The transformation of the more divine and generous Goddess Durga to that of Goddess Kali who is hell bent on destroying her enemies is used as a metaphor for a near future India where even praying to the gods is done through AI and cryptocurrency but the issue of trolls on the internet and caste discrimination irl is still very very prominent. I was more surprised by how unfortunate but realistic this story felt.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Live Stream by Alyssa Wong

CW: revenge porn, sexual assault and harassment

A retelling of one of Artemis’s story, this is about targeted harassment that popular women are subjected to online, especially in traditionally male centric spaces like gaming - but the author focuses on how the young woman works through her fears and anxiety after everything happens, finds a community of other supportive women and works to get the perpetrator punished. A very empowering story.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Close Enough for Jazz by John Chu

Borrowing from Norse Mythology, this story is about a young female startup founder trying to find angel investors for her body transformation technology. It shows the kind of rampant sexism that exists in the industry and how important it is for the women to be comfortable in their own body, own their work with confidence and never let anyone take advantage of them.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Buried Deep by Naomi Novik

I liked this retelling of Minotaur’s story told through Ariadne’s POV about how much she loved her brother, I truly didn’t understand the whole point of it. It was a bit too long and I felt it dragged a little but it was still quite enjoyable.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

The Things Eric Eats before He Eats Himself by Carmen Maria Machado

CW: body horror, cannibalism

This is a story about entitlement and how many privileged people do things without thinking about consequences, not realizing until too late that they have been consumed by their bad deeds. I was actually feeling a bit sick while I was reading and I can’t deny that it made me feel worse with it’s overt gory descriptions.

⭐️⭐��⭐️

Florilegia or Some Lies about Flowers by Amal El-Mohtar

I have no clue about the original myth behind this story but it’s a wonderful tale about a woman realizing that her worth is not tied to her husband, she is not his wife, and she contains multitudes and can be whatever she wants to be. Wonderfully written with a touch of romance.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Mona · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall rating of anthology: 4

This is a high quality collection of stories which are retellings of myths from diverse
cultures, written by contemporary fantasy, science fiction, and horror writers.

The audio is ably read by Samantha Desz. She does take some liberties with the text,
but those are always in the spirit of the story she’s reading, so they didn’t bother me.


Ghosts of the Midway by Seanan McGuire

4

A poignant reimagining of the Persephone myth, set in a travelling carnival.


The Justified by Ann Leckie

3

An angry woman named Het is contentedly solitary on a cold planet. She is ordered back
to the service of her Sovereign. She has no choice but to return reluctantly to the
place she left years ago.

This story left me cold (funny, because it starts out in a cold place..literally).
I didn’t care about the characters at all (although I sympathized with the
main character’s desire to be left alone). I failed to notice that the story was
a reimagining of Egyptian myths, until the author’s note explained this
(maybe because that wasn’t clear at all from just reading the story).
Still, understanding the Egyptian reference wouldn’t have mattered if
the story worked for me on a human level. It didn’t. I didn’t give it
a lower grade because the story was well crafted.

Fisher-Bird by T. Kingfisher

3.5

Charming story. One of the labors of Hercules (here called “Stronger”) from the viewpoint
of a talking bird who helps him out. Told in the manner of an American folk tale.

A Brief Lesson in Native American Astronomy by Rebecca Roanhorse

3.5

A weirdly compelling story about a Native American movie star in the future whose true love has died in spite of all the life extension tech. He is grieving obsessively. This is based on
the Native American tale “Deer Hunter and White Corn Maiden”.

Bridge of Crows by Jy Yang

4

Lovely retelling of the Japanese story Tanabata, The Tale of the Cowherd and the Weaver-Girl.
But this version is set in space and has several stories nested within each other, like a
Russian doll.

Labbatu Takes Command of the FlagshipHeaven Dwells Within by Arkady Martine

3.5

I’m not a fan of this author. But I’ll give her this...the story had plenty of action.
And a badass heroine, Captain Labbatu (“Lioness”), who supposedly really cared about her
crew (although it’s actually hard to imagine her as anything but a psychopath, given the context). The tale is a somewhat ribald retelling of ancient Sumerian myths about the Goddess Inanna. I find the author’s breezily compressed style of storytelling pretentious, narcissistic and annoying. The subtext is: “I’m Arkady Martine, and I’m so much smarter than you. If you don’t understand my garbled prose, it’s because you’re dumb, reader.” So are her casually shocking sexual references. “I’m Arkady Martine, and I’m so much more sexually accomplished/liberated than you.”

Wild to Covet by Sarah Gailey

4

Strong story. A retelling of the myth of Thetis, the immortal naiad who is the mother of Achilles.
In this version, told slowly, like a Southern American folk tale, Thetis emerges from a wheat field, and. later gives birth to a son named Esau. But she is too wild and powerful to be indefinitely contained by the family of men surrounding her, though they lure her with pretty
objects like a red dress. Thetis is a minor character in the original myth. Here, she’s the center of the story.

¡CUIDADO! ¡QUE VIENE EL COCO! by Carlos Hernandez

3.5

The title translates roughly as “Look out! Here comes the bogeyman!”

The story takes the Cuban myth about a coconut headed bogeyman
and personalizes it. The author also makes the story partially about
mental illness. It’s unclear what’s real and what’s not.

Very creative story. Bizarrre and surreal.

Nadano (“Nothing No”) and his wife Connie are temporarily separated. It’s the future,
and Nadano is alone on an AI powered marine research boat, with
the AI, Prudencia, and his adored baby girl, Ela. Nadano has some issues,
but the AI is also a skilled therapist. Strange happenings ensue.


He Fell Howling by Stephen Graham Jones


3.5

A creepy retelling of the legend of Lycaon, turned into a wolf as punishment for
feeding human meat to Zeus. In this version by horror writer Jones, Lycaon ends up
as a werewolf. Good story, told from Lycaon’s viewpoint.

Curses Like Words, Like Feathers, Like Stories by Kat Howard

3.5

A lyrical and poignant retelling of the Irish story, Children of Lir, set in the present. People are cursed by turning them into swans.

