The Shadow of Perseus by Claire Heywood

304 Pages
Publisher: Penguin Group Dutton, Dutton
Release Date: February 21, 2023

Fiction, Greek Mythology, Women’s Fiction

In Argos, the Oracle tells King Akrisios that his daughter, Danae, would have a son and this son would kill him. For that reason, he keeps her in the dungeon. Her servant, Korrina, brings her food and is her only company until an unexpected visit by Myron, the baker’s son.

Her father comes to visit her and when she asks when she can return to her previous life outside of the dungeon, he tells her it was for her own protection. When Danae realizes too late that she is with child, she tries to hide her condition. Her father plans on sacrificing her to Poseidon, Lord of the Sea, but his brother, Proitos tries stops him.

Danae made a home on Seriphos, a rough land where Perseus grows to a man. When her benefactor Diktys, dies, his brother, Polydektes offers her marriage. Perseus is not in favor of the union. He is angry that his family did not want him and prevented him from living the life he was entitled to. He goes to the island where the Gorgons live and meets Medusa. Then he travels to Lybia and rescues Andromeda from a sea beast.

The story has a steady pace, the characters are developed, and it is written in the third person point of view. In this version, Perseus is seen as an entitled and bitter young man. His anger lays under the surface and at times when he does not get his way, gets the best of him. The story is really about the three women who live within his shadow. If you like twists on fairytales or mythology, you will enjoy reading this book.

Once again Heywood utilizes her knowledge to reimagine a Greek myth. In this latest work, Heywood pays homage to the story of Perseus. This is not the golden boy Perseus that is revered as the almighty slayer of Medusa. This Perseus is self-absorbed and determined to make a name for himself regardless of who he has to hurt in the process. His mother Danae, his wife Andromeda, and the legendary Medusa all describe their lives as intricately woven around Perseus's ambition. An entertaining read for all.

DNF. I tried repeatedly to read this book and I just couldnt get into it. It's just not for me. I'm sorry. If/when I finally finish it, i may come back here and revise my review.

I have started this so many times, but I just cannot get past the first ten pages or so. Then I learned that Perseus is depicted as a rapist and I'm supposed to root for him? Hard pass, not for me!

In the emerging genre of greek myth retellings, I appreciate one that allows women the voice to the myths, giving us a different perspective on the heroes and gods that we've heard about before. Character being presented through the eyes of the people around you is something that I really enjoy reading.

In Heywood's "The Shadow of Perseus", I was expecting more. The description pulled me in, but as I got into the book, it didn't hold my interest. This could be because I have read so many historical books like this, but unfortunately, this one wasn't for me.

I love how detailed Claire's stories are. It's just amazing how much richer she makes mythology. The characters become relatable and more human.

This was an interesting retelling for sure.

The Shadow of Perseus, told from the viewpoints of his mother, Danae, first love/crush Medusa, and wife, Andromeda, tells a very different story than we have come to know.

The author, Heywood, wished to paint a more plausibly historical take on Greek myth, which in all honestly, I actually appreciated. They say myth is often rooted in truth in some way, no? However, can a story stripped of all magic and fantasy really be considered a mythological retelling?

Anyway, while written well, this story just wasn't for me, after all. As I said, there was none of the magic that is synonymous with mythology - this was mostly a story of trauma bonds and quite frankly, enabling of heinous behavior. Interesting and probably more historically accurate, but not what I was looking for.

Now, these are simply opinions of my own. If mythology written with a more real world feel sounds interesting to you, definitely give this a read!

3/5 stars.

A retelling of the women who lived in Perseus' giant shadow, and how he changed each of their lives irrevocably.

Mythology retellings is a sub genre I am here for all day every day. And I love the variety we have seen. Authors are being creative and telling stories from the point of view of the women that were almost ignored in some original stories.

I find that premise to be very exciting, I just found that this story fell a little flat. Like it felt like it was a schlog to get through and read more like a textbook than a story at times.

I would read more by this author because I think the creativity of the story is there!

I rather see myths retain their original framework and retold with whatever literary licenses the writer needs around this framework and respecting the myth itself.
This one is an attempt to write a new myth based on the original characters yet telling a different story. I don’t like loosing the intrinsic magic of the myths

I felt like I had to finish this out of spite, I really didn’t enjoy it. I typically love mythology stories, especially some recent ones that give a different perspective on certain stories and events. This was not one of them.

"... you are too old for showers of gold."

Heywood did a marvelous job of taking a more realistic historical approach to the myth of Perseus. I loved this book. It follows the three women affected by the choices of Perseus while shinning a less than glorious spotlight on a stubbornly selfish and narcissistic man. It's well thought out and hard to put down. One of my favorite retellings this year.

I love the surge of female-centered retellings of these classic myths. This one will be for fans of books like Circe. I have a particular love for the tale of Perseus and his dealings with Medusa, so it was fascinating to think about how the women around him might reflect on his heroism and hubris.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me. All thoughts are my own.

An utterly fantastic, harrowing read for fans of Circe and The Silence of the Girls as it explores three women who shaped and were altered by Perseus’ violence and hubris

I did not have time to download and read this book before it was archived, so I'm unable to leave a review.

As a classicist, I am all for feminist retellings of myths. Give me them all. The Shadow of Perseus is a fairly straightforward retelling of the hero's iconic mythology. The twist here is that we get his myth from the perspective of the three women in his life. I found this a bit of a strange choice because there are so many women in mythology who can stand alone.

Overall, it is a well-written retelling. I don't think it stands out in such a saturated retelling market.

I Really enjoyed the concept of the book, giving voice to the women in Perseus's life. However, the book has no fantastical element and reads almost like pure historical fiction. The first half of the book was a lot more interesting, Danae's story before Perseus. Medusa was by far the best character. the ending was a bit slow and fell a bit flat. This book would be great for anyone who wants to read a more realistic spin on Greek Mythology.

Thank you Dutton and NetGalley for the eARC of The Shadow of Perseus! All opinions in this review are my own.

I absolutely loved The Shadow of Perseus! I really liked how Haywood took the familiar myth and told it through the eyes of the women that are most important to Perseus's story. The Author's Note at the end of the book details how Haywood chose to ground the novel in more historical and realistic aspects which I think made it all the stronger. The short chapters allowed me to fly through this book and I read it in three days! I am really excited to read Haywood's Daughters of Sparta now!

Thank you very much for the opportunity to read this book early! I really enjoyed it. I thought the writing was very well done, and the story kept me interested. I believe my students/patrons would also love this book and will be acquiring it for the library!