A thoughtful retelling of Ovid's Metamorphoses, distilled into over 50 short stories. Some are good, some are great. Overall, I think the essence of Ovid's writing was distilled clearly into these stories and any modern reader will find something here to enjoy.

I enjoy any type of fiction that deals with Greek myths and gods, especially retellings and authors putting their own twist on them. I did find it quite 'literary', but the short chapters are palatable and make it alot easier to read.

Metamorphica, by Zachary Mason, is a collection of loosely linked stories that reshapes Ovid’s original tales. Not a simple retelling, Mason uses the core of the stories but adds his own imaginative flourishes and twists, though he keeps them set in ancient times. I love the concept, and on an individual basis there’s a lot to like here, but as a collection I found it wanting.

Mason bookends the collection with Ovid himself, during his exile. In between each story is typically focused on a single mythic figure, though true to the originals others flit in and out of another’s tale. Some figures too are given more than one story, while Death probably appears in most, becoming perhaps the premier thematic character. The stories range from true flash fiction, almost prose poetry in their brevity — a half-page or so — to a few pages long.

A few of the shorter ones had effective moments, but mostly my response was more “meh.” I tend to respond more to character development and so my preferences were the longer stories, and while one or two went too long, several hit the sweet spot in terms of developing both plot and character to create an emotional impact. I did think his female characters paled next to the male ones in terms of portrayal and/or a sense of personal agency.

Individually, I thought each story was stylistically strong, often quite lyrical in nature, but the more I read the more the stories felt all the same both in tone and style, and it didn’t take long for me to feel a sort of deadening monotony. So much that I struggled to keep going even before I reached halfway. From that point on I pushed myself to finish, picking it up and putting it down several times and almost giving it up more than once. What that means is I really can’t recommend it as a collection, but I will note a few of my favorite stories for readers to perhaps selectively try.

“Ajax”: While I liked the little twist in “Galatea,” it wasn’t until I reached the eight story, “Ajax,” that I found myself truly immersed in the work. Ajax comes alive fully as a person, and his story and voice ring true throughout, making for a moving version of his tale.

“Minos” Another of the longer stories, this is another one where the voice and character feel fully developed so that the impact of events is all the stronger. When Minos goes in search of Daedalus, who somehow disappeared from the labyrinth, it takes far longer than he could have predicted, and he ends up a far different man. One of the more overt examples of the transformations that lie at the center of the myths.

While as noted the shorter stories didn’t do a lot for me, I did find that several either had a nicely effective twist to them on the source material (“Galatea” “Thetis”) or the style throughout carried the story enough (“Nemesis”). Other stories had particular lines or passages I highlighted; as mentioned Mason’s prose style is lyrical and original and had I read the stories over time in magazines I probably would have responded more positively to each individual one. But as a collection, even given that I’m usually happy if two-thirds of a collection “work” for me, I was overall disappointed, mostly due to the monotone nature of style, theme, and voice.

I requested this title from Netgalley a bit impulsively but I'm soooo glad I did. This book was incredible and I can't get it out of my head! I've always enjoyed mythology and retellings of myths, but Mason takes it to a whole other level. The language of this book is amazing--lyrical, descriptive, and overwhelmingly beautiful. I was initially intimidated by the table of contents because Mason covers a huge range of time periods and stories, but for the most part the stories flew by. They range from quick 1-2 page snippets from famous stories to complete start to finish retellings. If you're concerned about getting the references or knowing who all the characters are (as I was) Mason puts a really quick character summery at the start of each story for all the major players featured in each tale which was very helpful.

Ugh there were so many amazing stories in this collection I can't even pick a favorite. I think the story of Narcissus and Echo might be the closest I cam to a favorite--the way Mason tweaked it was so interesting and made the figures so much more relatable. His take on the birth of Athena was also very interesting, I LOVED his Achilles stories (his whole idea behind Achilles blew my mind honestly) and his ideas on Persephone and Hades was really unique. Ajax, Nocturne, Heracles and the Nemean Lion (UGH this one was SO GOOD) I could go on for DAYS about how amazing this book was! Seriously there wasn't a bad one in the bunch. Highly, highly recommended.

(I received an ARC of this book from the publishing company Farrar, Straus and Giroux in exchange for a fair and honest review.)

