by Gabiann Marin
Publisher: Clan Destine Press, July 2024
Reviewed by The Book Muse
After millennia of worship, the ancient gods have retired or found new lives on earth after deciding they couldn’t compete with monotheism, science and reason. Hera and Zeus are living in the leafy suburbs of Sydney on existence points from the Trove and help or oversight from the EBCU and Courts of Lore. Things are going smoothly for Hera and Zeus and the other pantheons until gorgon sisters Stheno and Euryale show up: Medusa’s head is missing. Again.
And so, the story kicks off – the head must be found lest it cause chaos everywhere. To do so, Hera teams up with her stepdaughter, Athena, and other Greek deities in this wonderful feminist retelling of Greek mythology celebrating the goddesses and showing just how useless Zeus could be. With so many enemies, who is using Medusa’s head to try and wreak havoc on the mortal and mythical worlds.
As a crime fan and lover of mythological retellings, combining them into such an entertaining story worked very well for me. It was a unique take on crime with a feminist twist that showed just how awful these male gods are, whilst revealing that even as mortals, it is up to the women like Hera and Athena to save the day. This fabulous new offering from Gabiann Martin takes what, in the real world, would be quite a ludicrous crime, but one that makes sense when a feminist bent is given to the original myths in modern form, giving a voice to those who were once relegated to the sidelines. Importantly, this novel explores ideas of justice, and the stories that are told.
Through its examination of the various roles Greek mythology assigned to women: mother, maiden or monster, Gabiann’s book showcases that each of these women – regardless of who they are, are their own people. They are more than their labels and not as tragic or monstrous as characters like Perseus deem them to be. As a reader, I feel that female-centred retellings like these are complex and filled with much more than the myths give us – and allow these characters to unpack trauma and contend with the men in their lives who have always and in some cases, still do, take them for granted. The messiness of the gods and goddesses as humans is on show, the flaws and weaknesses that show they’re not perfect. It’s also a novel about speaking up and reclaiming your voice and space, with dashes of humour and growth for several characters.
Exploring social and societal change through the lens of Greek gods and goddesses worked well, and its distinctly feminist flavour highlights the inequities in society, stories and myth cycles that need to be addressed across the board. Whose voice has more value? Whose story will be believed as it passes through the generations? I love the strength of the various women’s stories in The Medusa Situation.
I enjoyed this intriguing retelling of the Greek myth cycle, and I’m obviously not alone. Huge congratulations to Gabiann Marin and her publisher, Lindy Cameron, for being shortlisted for the Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards. Fingers are crossed.
Publisher’s blurb
The Medusa Situation joins the Greek goddess Hera and her Olympian family as they accept their forced divine retirement and live out their immortality in the Aussie suburbs.
Their once exciting, all-powerful, and totally worshipped lives have been replaced by endless days of quiet resentment and mystical reality TV programs.
That is until the day Stheno and Euryale, sisters of the more infamous gorgon of legend, turn up on Hera’s doorstep asking for help because Medusa’s head has been stolen. Again.
In a race against time Hera and her stepdaughter, the goddess Athena, join forces with a rag tag bunch of ancient Greek deities and mystical creatures to find the culprit and recover Medusa’s head before it creates havoc across the mortal and divine realms.
The novel is Janet Evanovich meets Natalie Haynes, in an entertaining urban fantasy which examines issues of justice, male entitlement, and the ways in which powerful women have been treated throughout the history of storytelling.
It’s mystery, mayhem, mythology, comedy, and social commentary with a feminist twist in Gabiann Marin‘s The Medusa Situation.