Across the River by Leah Cypess
4

A beautiful retelling of the Jewish legend of the Sambatyon, a mystical river across which
are exiled ten of the Twelve Tribes of Israel. I’m certainly partial to this story because I’m Jewish. Also because it’s about help for the oppressed.

Sisyphus in Elysium by Jeffrey Ford

3

I just couldn’t get any traction with this retelling of the Greek myth of Sisyphus, the
king whose eternal punishment is to push a boulder up a hill and have it roll back
down near the top.

I’m not sure if this was my fault ( I wasn’t giving the story my full attention) or whether I
just didn’t find the story engaging. Probably a bit of both.

Kali_Na by Indrapramit Das

5

I’ve read other stories by this writer. His brilliance just blows me away.
This is a cyberpunk retelling of the myth of Kali, the fierce demon slaying goddess.
It takes place mostly in virtual reality, in a future India.

Livestream by Alyssa Wong

4

Any woman who’s ever been harassed, violated, stalked, or pushed into doing something she
didn’t consent to...either online or offline
(probably most women) will cheer this retelling of the Greek myth of Artemis and Actaeon.

Artemis, the Greek goddess of the hunt (Diana to the Romans) is spied on by the hunter
Actaeon as she bathes in the woods. She turns him into a stag and he is devoured
by his own dogs.

The story takes place in current times. Diana livestreams games on Twitch, and she is subjected to nightmarish harassment. But she turns the tables on the original harasser. Hurray!

Close Enough for Jazz by John Chu

3.5

Interesting story. Inspired by the legend of Idunn, the Norse goddess who tended the golden apples that kept the Norse gods immortal.

Emily is a cofounder of a tech startup, Jazz, in which she’s done most of the work.
But her business partner, Hock, does the pitching, mostly to wealthy white
male VCs. He’s good at it, even though he’s vain, arrogrant, and self centered.
Emily tries her own pitches, and keeps failing,
until she realizes that she needs to change both her vision for the business
and her audience.

Buried Deep by Naomi Novik


3.5

A retelling of the Greek myth of the Minotaur, half bull and half man.

The story mostly centers around the Minotaur’s half sister, Ariadne, and her devotion to her
brother, even after he’s put in the underground labyrinth. Theseus shows up near the end,
but he’s almost peripheral.

Powerful story, but with a deliberately inconclusive ending. It’s told almost as a parable.

The Things Eric Eats Before He Eats Himself by Carmen Maria Machado


3.5

Weird and funny retelling of the Greek myth of Erysichthon, King of Thessaly. In the original myth, Erysichthon chops down a sacred tree and kills the dryad who lives in the tree.
He is cursed with insatiable hunger, never sated no matter how much he eats.

Florilegia or Some Lies About Flowers by Amal el Mohtar

4

A feminist retelling of the Welsh myth of Blodeuwedd, created by wizards from flowers to be the wife
of a Welsh warrior hero, Lleu Llaw Gyffes.

[Eileen · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars, but I'm rounding up because I want others to read this and I really did love it!

When you have a short story collection like this, by so many different authors, it's kind of hard to give it an overall rating, especially if there were some stories you didn't like quite so much. But overall, this is a very strong collection of stories and I discovered some new authors along the way. The theme of this set is the retellings of myths from all cultures, and that, in itself, was quite interesting, since the most common myths studied in school are those of Greek/Roman mythology, with maybe some mention of Egyptian and Norse mythology. What I loved about this collection is that the authors were given the chance to explore retellings of different mythologies across cultures and civilizations in order to say something about the present and future. This was a mix of fantasy/mythology, and science fiction written by a nice cross section of current sci-fi/fantasy authors. While I loved some more than others, overall, I looked forward to reading each new story and discovering something new. I would probably recommend this for older teens and young adults, partly because there are some pretty graphic scenes of violence, sex, abuse, cannibalism, and language (though I'm not nearly as concerned about language as the other stuff). I would probably let my 15 year old read this if she were interested, with just a heads-up about some of the stuff she would find in it.

For my notes on specific stories, you can read my reactions in the updates as I read each story. But here is a summary of my ratings:

Phantoms of the Midway (Hades and Persephone), Seanan McGuire, 4.5 stars
The Justified (Hathor and the Destruction of Mankind), Ann Leckie, 4 stars
Fisher-Bird (The Labors of Hercules), T. Kingfisher, 4.5 stars
A Brief Lesson in Native American Astronomy (Deer Hunter and White Corn Maiden), Rebecca Roanhorse, 5 stars
Bridge of Crows (The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl), JY Yang, 4 stars
Labbatu Takes Command of the Flagship Heaven Dwells Within (Inanna Takes Command of Heaven/Inanna & Enki), Arkady Martine, 2.5-3 stars
Wild to Covet (Thetis) , Sarah Gailey, 4.5 stars
Cuidado, Que Viene El Coco (El Coco), Carlos Hernandez, 5 stars
He Fell Howling (Lycaon), Stephen Graham Jones, 2.5 stars
Curses Like Words, Like Feathers, Like Stories (The Children of Lir), Kat Howard, 3 stars
Across the River (The Legend of Akdamot/The Legend of Rabbi Meir and the Sambatyon), Leah Cypess, 4 stars
Sisyphus in Elysium (Sisyphus), Jeffrey Ford, 3.5-4 stars
Kali_Na (Kali), Indrapramit Das, 4.5 stars
Live Stream (Artemis and Acteon), Alyssa Wong, 4.5 stars
Close Enough for Jazz (Idunn and her Golden Apples), John Chu, 4-4.5 stars
Buried Deep (Ariadne and the Minotaur), Naomi Novik, 3.5 stars
The Things Erik Eats Before He Eats Himself (Erysichthon), Carmen Maria Machado, 3 stars
Florilegia; Or, Some Lies about Flowers (Blodeuwedd), Amal El-Mohtar, 4 stars

Special thanks to #NetGalley, the authors, the editors, and the publishers for this free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Shima]

I'm a simple girl
I see Naomi Novik
I click "to read"

[Jonathan Strahan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This really is a cracker of a book. I could go around and around about my own personal plusses and minuses, but it's probably the most complete collection of original stories I've read so far this year. There are at least three stories that stand amongst 2019's very best. If you like SFF and short fiction, this one is a no-brainer essential purchase.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

In general I really loved the theme of this collection and the assignment of subverting or retelling myths and the large array of myths found in this collection. Below I will list some of my favorite.

