PERSEUS

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)