The Mythic Dream

September 2, 2019
Wolfe and Parisien (Robots vs. Fairies) have compiled an impressively varied compendium of myth reimaginings by numerous well-known speculative fiction writers. Rebecca Roanhorse riffs on the ever-present danger of obsessive love in the futuristic “A Brief Lesson in Native American Astronomy,” based on the Tewa Native American story of Deer Hunter and White Corn Maiden. Alyssa Wong modernizes Artemis and Actaeon, examining the timely question of female safety, solidarity, empowerment, and consent in “Live Stream.” Seanan McGuire relocates the myth of Hades and Persephone to the heart of carnival life in “Phantoms of the Midway,” while Amal El-Mohtar (“Florilegia; Or, Some Lies About Flowers”) and Sarah Gailey (“Wild to Covet”) confront questions of female agency and resistance in their respective reinterpretations of the myths of Blodeuwedd, a wife created from flowers for an unworthy husband, and Thetis, the mother of Achilles. This eclectic, often subversive collection will appeal to fairy tale fans who want something new and different.

Narrator Samantha Desz metaphorically travels worldwide for this anthology of 18 short stories by various authors. Each is a retelling of a myth--some familiar, some not. In addition to Greek myths, the listener will hear works that are Japanese, North American Indian, Norse, Jewish, and more. For example, in Naomi Novik's "Buried Deep," Desz makes the love of a sister and brother in the myth of Ariadne and the Minotaur unforgettable. She also creates a haunting persona in Sarah Gailey's "Wild to Cove," a retelling involving Thetis, the mother of Achilles. In a more contemporary retelling of Artemis and Actaeon, Alyssa Wong's "Live Stream," Desz portrays a gamer who is executing a revenge plan toward a creep who posted a video of her. Without a touch of foreshadowing, she makes the ending that much sweeter. J.E.M. � AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine