The Mythic Dream | 
Told as a “over a couple of beers” story between colleagues, this is a tale of the adventure described in the title. It was a fun read, but if you really don‘t like the “C word” in reference to genitalia (not used as a slur), skip it. It shows up several times.
Callen must travel through miles of dangerous desert plains - losing bits of herself in the process - to find a witch on the top of a mountain, who she‘s been told will help save the woman she loves from where she is imprisoned. This fantasy story, set in the future, is a retelling of an ancient Chinese tale. Atmospherically bleak but highly compelling.
In this futurist retelling of a classic Native American story, Mr. Hunter, a rising celebrity, is deeply entrenched in grief for his recently deceased girlfriend, Cherie. When offered a vial of her engram (memory-holding DNA material), he can‘t help but inject it straight into his own brain, but the result is less comforting and more horrifying than he had hoped.
This is the story of how Fisher-bird (presumably a belted kingfisher) got her red belt - and it involves meeting a man with god-blood (“the kind that clogs up your veins and makes you a hero even if you‘d rather just be an ordinary soul”) & arms that are “tree-trunk thick.” This was a fun, light-hearted re-telling of a particular Greek myth (but it feels like a spoiler to reveal which one). Enjoyable read :)
This is a story inspired by ancient Egyptian mythology (in particular, Sekhmet, warrior goddess and goddess of healing) but set far, far into the future. Het is summoned by the immortal world ruler to destroy any threat of insurrection - but summoning one known for destruction to do one‘s bidding may have unintended consequences. ⤵️⤵️⤵️
17 y/o Aracely has never left the carnival, never having been allowed outside by her mom (the carnival owner), but while setting up in a midwestern farm field, she does the unthinkable, leaving the bounds of the carnival to explore a nearby estate, and meets the most striking girl - with hair like coal and eyes like embers, and burn scars on one side of her face - who she is drawn to in a way she‘s never experienced before. ⤵️⤵️⤵️
I‘ve started listening to this anthology of 18 stories that “explores retelling a of myths across culture and civilizations.” It‘s narrated by Samantha Desz, who I had never heard perform previously - and wow, if the first story is any indication, she‘s an amazing narrator. Excited to listen more!
pickI'm floored by the quality of this anthology (the best one I've ever read so far) and by the directions some of these stories took. I enjoyed it so much!
🌟4
▶️🎧Summer Kpop Readathon:
[ATEEZ-Star 1117] a book with stars on the cover ✔
#summerreadathon #ateez #seananmcguire #naominovik #rebeccaroanhorse #johnchu #carmenmariamachado
I‘m not much of an anthology reader, and I don‘t have a deep mythology background, but I picked this book up at the library based on the contributors and I have been so pleasantly surprised so far. I‘m almost glad the kiddo woke up at 5 so I could keep reading...almost.
bailed
