I absolutely LOVED this book. Maybe because I'm predisposed towards Greek mythology or maybe because I've always been a fan of telling Greek myths as dynamically as possible. Elliott takes the story of Asterion, the Minotaur that Theseus one days slays during his many "heroic" quests, and offers an accounting that paints no one as a hero or innocent and everyone as some manner of villain for allowing this tragedy to occur.

The basic myth:
Minos asked of Poseidon something, Poseidon said sure but do this thing, Minos doesn't do the thing, Poseidon gets upset and bewitches Pasiphae (Minos' wife) to be horny for a bull, Pasiphae ends up having Asterion, the Minotaur, due to this. Years later, after some wheeling and dealing on Minos' part, Athens is sending their yearly tributes and that happens to include Theseus. Ariadne, Minos and Pasiphae's daughter, falls for him and helps him defeat the Minotaur and save the sacrifices before running off with him.

As with most Greek myths there's a couple different versions floating about with variations according to the geographic location of its origination, but there you have the basic myth. Since the story of the Minotaur is meant to be part of Theseus' Journey to Hero Level or Ariadne's larger overarching story, not a story on its own you won't find much by way of embellishment about its life.

I said earlier that everyone is at fault here, but really its just two guys - Minos for being (as all old Greek rulers seem to be) an arrogant ass who doesn't pay proper tribute to the Gods they supposedly feared so much, and Poseidon for being (as all old Greek Gods seem to be) an arrogant petty ass who used innocents to teach Minos a lesson.

I can see this being a being a hit or miss with teens however. The ones with a flair for drama and far flung imaginations, may embrace this for all the unique opportunities it presents a creative soul. The ones invested in the words in front of them and have a more literal mind set, may feel a bit more at a loss since this can't be read straight through like a novel. This would make for a great student/summer stage production to be honest. Minimal costumes, props or set work - everything is in the acting.

In the end I found this quite exciting, but your mileage may vary depending on what you are looking for when you start it.

(warnings for mature content, Elliott doesn't pull punches in regards to the curse that Poseidon places on Pasiphae)



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Super quick read. Written in poetic form and depending on the character you will notice a different form. It is the story of Minotaur and all those involved with his life. It is actually masterfully written. I really enjoy Greek mythology and like to hear new tellings of it. This read comes off of Circe (which I loved). I wouldn't recommend it to everyone. Greek mythology isn't exactly G rated. The book's opening line is Poseidon saying, "Whaddup, bitches?" So it's not a family read or a goodnight story for little ones but if you want a quick, fun read about Minotaur then I'd recommend this. ( )

I read this because I am looking for more novels in verse to offer to my students, but this one is a bit odd. While I appreciated the author's intentionality with his rhyme scheme, the content and voice made the audience unclear. I think I would offer this to students as independent reading, but not for our curriculum. Quick read though. ( )

This was fun. Some minor mispronunciations. Could be adapted into a fun stage or spoken word play. Some language. Decent rhymes. ( )

What a wickedly delicious version of the Minotaur. Many points of view in varying poetic styles, give a rather sympathetic portrayal of Asterion, ruler of the stars, as our minotaur is named.

I'd not recommend this one for middle grade, as there is language and discussions of just how the minotaur came to be, rather crudely. But I do think that those who love mythology will find it quite fascinating. ( )