Fisher-Bird by T. Kingfisher. This was a retelling of Hercules and one of his labors and the banter between him and the bird was so good and engaging that I now want to read all the things by this author just to experience more of their character relationship work.

Bridge of Crows by JY Yang. I loved the framing of this narrative and how its very folklore, but also set in space, but also feels like a fairy tale. The imagery was also spectacular and haunting for some of what's described and I found the execution to be extremely engaging from start to finish.

Labbatu Takes Command of the Flagship Heaven Dwells withing by Arkady Martine. So when I first read this one I was VERY thrown cause in some ways it is of course Arkady Martine with the emphasis on legend and poetry that is in her Teixcalaan duology but also the language is very crass and it was a bit jarring to get into. That said it ended up being one of my favorites and I just loved the narrative framing of it and thought it fit the short story format extremely well.

Cuidado! Que Viene El Coco! by Carlos Hernandez. To nobody's surprise this might be my favorite in the collection. I have only read sci-fi short stories by Carlos Hernandez and have loved all but one of them. The exploration of mental health, father hood and forgiveness are top tier while also just being a very entertaining and engaging story. This was one of the longer stories in the collection and it went by the fastest for me cause I was always wanting to know what would happen next.

Kali_Na by Indrapramit Das. This is another author who I know primarily for their short story work and I always find myself thinking about his work long after I finish them. It took me a bit to get into it but I loved the cyberpunk elements and the commentary on social media and virtual reality life and how that would interact with religion. Its one I for sure need to re-read.

I really enjoyed so many others in the collection but those are my highlights!

[Acqua]

Unfortunately it didn't work for me - I think short fiction is more interesting when the authors don't have the... restrictions that a retelling inevitably seems to give a short story. Even the authors who managed to make it work didn't turn it into anything that would have looked impressive outside the anthology, and inside of it, I didn't feel like the stories were coming together in a way that made them worth reading for a "the whole is more than the sum of its parts" reason.

[Jacqie · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's rare that I'll give an anthology more than three stars. The quality of the stories usually varies, and I'll find a few stories that I really like, more that are so-so, and some that just don't do it for me. Of the eighteen stories in this volume, I only found one to be sub-par. That's amazing!

I also am a big fan of mythology reinterpretations and this book does that with myths from Greece, Egypt, Mesopotamia, the Tewa, Ireland, China, India, Judaism and Wales. Some were myths I knew well, like the Minotaur's maze or Hades and Persephone. Hades and Persephone opened the book with a story by Seanan McGuire set in a carnival.

There were other stories I was somewhat familiar with, like Deer Hunter and Corn Maiden by Rebecca Roanhorse, retold in a grim horror story mode. Or Kali, one of my favorite stories in the book, of a virtual goddess of destruction created inadvertently by online trolls, which put Indrapramit Das on my radar as an author to watch even after hearing that his book The Devourers was extremely disturbing.

There were other stories I really knew nothing about, like the Sumerian space opera by Arkady Martine, which has me excited to read her "Memory Called Empire". Or Blodeuwedd's retelling by Amal El-Mohtar. I knew the name but nothing of the story, and I liked her take on Blodeuwedd's re-empowerment.

There were some amusing stories from T. Kingfisher and Carlos Hernandez. There was a truly horrific retelling of the werewolf story Lycaon by Stephen Graham Jones. There was a rather touching look at Sisyphus by Jeffrey Ford, an author I'd never read who now has my interest.

All in all, this collection does exactly what you want a good anthology to do. It gives you a introduction to authors you might not have otherwise read, it entertains and makes you think, it's got a little bit of everything as far as tone and themes go. If you like mythology I strongly recommend it. You'll probably find a new author or two to try!

[Marquise · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book's a bit slim for the 18 stories it contains, but though short, the stories were good overall, some more than others as is expected in anthologies. They all are myths to retell, but not just Western myths as there's myths from Asia, Africa, and Latin America as well.

I got two stories as my personal favourites from the collection, the first of which was Wild to Covet by Sarah Gailey, a modern retelling of the story of Achilles from the point of view of his mother, Thetis, and set in what appears to be rural America. I loved how the author reinterpreted the Iliad's storyline to fit the modern world, and I agree with her on that Homeric retellings fail too often to tell it from the great hero's mother (seriously, I can't recall if I've ever read Thetis' side anywhere); and for these reasons I'd hope the author considers writing a full-length retelling. She's very talented!

My other favourite was Buried Deep by Naomi Novik, which retells the myth of the Minotaur from the POV of his sister, Ariadne. Not an original idea, because it's extremely popular to retell this myth from Ariadne's side; rather too popular and not quite fair to the myth. It'd be a more creative idea to tell it from the Minotaur's POV, actually. So, it is Novik's skill that makes this story good, although I can tell she still needs a bit of polish and to research a wee bit more because it shows that she's not that familiar with the myth. For example, why does she insist in calling him Minotaur as if it's his real name, never "the" Minotaur as it'd be proper since it's a description (Minos + tauros = Bull of Minos)? He had a name, it was Asterion. This story also has potential for a full-length novel, if Novik were to want to go for myth retelling as she went for fairy tale retellings before, so long as she polishes the small rough edges and, hopefully, gives Asterion a voice in his own story.

Those two I'd give the higher rating, but there were other stories worth a honourable mention: Fisher Bird by T. Kingfisher, about a sarcastic mythological talking bird who witnesses and aids Hercules in his twelve labours, very hilarious; Bridge of Crows by J. Y. Yang, a retelling of a Chinese myth that explains the existence of the Milky Way, and is nicely romantic; and ¡Cuidado!​​ ¡Que viene el Coco! by Carlos Hernández, a funny/bittersweet story based on the legend of El Coco, a bogeyman figure that exists in the folklore of Spain and Latin America.

[Lena · Rating 2 out of 5]

A Brief Lesson in Native American Astronomy by Rebecca Roanhorse ★★★★☆
A Native American tale of obsessive love reimagined in cyberpunk!

