'The end of the story is only the beginning… Even before they were transformed into Gorgons, Medusa and her sisters, Stheno and Euryale, were unique among immortals. Curious about mortals and their lives, Medusa and her sisters entered the human world in search of a place to belong, yet quickly found themselves at the perilous centre of a dangerous Olympian rivalry and learned—too late—that a god's love is a violent one.
'Forgotten by history and diminished by poets, the other two Gorgons have never been more than horrifying hags, damned and doomed. But they were sisters first, and their journey from sea-born origins to the outskirts of the Parthenon is a journey that rests, hidden, underneath their scales.
'Monsters, but not monstrous, Stheno and Euryale will step into the light for the first time to tell the story of how all three sisters lived and were changed by each other, as they struggle against the inherent conflict between sisterhood and individuality, myth and truth, vengeance and peace.'
Chances are, even if you're not familiar with the myths, you'd have heard of Medusa. The character has become so famous over the generations that she has appeared in multiple retellings, stories that are only tangentially connected to her original myths, and in media that has no connection at all. The woman with snakes for hair that can kill a man just by being looked upon has grown beyond her origins into something that is likely to last forever in some form or another. And whilst that's true for her, her sisters have had a much more difficult journey. Before this book came along, I didn't even know Medusa had sisters.
Medusa's Sisters, as the title would suggest, is less about Medusa herself (though her story is central to the plot of the book), and instead focuses on those figures who are often left out of the stories, the women who have been left by the wayside over the generations since their inception; Stheno and Euryale. For myself, this was the first time I'd heard these names, and before picking up the book I was only passingly aware of the the origin story for the Gorgons. This is perhaps the best point of view to come into this story from. I came at it with no preconceptions, no expectations, ready to be taken on what would feel like a wholly new journey. And Lauren J.A. Bear did not disappoint in that regards.
The story begins with the birth of three sisters, Stheno, the eldest, Euryale, the middle child, and Medusa, the youngest. These triplet sisters are birthed to Ceto, the goddess of sea monsters. Whilst her other children have all been monstrous in some form or another, these three daughters are birthed beautiful, normal. Looking like humans, the three of them have nothing to them that sets them as special amongst their monstrous family. Except Medusa, who, unlike all others in her family, is born mortal. She will have a long, youthful life like the rest of her siblings, but Medusa is able to be killed, prompting her eldest sister Stheno to dote on her and spend her time protecting her mortal life.
As the three sisters grow, they soon begin to become bored with their existence under the sea. Having been exposed briefly to the world outside their home, and the world of the Olympian gods, the three sisters are determined to see more of the world. The three of them head to Thebes, the kingdom of the monster killer Cadmus, where they are welcomed into his palace with open arms, and soon make friends with his most beloved daughter, Semele. Their time in Thebes shows them much of the beauty of the human world, and the sisters begin to discover their own interests and passions. However, it also teaches them the dangers of the Olympians, as they see the tragedy that can befall young women who try to romance the gods.
Soon after leaving Thebes, the sisters travel to Athens, where they grow further apart. Stheno learns music, and discovers a create outlet for herself. Medusa becomes enraptured by the temples, and starts to spend more and more time there. And Euryale discovers a local brothel, and starts to learn about the pleasures of the flesh. All the while, each sister is drawing closer to the tragic event that will leave them cursed, unable to look upon mortal men, and with monstrous features that will lead to them being known as the Gorgons.
The Greek myths have received hundreds, if not thousands, of retellings over the years. Their stories have lasted so long, and influenced so many others, that it feels like there are too many versions of the same characters to keep up with them. One character that often gets painted very differently from her origins is Medusa. Medusa was punished by Athena, transformed into the snake-haired Gorgon that we think of when we hear that name. She is then killed by a travelling hero who needs her powers to transform those who look upon her, taking her head as a gruesome weapon to be wielded. And at this part of the story Medusa is often made into a villain. The most famous version of her, that from Clash of the Titans sees her as a dangerous killer that Perseus is right to kill. This book never once paints Medusa as anything but kind and gentle, and for that it deserves attention.
The characters of Medusa, Stheno, and Euryale are just that, they're characters. They're regular people for the most part. They're looking to find their place in the world, they're relationships evolve and change, they find things that they're passionate about, they're creative. They're people birthed from the goddess of monsters, but that doesn't make them monsters themselves. And this is the main focus of the book, to show the humanity in these characters. The first two thirds of the book is just that, an exploration of their lives before the tragedy that will befall them, and it's something that I wasn't sure that I'd normally enjoy; yet proved to be deeply absorbing.
Bear does a wonderful job at making the three sisters feel like regular people, with evolving and deeply emotional connections that shape their lives. It's interesting to see how they interact with each other, how their relationships change, and to watch them discover the world outside of the one they knew growing up. Them being almost unaware of how the surface world works becomes a great introduction to that world ourselves for the reader. We get to learn along with them, to discover what this time and place was like, and to learn of the dangers of the gods as they do.
The book also does something wonderfully interesting, it makes the curse that befalls the sisters make sense. In the original myth, Medusa had an affair with Poseidon, and when she learned of this Athena became so enraged that she cursed Medusa, transforming her and her sisters into the Gorgons. But why would Athena care this much? She's not Poseidon's wife, so why would yet another example of an Olympian not being able to keep it in his trousers (there were a lot!) enrage her so much? Bear gives us a reason for this, one that's incredibly tragic and heartbreaking, and so far the only one I've seen that makes perfect sense. I'm sure many will call this a 'twist' on the story, but I think of it more as a deepening of the myth, a correction that would make the myth make more sense, and would further the tragedy of Medusa's tale. It's also something that I think those who read the book will long remember, and will use as a reason to encourage others to pick the book up.
As mentioned earlier in the review, the book isn't just about Medusa, however, and it's real focus is on Stheno and Euryale. As such, the story continues on past the point where most people would expect it to end; the murder of Medusa. Bear makes some changes to established myths, alters some origins and plays around with characters in much more obvious ways in this segment of the book, but does so in a way that transforms the narrative into something else that you don't expect, and it almost feels like you're getting to read a whole second story. The ways in which Bear weaves these narratives together, and keeps taking you on these journeys is delightfully done, and makes me instantly willing to read any other mythological retelling that she writes.
Medusa's Sisters is a wonderfully crafted and deeply engaging narrative, one that grabs you early on and doesn't let up. It takes stories that are thousands of years old and does something new and interesting with them, whilst also remaining true and faithful to what they were when they were first created.
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