Fit for the Gods

Greek mythology is reimagined through contemporary authors and talented narrators in this dynamic short story collection. A pantheon of all-star performers, including Soneela Nankani, Robin Miles, and Donnabella Mortel, creates listening experiences that are at times poignant, joyous, and thoughtful. Stories incorporate mythological characters and themes to explore contemporary characters' relationships with gender, sexuality, agency, and the sentience of various life-forms. Other tales are more clearly aligned with their Greek namesakes. Notable selections include a wild night in the Willamette Valley wine country with a reincarnated Dionysus in "Dion and the Maenads" (Nankani); Miles's rooted musings as a woman transformed by Apollo in "Trembling Aspen; Or to Shiver"; and the noir-styled "Furies Detective Agency," featuring a trio of formidable sisters (Mortel). J.R.T. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine

June 10, 2024

Editors Northington (coeditor of Sword Stone Table) and Williams (Beatrice Is Dead) offer a broadly appealing anthology of retellings of Greek and Roman myths. The editors have assembled an impressive array of authors and narrators to ensure an inclusive experience of gender, race, disability, sexuality, and more. Though listeners will likely recognize each story's origin, from a reimagining of Hades and Persephone to the star-traveling version of the Odyssey, they're also likely to see themselves in at least one mythical reprise. The rest provide nuggets of understanding through the stories themselves and often through the authors' notes explaining how and why they chose each story. Though the collection leans toward the magical, many genres are represented, including mystery, romance, and science fiction. The host of narrators performs each believably, whether they are a gossipy goddess of love or a giant robot watching over frozen souls. Listeners will appreciate the smart decision to cast such a large group, as their combined voices satisfyingly reflect the breadth and depth of the authors and their stories. VERDICT Highly recommended to those who loved Madeline Miller's Circe, Natalie Haynes's Stone Blind, or Genevieve Gornichec's The Witch's Heart for giving voices to the ignored and maligned.--Matthew Galloway

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