Bridge of Crows by Jy Yang ★★★★☆
That took its time but ended as a satisfying prelude to vengeance.

Across the River by Leah Cypess ★★★★☆
Jewish mysticism and sorcery! This was clever, interesting, soulful, and unique. It makes me want to read Claw & Warder.

Florilegia or Some Lies About Flowers by Amal El-Mohtar ★★★★☆
A woman made of flowers is befriended by a remade woman who teaches her the possibility of life and power. It’s a vengeful story, which I am fine with, and amusingly was written out of irritation as a response to another writer’s interpretation of the original story.


Wild to Covet by Sarah Gailey ★★★½☆
“This piece is about the way personal identity is subsumed by social expectations of motherhood. It is about the way people disappear under the weight of the label “mother,” and the way that disappearance comes as a relief to those who fear powerful women.”

The author’s intentions come through loud and clear, I just wish the story had been more fun.

Live Stream by Alyssa Wong ★★★½☆
Another story of the vicious online world, this one highlighting revenge porn.

Curses Like Words, Feathers Like Stories by Kat Howard ★★★☆☆
That just ok, a story of regret. I was really hoping for more since her Medea story, Hath No Fury, was excellent.

Sisyphus in Elysium by Jeffrey Ford ★★★☆☆
The title says it all. I appreciated the reunion with his wife Merope and their recollections of simpler times.

Kali_Na by Indrapramit Das ★★★☆☆
Social problems, injustice, and general anger, explode in a VR AI version of Kali.

Phantoms of the Midway by Seanan McGuire ★★½☆☆
Boring soft story of different kinds of love.

Fisher-Bird by T. Kingfisher ★★☆☆☆
An exasperated everyman version of Hercules meets a bird that helps him poison other birds. That’s it. Nothing clever, nothing interesting.

Close Enough for Jazz by John Chu ★★☆☆☆
There was a lot of passion in this story that didn’t go anywhere. There were apples that could change your body (sort of) permanently (not really) and that would somehow make you happy (not everyone) with less than your ideal body. I think we are suppose to feel bad that our MC WOC could not make that into a successful pitch for rich white men. Between that crap approach, and the illegal human testing, I would not have given her a dime either.

Labbatu Takes Command of the Flagship Heaven Dwells Within by Arkady Martine ★★☆☆☆
Unsatisfying. That was slow, lacked cleverness, humor, romance, and/or action-sequences.

¡Cuidado! ¡Que Viene El Coco! by Carlos Hernandez ★½☆☆☆ DNF
That’s it, I made it halfway and that is quite enough! There are stories in the stories in the stories. This is not a good thing in a short story.

The Things Eric Eats Before He Eats Himself by Carmen Maria Machado ★☆☆☆☆
Unintelligible. Like One Hundred Years of Solitude on shrooms.

The Justified by Ann Leckie DNF
Allegedly from Egyptian mythos but it read nonsensically and I lost interest almost immediately. Damn shame.

Buried Deep by Naomi Novik DNF
This was just too sad to continue. Novik probably has a great ending but I’m not feeling up to the misery of this setting.

He Fell Howling by Stephen Graham Jones DNF
I made it halfway, somehow. Jezzuz this was dark and ugly.

I completed 15/18 stories that averaged 2.866. With three DNFs I’m rounding this down to 2 stars.

[Sepidaar · Rating 4 out of 5]

PHANTOMS OF THE MIDWAY by Seanan McGuire (Hades and Persephone): 4

THE JUSTIFIED by Ann Leckie (Hathor and the Destruction of Mankind): 3.5

FISHER-BIRD by T. Kingfisher (The Labors of Hercules): 5

A BRIEF LESSON IN NATIVE AMERICAN ASTRONOMY by Rebecca Roanhorse (Deer Hunter and White Corn Maiden): 4

BRIDGE OF CROWS by JY Yang (The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl): 3.5

LABBATU TAKES COMMAND OF THE FLAGSHIP HEAVEN DWELLS WITHIN by Arkady Martine (Inanna Takes Command of Heaven/Inanna & Enki): 2

WILD TO COVET by Sarah Gailey (Thetis): 3.5

¡CUIDADO! ¡QUE VIENE EL COCO! by Carlos Hernandez (El Coco): 4

HE FELL HOWLING by Stephen Graham Jones (Lycaon): 4

CURSES LIKE WORDS, LIKE FEATHERS, LIKE STORIES by Kat Howard (The Children of Lir): 3.5

ACROSS THE RIVER by Leah Cypess (The Legend of Akdamot/The Legend of Rabbi Meir and the Sambatyon): 4

SISYPHUS IN ELYSIUM by Jeffrey Ford (Sisyphus): 3.5

KALI_NA by Indrapramit Das (Kali): 3

LIVE STREAM by Alyssa Wong (Artemis and Acteon): 3

CLOSE ENOUGH FOR JAZZ by John Chu (Idunn and Her Golden Apples): 2

BURIED DEEP by Naomi Novik (Ariadne and the Minotaur): 5

THE THINGS ERIC EATS BEFORE HE EATS HIMSELF by Carmen Maria Machado (Erysichthon): 3

FLORILEGIA; OR, SOME LIES ABOUT FLOWERS by Amal El-Mohtar (Blodeuwedd): 3.5

[Latasha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Retellings of myths?! Yes please! I was excited to listen to this for one of my book clubs. Like with most anthologies, some stories were great and some weren't for me. My favorites include: “Buried Deep.” by Naomi Novik, “Florilegia; or, Some Lies About Flowers.” Amal El-Mohtar and “Fisher-Bird”, by T. Kingfisher.

[Rian *fire and books* · Rating 3 out of 5]

Where’s a 3.5 rating when you want it?

