Medusa's Sisters

prepared for how they treated the rest of us.

On days when I'm especially cynical, I find it almost laughable that I am older than both Poseidon and Athena, who would wreak such havoc upon my life. No respect for elders in the immortal community, I'm afraid. But then again, so much of age is attitude, and it took me far too long to acquire one.

I sound just like my mother. That happens to immortals, too, when we become old.

And I'm getting ahead of myself. I do that sometimes. Time holds little consequence when you occupy forever.

The story of our birth, then.

My mother, Ceto, resided in a watery cave beneath Mount Olympus, connected to her precious seas through endless tunnels and labyrinthine streams. Though my father adored his wife, he did not attend her labor-a messy, menial process, which he considered a female's work. And for reasons inexplicable-both then and now-matters of the womb are unpalatable to masculinity.

I have viewed battlefields covered in unspeakable gore, but I have seen delivery beds far, far worse.

I am extremely old.

At my mother's side stood her first set of triplets, the Graeae, or gray women. Another trio forced to sacrifice their individual identities for group nomenclature. Born with gray hair and skin, Deino, Enyo, and Pemphredo shared one detachable eye and tooth. I never found them ugly, despite that deficiency. Their gray faces were more interesting than unpleasant, and unlike my sisters and me, the Graeae had a gift: the modest ability for prophesy, to guide those who wander or are lost.

Though if they ever deigned to advise us in those early days, we certainly didn't listen.

When Ceto's contractions commenced, my mother summoned Doris, the wife of her other brother, Nereus, for Doris bore the nearly fifty Nereids and thus had plenty of experience with labor.

Still, complications arose.

I eme

connects the stars the myths you thought you knew in startling new ways. Prepare to be devastated. Mary McMyne, author of The Book of Gothel

"Alive with soaring poetry and myth, Medusa's Sisters sparkles as a delightfully feminist subversion of the maligned and forgotten Gorgon women, reframing and bringing their shadowy legend fiercely, vengefully, into the light. A bold and beautiful tale about sisterhood, motherhood, and what it truly means to be a woman." Olesya Salnikova Gilmore, author of The Witch and the Tsar

A gorgeously crafted retelling of Greek mythology, Medusa s Sisters is a celebration of the many faces love can wear. BookPage (starred review)

In giving a voice to those long silenced, Medusa's Sisters brings the cosmology of ancient Greece to vivid life, writhing and seething with numinous possibility. It is a story of monsters and mortals, and the gods who use them both with careless cruelty. Jacqueline Carey, New York Times bestselling author of Kushiel's Dart and Cassiel's Servant

"Bold, beautiful, and brilliantly subversive, Bear's incredible debut is engrossing from the very first page. With her ambitious storytelling, Bear breathes life to characters often reduced to the shadows, and has proven herself as a talent to watch!" Claire M. Andrews, author of the Daughter of Sparta trilogy

"A must-read for Greek mythology fans seeking new depth in their tales and those who enjoyed Madeline Miller s Circe or Pat Barker s The Silence of the Girls." Library Journal (starred review)

"Debut novelist Bear has artfully fashioned an entrancing tale that not only perfectly captures in poetic prose both the fabled glories and gritty realities of ancient Greece, but also features a trio of sisters, who, despite being mythological beings, seem all-too real and relatable by virtue of Bear s gift for incisive characterization." Booklist

Bear handles the different voices of Stheno and Euryale with masterful skill and wit With stellar writing and her focus on Medusa s forgotten sisters, Bear s contribution to the sub-genre of mythic retellings is not to be missed. Highly recommended. Historical Novels Review

"Captivating." Ms. Magazine

Fans of Madeline Miller s Circe will want to check out Medusa s Sisters, a feminist take on the infamous Gorgon and her siblings Stheno and Euryale. Like the best mythological tales, Medusa s Sisters is about more than gods and monsters, exploring the bonds of sisterhood and the quest to leave a lasting legacy. Parade

Lauren J. A. Bear puts a new twist on Greek mythology. PopSugar

Bear never softens her unsparing vision of an ancient world dominated by male violence and Olympian capriciousness. But she empowers female figures demonized through the ages to voice their own ideas about who they are and about the merciless forces that have determined their destinies. Medusa s Sisters offers a compelling alternate version that brings new depth to a familiar myth. Boston Globe

"Bear s writing is pure poetry. Not in the way that you would imagine with depictions of a hazy blue ancient Greece, but with words that are encased in wanting and need. Honesty that is so real it is almost brutal. And most of all, the raw desire to understand yourself and your place in the world. It is a story about overcoming, perseverance and unconditional love."  The Student (Edinburgh)