Perseus

Gr. 4-7. Like McCaughrean's Odysseus (2004), this retelling of a Greek myth in the Heroes series makes a thrilling read-aloud. The naive young hero, nicknamed One-shirt Perseus, doesn't know what he's taking on when he agrees to bring the head of Medusa to the evil king. But Perseus not only beheads the gorgon but also rescues beautiful Andromeda from the parents and lover who betray her. McCaughrean blends the colloquial and contemporary into the heroic quest: teenage Perseus worries that the feathered magic sandals look rather unmanly and tasteless, and when he first sees naked Andromeda chained to a rock, he tells her, You're extremely beautiful, if you don't mind my saying so. It's the rhythmic storytelling of the gruesome and the heroic that will grab kids, whether the focus is on the three monsters sharing one soft, gray, slippery eye, or the brave hero on his quest to find himself. --Hazel Rochman Copyright 2005 Booklist

Perseus by Geraldine McCaughrean, the second in a planned four-volume Heroes series, retells the classic myth as the hero seeks to murder the snake-haired Medusa and spare his mother from an ill-fated marriage. PW called Odysseus, the series' launch title, "a vivid and accessible retelling." (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Gr 5-8-This retelling of the myth takes Perseus from the oracular pronouncement that he will cause his grandfather's death to the time the hero settles in as King of Little Tiryns. The writing is often energetic and riveting, as when McCaughrean describes the Medusa head's effects on soldiers ranged against Perseus: "They saw the hand draw out something green, repulsive, and writhing. A nasty smell struck their nostrils, and curiosity plucked at their brains. But then their nostrils smelled nothing more, their brains struggled no more after understanding, and their eyes-their eyes that had focused on something so hideous that no eyes should ever have seen it-froze over-like winter ice sealing a hundred ponds, and they were stone, stone, stone dead." The story itself, with its twists and turns, its dangers and unexpected rescues, has compelled attention for thousands of years. While the author does not achieve the same dimensionality of characterization as some writers who expand on traditional fairy tales, she fleshes out the myth enough to provide motivation and emotions to all of the actors in it. For readers already in thrall of Greek mythology or those who must delve into it for schoolwork, this title will be a valuable addition.-Miriam Lang Budin, Chappaqua Public Library, NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Sticking close to the traditional Greek myth, this version of the adventures of Perseus is engaging and well written. After an oracle decrees that he will be killed by his yet to be conceived grandson, Acrisius has his daughter imprisoned, but she becomes pregnant anyway. The story unfolds with a quest, evil rulers overthrown, and Acrisius unable to stop fate. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.

With customary flair, McCaughrean retells the tale of Perseus, from the liaison of his imprisoned mother Danaë with Zeus (as a golden shower) through his decapitation of Medusa, marriage to lovely Andromeda, all "white and gold and flashing lapis lazuli," and final inadvertent killing of his grandfather, King Acrisius. Plot aside, the theme that one's fate is predetermined sounds so strongly throughout that Acrisius, tortured by the prophecy that he would die at Perseus' hands, comes to play second lead here, and Perseus himself eventually falls into a despairing contemplation of free will until a closing revelation throws a new light on the idea. Rich in heroic deeds, quarreling gods, deliciously ghastly monsters and even humor--here's Andromeda, chained as a sacrifice, to dithering Perseus: " 'I would marry your horse if it saved me from being eaten! You don't have to ask my mother and father! I'll marry you! I'll marry you!' "--this vividly recast, timeless story will keep readers enthralled from start to finish. (Fiction. 8-10) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.