After having read Mason’s previous book — a collection of reimaginings of the Odyssey — last year, I was very excited for his “follow-up” reimaginings of further Greco-Roman myths. Metamorphica didn’t disappoint.

Metamorphica is based on the myths found in Ovid’s Metamorphoses — though just a fraction of them, as the original has 15 books worth of content. Still, in the 53 short stories we get to meet characters both very well-known (Athena and Persephone, Icarus and Orpheus) and ones I had to quickly google (sorry, Tiresias). Each myth is introduced briefly at the start of the chapter and then given a little twist during the retelling. Maybe Hercules isn’t quite as heroic as you remember, or maybe Helen of Troy’s thoughts are considered instead of her husband’s or lover’s. In this way, Ovid’s “Transformations” are transformed further.

Myth reinterpretations are always pretty hard: go too far and it’s a completely different character with a famous name slapped on, go too little and you may as well stick to the original. For me, Mason straddles the line well. He has a knack for taking the most important trait of a character and preserving it while changing the rest to fit his new story.

Naturally, in a collection of short stories, some of these work a bit better than others. There was no particular one I disliked, but some did stick with me more than others. I think it’s in part a matter of story length. The longer ones have a bit more room to breathe and hence just work better than, say, Arachne’s half a page. And in part it’s a matter of myth familiarity. While you don’t really have to know the original myth to enjoy the reinterpretation, it’s certainly funner when you do — like a sly little wink between you and the author. I bookmarked all the stories I’d especially want to reread later, and counting them up, it’s a little over half.

To no one’s particular surprise, most of the ones I liked best were the reinterpretations of women-centric myths. I’ll leave Helen’s and Persephone’s for you to discover for yourself but here’s a little taste of Clytemnestra’s. Clytemnestra’s husband sacrificed their daughter to a goddess so she’d send strong favourable winds when his ships were becalmed and he needed to hurry to Troy.

Afterwards, I was going to hang myself. I had the idea she’d be lonely, down in the shadow-lands, afraid of the caverns, the dark, the other ghosts, that even then she needed me, but as I tied the rope to the rafter I remember how he’d washed his hands in a fountain after killing her with the look of a man relieved to have put a disagreeable task behind him, and my mind ignited like dry kindling; suddenly I was empty of love, and had no purpose in life but to be his undoing. I’ve been waiting a long time for my husband to come home.

Yep.

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed Metamorphica. I do think that the previous book, The Lost Books of the Odyssey, was a tad stronger: there’s just something very powerful in presenting myriad vastly different stories and interpretations with the same small core set of characters, and unfortunately Metamorphica, which switches focus with every story, can’t match that from the onset. But both are very good, and especially if your faves aren’t in the Odyssey, I really recommend you try this one. I’m already crossing my fingers that there’s going to be a book three!

I especially recommend this book for:

Fans of Greek myths!
People interested in myth reinterpretations more generally
People who like strong, dreamy prose
Fans of literary fantasy
Fans of OG fantasy, I’m talking 8th century BC style

An intriguing retelling of classic myths. Mason's choice to string together short stories has strengths and weaknesses--my preference is always for longer explorations into characters and worlds but I enjoyed Metamorphica for what it is. I think it provides modern readers with a modern lens of classical stories breathing new life into familiar stories.

My first introduction to myths and legends was during a holiday in Greece when I borrowed (read: stole) a book of Greek myths from my parents. Surrounded by the Greek landscape the gods and goddesses of Olympus felt as real as anything. I have been devoted to them ever since. Studying Greek and Latin in school didn't manage to defeat my love for them and here I am, still chasing down books about them. The latest is Zachary Mason's fascinating Metamorphica, based on Ovid's Metamorphoses. Thanks to Farrar, Straus and Giroux and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Ovid's epic Metamorphoses is a classic. In 250 myths, the long poem tracks the history of the world from creation to Julius Caesar. Ovid's masterpiece has had a major influence on Western literature, from Dante to Shakespeare. His metamorphosis myths diver at times significantly from his Greek sources, yet they have become classic in their own rights. At the heart of many of his reworked myths is the idea of love, while humans come across better than the gods. The transformations in the Metamorphoses are often painful and violent, but then, isn't change always? I loved the Metamorphoses when I first read them, and still loved them when I was made to translate parts of it in school. A collection and reworking of past myths itself, it is no surprise that Ovid himself has given rise to reworkings. Up to now, I was never too bowled over by any of them, but Zachary Mason's Metamorphica is a stunner.