[jocelyn]

Phantoms of the Midway by Seanan McGuire - ★★★.5
The Justified by Ann Leckie - ★★★.5
Fisher-Bird by T Kingfisher - ★★★★
A Brief Lesson in Native American Astronomy by Rebecca Roanhorse - ★★★★.5
Bridge of Crows by Neon Yang - ★★★★★
Labbatu Takes Command of the Flagship "Heaven Dwells Within" by Arkady Martine - ★★★.5
Wild to Covet by Sarah Gailey - ★★★.5
¡Cuidado! ¡Que Viene el Coco! by Carlos Hernandez - ★★★★★
He Fell Howling by Stephen Graham Jones - ★★★★.5
Curses Like Words, Like Feathers, Like Stories by Kat Howard - ★★★
Across the River by Leah Cypress - ★★★★
Sisyphus in Elysium by Jeffrey Ford - ★★★
Kali_Na by Indrapramit Das - ★★★★
Live Stream by Alyssa Wong -
Close Enough for Jazz by John Chu - ★★★
Buried Deep by Naomi Novik - ★★★
The Things Eric Eats Before He Eats Himself by Carmen Maria Machado - ★★★★.5
Florilegia; or, Some Lies About Flowers by Amal El-Mohtar - ★★★★.5

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dominik Parisien and Navah Wolfe's 2019 anthology The Mythic Dream is a compendium of remixes and mashups, transformations and reimaginings... fan fiction, if you will, but based on tales too old to have known authors, much less owners—formative fables from across the globe. If you'd be okay with, say, a black Thor, or a female Zeus (although neither appears here), then these should suit as well.

Me, I love this stuff.

*

I am avoiding, for the most part, mentioning which myths are the basis for these, although sometimes it's obvious from the title, and each story's Afterword reveals the source if you were still guessing by the end.

I'm also not giving these stories individual ratings—but as my Goodreads friend Fiona mentioned, there's not a dud in the bunch.

*

After an Introduction that I found atmospheric but generic—it sets the mood, but you won't lose much by skipping it—The Mythic Dream gets rolling with:

"Phantoms of the Midway," by Seanan McGuire

Only for a moment, though, and moments pass.
—p.21

McGuire's prose isn't as flowery as Ray Bradbury's carnival pyrotechnics, perhaps, but this tale is cut from the same magical canvas.

"The Justified," by Ann Leckie
This one's prickly and forbidding prose made it hard to get into—I found it a little too bloody-minded to start with, but ultimately satisfying.

"Fisher-Bird," by T. Kingfisher
A folksy, heartwarming tall tale about one smart, sarcastic bird's encounter with a guy in a swamp.

"A Brief Lesson in Native American Astronomy," by Rebecca Roanhorse
Memories and feedback interact in a powerful high-tech horror story, which Roanhorse says turned out "much more near-future than I anticipated" (Afterword, p.81).

"Bridge of Crows," by JY Yang
An unexpected fable about a girl who gives up almost everything—plus, I like crows anyway.

"Labbatu Takes Command of the Flagship Heaven Dwells Within," by Arkady Martine
Primitive and visceral. I wasn't happy with the explicit language at the beginning, but... if anyone has the right to use the "c-word" it's Labbatu. Peter T. called this out as his favorite in the anthology.

"Wild to Covet," by Sarah Gailey
By a fellow Portlander. Thetis is as cold and angry at her fate here as she is in Madeline Miller's The Song of Achilles, though Gailey's story plays out somewhat differently.

"¡Cuidado! ¡Que Viene El Coco!" by Carlos Hernandez
Heartwarming, to be sure, but with deep, sad roots going back to early childhood.

"He Fell Howling," by Stephen Graham Jones

I don't bite holes in the world because I dislike the world. I bite holes in it because I have these teeth.
—p.168

Not safe for children, this retelling.

"Curses Like Words, Like Feathers, Like Stories," by Kat Howard
The lilt of the Emerald Isle sings through every sentence of this story of swans and poetry.

"Across the River," by Leah Cypess
Young Jews in Germany confront a black-robed sorceror, and must seek a secret river's help.

"Sisyphus in Elysium," by Jeffrey Ford

"One must always retain a zest for battle."
—Afterword, p.219

Even after the battle seems to be over...

"Kali_Na," by Indrapramit Das
Just... be careful what models you use, when you program your AI.

"Live Stream," by Alyssa Wong
This one might make you twitchy. It's of the moment—perhaps too much so (a trigger warning would not be out of place here)—but Wong's tale is all too timeless as well.

"Close Enough for Jazz," by John Chu
Jazz is, of course—among other things—a kind of apple.

"Buried Deep," by Naomi Novik
The lies Minos told... and the truth that Ariadne could not express, until the very end.

"The Things Eric Eats Before He Eats Himself," by Carmen Maria Machado

Women were, he observes while sucking on the dead man's femur, chronic overreactors.
—p.316

"Florilegia; or, Some Lies About Flowers," by Amal El-Mohtar

"Wizards—their power lies in naming. They shape reality because they tell a good story. Tell a different one—one of your choosing, one of your desire—and teach it to the world until it learns your truth and makes room for it."
—p.333

This quite might well make a good epigraph for the book as a whole—and this story makes a fitting conclusion to The Mythic Dream.

*

These are fleeting impressions, I will admit, but after enjoying Parisien and Wolfe's earlier Robots Vs. Fairies, The Mythic Dream impressed me anew—this is a really solid, forward-looking anthology, featuring many young and rising stars, and I commend it to your attention.

The Table of Contents information used above was adapted this time from Parisien's own website.

[Linaria · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the book, but I don't really love short stories? Some of them were pretty amazing though. I'll just write a bit about the stories I personally enjoyed. Seanan McGuire and Naomi Novik are strong writers and their stories both reflected that. I think that their lyrical writing style really meshed well with the myths that they were telling. It was nice seeing some of the myths from other cultures, even if I wasn't as well versed in them, and I think I'd like to pick up a book from Kat Howard or Rebecca Roanhorse, as I enjoyed their short stories.

Overall, it was a fun ride, and one of the more enjoyable short story collections I've read. It really helps that there was such an all-star group of writers involved in this.

