MEDUSA

Scarlet's fantasy novel offers an enthralling spin on the mythological figure Medusa and her gorgon sisters.

Fisherman Galen lives a relatively quiet life with his family in ancient Greece. He adores his daughters Stheno, Euryale, and Medusa, the youngest, whom he teaches to shoot arrows. One day, Galen’s wife and the girls’ mother, Helen, comes across a serpent whose thoughts she somehow hears in her head. This snake seemingly befriends the woman, but as the two gradually start “Bonding,” Helen’s demeanor toward her family changes for the worse. This leads to a shocking act, one for which the god Zeus unjustly punishes the sisters: He turns all three into gorgons, semi-reptilian and powerful beings who can turn living things into stone with a mere look. Sometime later, an elderly storyteller regales young men with a yarn involving a man-killing, bow-and-arrow-wielding gorgon. Friends Phaeton and Timenious vow to become heroes by defeating the serpent-haired “creature,” but first train to hone their strength and skills. Although their paths diverge, they both learn that there’s a trio of gorgons, each isolated in separate places. Phaeton, fortunately, gets an unexpected helping hand from the goddess Athena; she ultimately directs him to a god-made horn inside a box that only a mortal can open, trusting Phaeton will know what to do if and when he retrieves it. Phaeton doesn’t face the gorgon sisters as a heartless warrior—he opts to listen to them, taking an empathetic approach that’s not at all in line with what Timenious, who isn’t far behind, has planned.

Scarlet’s take on the popular Greek myth moves at an impeccable pace. The first half of the narrative is nonlinear, cutting between exhilarating turns like Galen’s family battling wolves, Helen’s unnerving interactions with the serpent, and Phaeton and Timenious’ brutal training. The second half zeroes in on Phaeton and the gorgons and, notwithstanding fights with huge monsters, somewhat decelerates the momentum. The story nevertheless remains addictive, delving deeper into the already-sympathetic sisters’ plights; their emotionally charged scenes show just how potent a trait empathy can be. A big part of making that work is, of course, the strength of the characters, who the author develops with sincerity and precision (Stheno, Euryale, and Medusa have distinct personalities and never feel like the creatures that men portray them to be). Phaeton is a multifaceted character, as are the surprisingly charming Athena and Osticus, an owl that Athena makes in her magic-filled workshop who becomes a welcome ally for Phaeton. Many readers will recognize other mythological beings along with Medusa and Athena, including the spiderlike Arachne, the goddess Hera, and a winged gryphon. Scarlet’s concise prose, in narrative details as well as dialogue, further energizes this tale. Especially memorable are the incessant hiss-laden comments from serpents whose voices Medusa, like her mother, hears: “If you put your handss near us once more, you will be bitten… you will regret your actionsss.” While there’s a thorough resolution regarding the sisters’ and Phaeton’s stories, a few lingering plotlines could lead to sequels.

A colorful cast headlines this remarkable and sharply written novel.