Rather than one connected narrative, Mason's Metamorphica casts each god and goddess as a star and tells the constellations of stories around them. I adored the star charts which started each new section dedicated to a new god or goddess, as well as the mini summaries at the beginning of each story. Rather than give anything away, these mini summaries tie the different stories together, show how each myth is somehow connected to the others. The stories vary in length, some no more than two paragraphs while others span for pages. Yet each brings a surprising new twist to what we know of the stories. Taking an almost psychoanalytical take to these stories, Mason brings out a new side to what we know. While Ovid's Metamorphoses was written entirely from a male view point, Mason frequently switches between male and female narrators, letting Clytemnaestra tell her own rage and allowing the reader to feel Narcissus' emptiness through his own words. Despite having read these stories over and over again, Metamorphica brought me something new and I absolutely devoured this collection of stories. I felt saddened when it was over, but also enriched.

Zachary Mason's writing is poetical and beautiful, both honest and fantastical. There is real grief and pain in his pages, but also beauty and joy, however fleeting. No Greek myth can be accused of having a happy ending and Mason doesn't gloss over that. There is a lot of tragedy in Metamorphica but it is of a kind of beautiful tragedy, the kind which is fated and therefore inevitable. Mason's writing matches this, laying everything on the table while maintaining the mystery of his tales. His takes on these Greek and Latin myths are sharp and to the point, not covering up the ugly truths contained in these myths but almost revelling in them. I adored how he dissected some of the stories, giving me a way to accept Circe's sudden obeisance to Odysseus, for example. Considering how much I have read about these myths I myself was almost surprised by how immediately I fell in love with Metamorphica. I am actually already in the middle of rereading it. Thank you Zachary Mason!

Metamorphica completely blew me away. Beautifully written and heartbreaking, Mason rewrites Ovid's Metamorphses in a way that felt both modern and ancient. I'd recommend this to anyone who has an interest in Greek and Latin myths.

This is a beautiful retelling of Ovid's Metamorphosis. I loved the writing in this book and was captivated by the retelling. I highly recommend it.

I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a review copy in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion of it.

I love Ovid's Metamorphoses and retellings of Greek mythology are a favorite sub-genre, so I was thrilled at the chance to read this book. The writing was polished and elegant, and though I did feel some more elaboration would have made the stories stronger, I did enjoy this book quite a bit. Recommended!

Did not read. Removing from shelf. Did not read. Removing from shelf. Did not read. Removing from shelf. Did not read. Removing from shelf.

Oh, I'm the first one to review this, how lovely. Greek mythology, mythology in general really, is a theme I love so much, I’ll revisit in in just about any form. This was, admittedly, something of an experimental retelling/reimagining of some of the beloved myths. I wasn’t familiar with the author’s work prior to this and the description was fairly vague, but what this ended up being is a relatively short collection of myths separated by pantheon divisions and told from a psychological perspective. So basically, while the facts of the stories may be known from other various sources, these versions deal with the emotional and mental states of its characters. And, of course, some of the stories also change the facts around also. The author stated he wanted to create a mythology book he wish he’d found and I suppose at that he succeeds. This was certainly different. And at times quite good. The stories vary in lengths and quality, the longest ones tending to be the best. The shortest ones are mere sketches, but with the word count increasing there come the real stories, the real flights of imagination. The language is lovely, but leans toward the poetic quite heavily. Not quite for me, but the beauty of it is impossible to ignore and certain turns of phrase or imagery were simply stunning. And I liked what the author did to some of the well known myths, quite ingenious and in a way more plausible (not that that’s a requirement of mythology), but the reimagining of Orpheus takes into account the realities of infatuation, Icarus’s flight is circumscribed by laws of physics, Troy is fought over by more personable less iconoclastic characters and for considerably less romantic reasons and so on. Changes, changes, Ovid would appreciate this certainly. So something of a mixed bag, inventive, clever takes on classics wrapped in the dreamy gauze of a narrative. Intriguing though and fans of Greek mythology would find much to enjoy here, plus it’s a quick read and a pleasant way to dream the morning away. Thanks Netgalley.