[Sunny Lu · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5! Love a myth retelling, some of these were really great and evocative and wonderful and some of these were MEHHHHH. I like the one about the streamer girl, I liked the one I liked Carmen Maria Machado’s I liked the one set in India

[Malli (Chapter Malliumpkin) · Rating 4 out of 5]

After having this on my radar since 2018 when I first heard about this anthology being published, I've finally taken the time to sit down to read this anthology! And I can say that I had a really great time reading this anthology. There were quite a few of my favorite myths in here like Blodeuwedd, Hades and Persephone, The Labors of Hercules, and a few others! Those are hands down some of my favorites, but I have to give credit where it's due and Bridge of Crows, Live Stream, and Buried Deep also stole my heart! There was so much I loved in this anthology, so many retellings with some really powerful themes, and definitely an anthology book I recommend to my fellow lovers of retellings of myths, legends, and folklore!


✨ Phantom of the Midway by Seanan McGuire 4.5 ⭐
Content/Trigger Warnings: Brief mentions of difficult child birth, accident by fire recounted, alcohol, deaths recounted, grief

I really enjoyed this! The tale of Hades & Persephone has always been one of my favorite tales and reading this retelling was so fulfilling of the soul. Plus, like all McGuire's writing, it was so well-written and had me in my feels over the horses part. The author's note also sparked a lot of joy! I loved that McGuire went with a carnival setting for this retelling. I will say, I'm surprised that at the ending felt a little anticlimactic, but overall this was a great start to this anthology!

✨ The Justified by Ann Leckie 3.5 ⭐
Content/Trigger Warnings: Blood, violence, death, murder, gore, poisoning

This was an okay, mostly enjoyable read for me. I kind of reached a point where I was a little over all the unnecessary anger and violence. But that's just a me thing. Otherwise, this was really well written with interesting characters and it had really powerful themes of judgement, and balance. I think the lovers of Egyptian mythology will really appreciate this one!

✨ Fisher-Bird by T. Kingfisher ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Content/Trigger Warnings: Blood, mentions of incest, brief mentions of cannibalism, dead animals, poisoning

I absolutely loved this! I've said it a few time now, but T. K. is definitely a new favorite author and being able to read more of their work has been a lovely experience. I think this was brilliantly written and I loved that we got this myth from the perspective of the animals. It was just an all around really wonderful read and I thought the ending between Stronger and Fisher-Bird was really wholesome, and a bit hilarious!

✨ A Brief Lesson In Native American Astronomy by Rebecca Roanhorse ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Content/Trigger Warnings: Loss of a loved one, grief, very brief scene of microaggression, minor gore, scene of emesis, hallucinations

I'll be honest, I'm always a little nervous going into this author's work because they can be very hit or miss for me. However, I really enjoyed this and cyber-punk kind of setting. There was something so chilling about the story of this book and the theme of how dangerous obsessive love can be. There were also a few times as I was reading this story that I was thinking of the game Cyberpunk 2077 and some of the things that happen in that game, but if it was centered around Native/Indigenous people. Overall, I really enjoyed this one and with an extra emphasis on the author's note for this story.

✨ Bridge of Crows by JY Yang ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Content/Trigger Warnings: Kidnapping/abduction, imprisonment, talk of war

Ah, this filled my heart so, so much and reading the author's note filled me with even more serotonin! I'm very aware of the Japanese tale Tanabata and seeing this telling of the story just filled me with so much appreciation. I also really loved the crows in this story and the author saying in their note how they were 'charmed by the idea of people explaining the Milky Way as a bridge of crows spanning the heavens' was just everything! Hands down, I definitely think this is one of my favorites of this anthology! I really loved this!

✨ Labbatu Takes Command of The Flagship Heaven Dwells Within by Arkady Martine ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Content/Trigger Warnings: Blood, alcohol, violence, gun use

I really enjoyed this story! This is definitely a new to me myth, one I'll definitely looking into more, and it was an enjoyable time reading the author's version of it. I also loved how this is a story within a story kind of retelling in the form of a space opera.

✨ Wild To Covet by Sarah Gailey ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Content/Trigger Warnings: Blood, pregnancy & mentions of child birth, attempted murder, mentions of child abuse, talk of war, death

I love Greek mythology and I especially love characters in the myth that don't often get the spotlight like Thetis. I loved the way the author wanted her to have her own story and explore Thetis side of things. And I loved how the wildness was new truly taken out of Thetis. All around, this is definitely one of my favorite stories of this anthology.

✨ ¡Cuidado! ¡Que Viene El Coco! by Carlos Hernandez ⭐⭐⭐
Content/Trigger Warnings: Mentions of attempted suicide (in the past), talk of mental health, self-harm recounted, talk of separation/divorce, talk of abandonment, child abuse

This was such a [powerful story of parenthood and coming from a hard upbringing. I thought the themes were so powerfully woven together and the ending felt particularly powerful. I think readers who are parents or new parents will really appreciate this story. As for the El Coco legend, I'm eager to learn more as I've only heard vague whispers of it from friends.

✨ He Fell Howling by Stephen Graham Jones 4.5 ⭐
Content/Trigger Warnings: Mentions of cannibalism, human sacrifice, violence, death, murder, gore, blood

Ah, SJG never disappoints with his stories! This was a retelling I didn't know I needed until I had and SGJ executed it so perfectly. I think taking Lycaon's story and turning it into one of werewolves, and almost hold Zeus accountable for his own actions. I was a breath of fresh air in Greek mythology retellings.

✨ Curses Like Words, Like Feathers, Like Stories by Kat Howard ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Content/Trigger Warnings: Loss of a loved ones, grief, alcohol, talk of war, death

This was such a beautiful retelling and reading the author's note filled my heart with so much warmth. I loved the way the author wanted to focus on the way we tell stories. Storytelling is such an important part of culture and in general, is so important to passing on of knowledge. That aside, this is one of my spouse's favorite Irish legends. So it was nice to read another side to this tale!

✨ Across the River by Leah Cypress ⭐⭐
Content/Trigger Warnings: Death, murder, violence

While I thought this was an interesting story especially reading more about the myth from the author's note, this just didn't work for me. I just wasn't invested in any of the characters and I didn't really care about the outcome of the story. The other thing that really hindered my enjoyment of this story was it coming off as more religious than any of the other stories in this anthology. It just felt like this particular story didn't belong in this anthology at all. Overall, this one just wasn't for me and hindered my enjoyment of this anthology.

