Medusa’s Sisters

The most recent addition to the burgeoning canon of feminist reimaginings of Greek myths, Bear’s debut is immersive but not exactly groundbreaking. She turns the focus onto Medusa’s immortal sisters, the largely forgotten Gorgons Stheno and Euryale, following the pair from birth and chronicling their transformation from beautiful immortal maidens into reviled, snake-haired monsters. This long view of their lives should provide ample chance to get to know Stheno and Euryale deeply, but a lack of fleshed-out interiority leaves this opportunity somewhat squandered. Indeed, the sisters’ motivations are at times baffling as they navigate the rivalries and jealousies of Olympus, as when Euryale betrays Medusa to Poseidon with little explanation. While this fickleness is in keeping with myths of Greek gods as notoriously petty and mercurial, it also keeps readers at arm’s length from the heroines. Still, Bear offers an enticing plunge into the legends of ancient Greece. Mythology buffs will gobble this up. Agent: Jane Dystel, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret. (Aug.)