Melody Writes

Title: Come Hither, No Malice Author: J. D. Buffington Website Synopsis: Perseus seeks to destroy the monstrous Gorgons. But not all monsters are beasts. Once a beautiful young woman—transformed after being attacked, cursed, and persecuted—Medusa presides over a haven for the abused. Their lives in each other’s hands, only patience, compassion, and their free will as mortals can break the cycle of cruelty. Review: Over the past few years, feminist retellings of ancient Greek Mythology have risen to the forefront with best sellers such as The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker, Circe by Madeleine Miller, and most recently, Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes, just to name a small handful. These stories examine familiar myths that typically centered on the male heroes and relegated the female characters to supporting roles and position those supporting females into the starring roles. Come Hither, No Malice by J.D. Buffington fits into this category with what the author calls a love letter...

My third Natalie Haynes book after the Children of Jocasta and 1000 ships, and to be honest, my least favourite of the three. I had high expectations about what she would bring to the tale of Medusa and Perseus, but I wasn't ready for the pure, raw hatred of Perseus that permeates this story, or the lack of Medusa herself. Like 1000 ships, Haynes rotates viewpoints giving voice to a myriad of unexpected characters. This works well with the Trojan War, as it allows her to bring neglected female characters to the forefront, but the cast in Medusa's tale is much smaller and the added creatures (olives, crows, etc) only serve to detract from the characters that interested me. Haynes is faithful to the myth as most know it, so instead of focusing on what she does with the plot, I'd like to discuss the major characters and what she does with each of them.     Spoilers for the Book from here on out.   Medusa Medusa is still a bit part in her own narrative. Her point of view is ...

On April 30, 2022, Musings of the Muses was released containing 65 Greek Mythology stories, including my story "Run" - a gender-bent retelling of the Actaeon myth. Today I wanted to pull back the curtain a little bit and talk about the journey this story took from conception to publication. Most people know by now that I studied Greek and Roman History in university and that I love horror. Naturally, the myth of Actaeon and Artemis appeals to me. A young man, Actaeon, is exploring the woods when he stumbles upon Artemis bathing with her nymphs. Mesmerized by the beauty of the naked goddess, he cannot look away. Artemis catches him and as punishment, she turns him into a stag. He flees to his home, but his own dogs, not recognizing him, tear him limb from limb. In some versions he is punished for boasting that he is a better hunter than Artemis, but the end result is the same. I love this story for its ruthless, brutal inevitability. The idea behind "Run" came to me...