House of Leaves by Mark Z Danielewski – a family move into a house to discover it is bigger on the inside than it is on the outside. Ariadne by Jennifer Saint – a modern retelling of she who gave Theseus the secret of how to slay the minotaur and escape the labyrinth, and of […]
Continue ReadingBest Books of 2020
A year of hidden gems, modern classics, and fungi. Of gothic, dark and twisted tales, and South America in translation. Of memoirs and the natural world, sci-fi and high fantasy. I discovered two authors who have become firm favourites, and gave a couple of others a second chance. Most of all, in this year of […]
Continue ReadingNorse, Celtic & Germanic Myths, Folklore & Fairy Tales in Fiction
American Gods by Neil Gaiman Days before his release from prison, Shadow’s wife, Laura, dies in a mysterious car crash. Numbly, he makes his way back home. On the plane, he encounters the enigmatic Mr Wednesday, who claims to be a refugee from a distant war, a former god and the king of America. Together […]
Continue ReadingChildren’s Collections of Myths & Legends
A brief selection of myths and legends for children. Tales of Long Ago (1965) Enid Blyton Tales of the Greek Heroes (1958) Roger Lancelyn Green. Puffin Classics Myths of the Norsemen (1970) Roger Lancelyn Green. Puffin Classics Grimm’s Fairy Tales (1981) Sharon Publications Arthurian Legends (1998) Marie Trevelyan Celtic Fairy Tales (1998) Joseph Jacobs
Continue ReadingGreek Myths in Fiction
Reworked, revisited, reimagined Greek myths in contemporary fiction. Beneath each book description, a short description of the original myth on which the book is based. Where different versions of the same myth exist, I’ve selected one, and list the other(s) under ‘See Also’. Falling Angel by William Hjortsberg The novel which became movie Angel Heart […]
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