by John Barth
First published 1985
Dunyazade holds her fate in her hands as the prince who captured her waits for her next move. She is Scheherazade's younger sister, trapped in the same deadly game of stories that once saved her sibling's life. Meanwhile, Perseus reaches his fortieth year and discovers that slaying Medusa was the easy part. The demigod who once cut off the Gorgon's head now struggles for basic dignity like any ordinary man. Bellerophon faces a different curse. The hero who tamed Pegasus and soared through ancient skies finds himself drowning in a satisfaction that brings only misery. Three legendary figures wrestle with the weight of their own myths. Each discovers that surviving your greatest triumph may be harder than achieving it. Their stories weave together like the creature from which this book takes its name, part lion, part goat, part serpent, creating something entirely new from familiar pieces.
Genres: mythology, literary-fiction, fantasy, magical-realism
Vibes: atmospheric, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Ancient Greece
Period: Ancient
320 pages · Mass Market Paperback · Fawcett Crest Books