Medusa

by S.W. Gunn, Howard Pak (Illustrator)

Hideous Monster. Beast. Menace to all. Many names have been applied to Medusa of Piraeus. All were wrong. The one true label that Medusa bears is that of victim. Cursed by the cruel Goddess Athena while attempting to offer an olive tree at the Parthenon, Medusa finds herself hunted by those who fear her. Fleeing Athens she struggles to survive the wilds of Hellas while bearing the curse of a Gorgon. Alone in a cave she manages to thrive until that fateful day she meets Perseus…Medusa is a reimagining of the story around the character with a realistic spin on the mythology of Ancient Greece.

192 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 13, 2019

About the author

Born in Muskegon MI and raised in Concord CA, Heima: The Ninth Kostir is S.W. Gunn's first novel. He is 42 years old and married to his lovely wife Neeta. They have two boys, Shawn II and Spencer, and a cat named

In writing Heima he drew upon many of his own life interests and experiences. Things like his hobbies, which include writing, reading, video games (World of Warcraft), and card games (Magic the Gathering), have added little bits of inspiration or stoked his imagination.

One specific area that has inspired the words and phrases within Heima was Medieval Norse history (Specifically the era in which the Vikings existed). Personality quirks like his favorite color, which is purple, added to the novel (It is the favorite color of our erstwhile Princess Astir).

Other areas of inspiration that poke their heads in Heima include his Bachelor’s in History that he obtained from Chaminade University. Some of his favorite novels that are either especially entertaining or inspiring to him include: The Lord of the Rings/Hobbit series, any Star Trek book involving Klingons (especially from Keith R.A Candido), and lastly he loves the Trollslayer series from Warhammer. His favorite movie is “Tangled”, which he loves it because it is such a beautiful story with a pair of lead characters that play off each other both strongly and equally, which inspired the society of Heima.

Reviews

[Conimarie S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intriguing. Edgy. Dark. Just the right mix for a great retelling of the story of Medusa with a hint of modernity to keep it light and fun.

While the story of Medusa is not typically considered light and fun, this version incorporates a love story, a very wily chicken, and an abundance of perseverance in the face of extreme devastation.

According to Greek Mythology, Medusa was in love with Poseidon; however, in this version I would say she was more in loathe with him, as he is the reason she goes from blonde-haired, blue-eyed beauty to snake-haired, green-tinged monster. But alas, in this version of her story, she does fall in love with Proetus of Argos. Proetus is a blind man who refuses to return home knowing he'll never be able to claim his throne due to his disability and refuses to be under the rule of his brother. However, due to his blindness he is not susceptible to being turned to stone since he cannot see. A match made in Greek Mythology heaven.

The majority of the story is focused on Medusa learning to live with her fate. At first she sees her "power" to turn others to stone as a misfortune; however, she eventually realizes it's a way to protect herself from those wishing to do her harm. It's truly a tale of perseverance, going from living a cushy life to having to figure it all out while also being revered as a monster.

Although not touted as a YA novel, due to the more modern language used and some details that are not time-period-accurate, it would work well for a teen/young-adult audience.

[Mathias · Rating 2 out of 5]

ehhh, i had high hopes, but it was unfortunately some tweener stuff. features Medusa saying things like "dang!". has Medusa reading a book, instead of a scroll, which wasn't invented until 700AD, and eating tomatoes, which didn't reach Europe until after the Spanish brought them back from America in the late 1400s

[Kat Dickinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

beyond amazing what a great way to tell Medusas story and her life I've read a few books over the years about her story but this is beautiful on how not only the gods but the goddesses as well were just awful

[Piper Winchester · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this retelling.
You could connect with Medusa.

[Hamilton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable

Very good read. Enjoyed the direction he took with the story. I would recommend this boot to friends. Go read it.