✨ Sisyphus In Elysium by Jeffrey Ford ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Content/Trigger Warnings: Talk of death, alcohol, violence

Sisyphus is one of those tales that I always thought about and always hoped to see some retellings of, and this one didn't disappoint. I loved how hard work played such an important role in this story and I always enjoy seeing Elysium in retellings. And out of everything, I think the subtle important themes of don't take things for granted especially the ones you love the most really touched me with this story.

✨ Kali_Na by Indrapramit Das ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Content/Trigger Warnings: Mentions of poverty and financial hardship, verbal abuse, violence, blood, death

This was done so, so well! I think the author really did justice to Kali and turning Kali's legend into a cyberpunk kind of story was such a intense way to bring it to life. I also really loved the two povs and I think the author could have made this into a novella if they really wanted. Reading the author's note, I feel like it makes this story have even more impact.

✨ Live Stream by Alyssa Wong ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Content/Trigger Warnings: Emesis, anxiety, alcohol, sexual assault, harassment, doxxing, cyberbullying, stalking

This is the most chilling, harrowing stories of this whole anthology that hits so close to home for me. As someone who has endured plenty of online harassment and endured Gamergate, this story hits like a train. I loved that the author chose this for the retelling of Artemis and Actaeon. I think this is one of the best retellings in the anthology and definitely one that's going to be sticking with me for a long time.

✨ Close Enough For Jazz by John Chu 2.5 ⭐
Content/Trigger Warnings: Body image talk

I'm honestly kind of bummed out that I didn't love this short story more. Even more so bummed out because this is centered around Norse mythology. It was a fine, okay kind of story but there was a lot of things that felt very predictable and I even predicted the way the ending would play out. I wish this would have leaned more into the mythology aspect or played more to the whole role Idunn had with the gods. This wasn't bad, but I definitely had higher hopes for this story.

✨ Buried Deep by Naomi Novik ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Content/Trigger Warnings: Death, brief mentions of infertility, imprisonment, violence, scene of assault, human sacrifices

I really loved this retelling if Ariadne & the Minotaur! I loved the deep bond and connection between Ariadne and her younger brother, and the deep love they shared. Sibling relationships always hit so close to my heart. I also really enjoyed the author's note for this story and the way Novik had been thinking about the Labyrinth. I too often find myself thinking about the Labyrinth. All of this to say, I really enjoyed this one and found myself flying through this story!

✨ The Things Eric Eats Before He Eats Himself by Carmen Maria Machado ⭐⭐⭐
Content/Trigger Warnings: Murder, cannibalism, disembodiment, death

I definitely wasn't expecting a slightly horror retelling in this anthology, but here we are! This was really interesting and I think it's one of the the more shorter stories, too. I don't know what I can say about this story other than it's definitely a straight-forward retelling of Erysichthon. This was a fast read, but I wasn't really invested in the story or the main character or anything.

✨ Florilegia; Or, Some Lies About Flowers by Amal El-Mohtar ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Content/Trigger Warnings: Blood, attempted murder, poisoning

Another one of my favorite myths as a retelling! I absolutely loved the author's take on Blodeuwedd's story! I wish this myth had more retellings because I feel like it's such an underrated tale and it's such a unique one at that. I loved the role of Aiden in this story and the love that bloomed between Blodeuwedd and Aiden. It was just an all around lovely time reading this and the way the author concluded their note just gave a huge serotonin boost to my soul!



All thoughts, feelings, experiences, and opinions are honest and my own.


Instagram|Ko-fi|Throne

[jovena s · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up.

uh i should be studying but:

wow! phantoms of the midway is def one of my fav short stories ~ carnival ghosts [greek, 5/5]
the justified is rly, rly hard to get into, but gets good later [egyptian, 4/5]
fisher-bird — absolutely love love loved this!! [greek, 5/5]
a brief lesson - creepy ~ make sure to read the original folk tale [native american, 3.5/5]
bridge of crows - story within story within stories :) [japanese, 5/5]
labbatu - goddamn cool [sumerian, 5/5]
wild to covet - ok im terrified of motherhood [greek, 4/5]
cuidado - ..c.o..con...uts?? [hispano/lusophone, 3/5]
he fell howling - meh origin story [greek, 2.5/5]
curses like words - slightly confusing (two plots); i didn’t connect to any character at all, but the message is sweet [irish, 2.5/5]
across the river - kinda pointless [jewish, 2.5/5]
sisyphus - no twists, not unique, not really a retelling [greek, 2/5]
kali_na - A.I.s and religion but boring [indian, 2.5/5]
live stream - trigger warning: rape, standard empowerment plot [greek lmao, 2.5/5]
close enough for jazz - apples, tech and gender themes [norse, 2/5]
buried deep - i live for this ariadne/minotaur sibling relationship; naomi novik can do no wrong [greek, 4.5/5]
eric eats - himself. huh. no coherent plot though [greek, 3/5]
florilegia - some lies about flowers [welsh, 5/5]

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was hoping to like this a lot more. I think most people's appreciation of this collection will be from their familiarity with the source myths and I just wasn't that familiar with a lot of them.

My favorites were:
Phantoms of the Midway by Seanan McGuire
A Brief Lesson in Native American Astronomy by Rebecca Roanhorse
A Bridge of Crows by JY Yang
Kali_Na by Indrapramit Das
Live Stream by Alyssa Wong
Close Enough for Jazz by John Chu
Florilegia; Or, Some Lies About Flowers by Amal El-Mohtar

[Izzy · Rating 3 out of 5]

reading this for the buzzword readathon, january prompt: dream :)

[Miriam · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's hard to review an anthology overall, since even the best anthologies vary in quality on a story-by-story basis. The Mythic Dream has a killer prompt, but unfortunately it's a prompt that many of the authors don't quite know what to do with. As a result, there's only one true stand-out, and many of the stories are disappointing indeed.

Phantoms of the Midway – 3. The writing is lovely and excellent, but I always feel like I never quite *get* Seanan McGuire, like there’s some larger point that I keep missing. In this case, I think McGuire has constructed a world too large and complex to be constrained to such a short page limit. Aracely doesn’t really have a story arc. She starts the story ready to leave. The real plot driver is the ending plot twist, which feels kind of cheap.

The Justified – 2. There’s so many interesting ideas here, but once again the story suffers because there’s far too much crammed into a short story.

Fisher-Bird – 3.5. Ursula Vernon is always fun, although the story feels somewhat perfunctory, like she’s not giving her greatest effort. Also, personal bias speaking here, but I think Vernon lets Hercules off the hook awfully easily.

A Brief Lesson in Native American Astronomy – 3. I always love how Roanhorse draws on Native American folklore and culture in her writing, but her work always leaves me unsatisfied. Like with McGuire, I don’t quite get the point.

Bridge of Crows – 4.5 Oh, this one was quite unexpected and delightful! I’ve read so many adaptations of the Bridge of Birds tale, but this one definitely stands out from the crowd. The writing is really lovely.

Labbatu Takes Command of the Flagship Heaven Dwells Within – 1.5. I’m starting to detect a problem here: nearly every author in this anthology wants to interpret their myth through a sci fi lens. This is repetitive and also I don’t like sci fi. Anyways, this one is a mess and challenges are surmounted far too easily in order to cram the plot into the short story length.

Wild to Covet – 4.5. Ah, that’s better. I really disliked Gailey’s novella River of Teeth, but they nail this interpretation of Theris and Achilles perfectly. This is what myth interpretation should look like. Finding the core of the story, not reenacting the myth on a spaceship.

Cuidado! Que Viene el Coco! – 5. This story made me want to read everything else Hernandez has ever written. Again, this is how you adapt a myth. This story is funny, beautiful, and brings to life something heartbreaking and wonderful. Hernandez has transformed a simple story told to scare children into a lovely fable of parenthood and mental illness. Bravo.

He Fell Howling – 1. I do not understand the point of this story. It doesn’t add anything new, just retells the same tale from the villain’s perspective. I suppose Graham Jones was aiming for the grotesque, what with the story’s cycle of birth and eating and death. But the whole thing just fell flat for me.

Cruses Like Words, Like Feathers, Like Stories – 1. I know this story. I have seen this story in my writing classes in college. I have written this story before. This is the story of writer’s block. It is the story of an author with no ideas and a looming deadline. You can tell a writer’s block story by the way none of the characters have agency or do anything. Aoife spends her half of the story reminiscing and passively narrating, and Niamh does absolutely nothing for her half except stand around. It’s a shame, because like Howard I love the Children of Lír tale. But this is not a good adaptation in the slightest.

Across the River – 3. Oh, hey, OLUF! A fun story, but the ending feels somewhat gimmicky and out of sorts with the rest of the tale. And the narrative gets quite confusing at times as it skips back and forth in time.

Sisyphus in Elysium – 1.5. Like with “He Fell Howling”, I don’t get straight adaptations like this that don’t add anything or have an interpretation to share.

Kali_Na – 2.5. I’m dead tired of the sci-fi lens at this point in the anthology, but I’ll give this one points for creating a lived-in and realistic world. Again, there’s more story here than can fit in such a short page limit.

Live Stream – 4. This is pure wish fulfillment, but it’s 2019 and I could use some wish fulfillment right now.

Close Enough for Jazz – 1. This one really lost its train of thought and ran off the rails, to mix metaphors badly. Just a true, honest mess.

Buried Deep – 1. I don’t know how this happened, but Novik wrote a bad story. This one is a mess and makes no sense. Novik is a brilliant writer, but everyone has bad writing days, I suppose.

The Things Eric Eats Before He Eats Himself – 4. Fairly simplistic, but the writing is just fantastic and the whole thing is ridiculous and fun enough that I didn’t care about the lack of depth.

Florilegia; Or, Some Lies About Flowers – 4. Again, another story that should have been a novella or novel. But the writing is genuinely beautiful, and El-Mohtar has some very interesting things to say.

[Chelsea · Rating 4 out of 5]

•Phantoms of the Midway by Seanan Mcguire- 4.5
•The Justified by Ann Leckie- 2.5
•Fisher-Bird by T. Kingfisher-4.5
•A Brief Lesson in Native American Astronomy by Rebecca Roanhorse- 3.5
•Brudge of Crows by JY Yang- 3.5
•Labbatu Takes Command of the Flagship Heaven Dwells Within by Arkady Martine- 3
•Wild to Covet by Sarah Gailey- 4
•¡Cuidado! ¡Que Viene El Coco! by Carlos Hernandez- 5
•He Fell Howling by Stephen Graham Jones- 2
•Curses Like Words, Like Feathers, Like Stories by Kat Howard- 3
•Across the River by Leah Cypess- 4
•Sisyphus in Elysium by Jeffrey Ford- 3.5
•Kali_Na by Indrapramit Das- 3
•Live Stream by Alyssa Wong- 3
•Close Enough for Jazz by John Chu- 3.5
•Buried Deep by Naomi Novik- 4
•The Things Eric Eats Before He Eats Himself by Carmen Maria Machado- 4
•Florilegia or Some Lies About Flowers by Amal El-Mohtar- 4.5

[skye · Rating 5 out of 5]

reading this book was a bated breath pulled taut, nocked like an arrow, and fired into the glittering night sky. i could almost hear these old myths sigh as they took on new forms, flight. nearly every single one of these stories was masterfully crafted and absolute delights to devour—i can't even really pick a favorite because all of them filled me with awe and a wicked sense of wonder one way or the other. i will be revisiting this book and these lovingly retold fairytales many, many times in the years to come. going to update this later on with specific thoughts about each of the stories!

[Me, My Shelf, & I]

A generally good anthology with several authors I've read from before.
Note: this anthology is overwhelmingly Greek myth and only occasionally branches into other origins.

I can't say I really found a new favourite, but there also weren't many bad ones in the bunch-- though I'm not sure the futuristic/spacey SciFi ones really worked in this mix. I liked that even among the Greek retellings, many of the stories were lesser known/featured tales.


Audiobook Notes: I found the way the bird always said "son" in T. Kingfisher's Hercules retelling to be particularly entertaining, at least the way the narrator portrayed it.

[Kelly]

Stopping here because I was only reading four of the stories for our Locus award post, but I wil definitely continue reading the anthology later, because it's really great so far.