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Mythology

Gods of Jade and Shadow

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Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Format: Book
Who it’s for: Adults

Trapped in domestic drudgery in a small town in Yucatán, Mexico, Casiopeia Tun lives at the mercy of her wealthy and tyrannical grandfather, Cirilo. Despite her mother’s urging to keep her head down and do whatever their relatives might command, willful Casiopeia still has moments of quiet rebellion. These moments oftentimes attract the ire of her arrogant cousin, Martín, but Casiopeia is practical and does her best to not let him get under her skin. The unfairness of her life is not lost on her, though. She knows she was born under a rotten star, but in secret Casiopeia continues to dream of another life. A life of her own choosing.

In a small moment of defiance, Casiopeia goes through her grandfather’s things while the rest of the family is out. She expects to find hidden treasures in a wooden trunk, but instead she accidentally frees Mayan death God Hun-Kamé, Lord of Xibalba (the Mayan Underworld). Freeing him from his imprisonment binds Casiopeia and Hun-Kamé, their fates intertwined. Casiopeia agrees to help him take revenge on his twin brother and reclaim his throne. What other choice does she really have? This journey could give her a new life. It could also be her undoing. Either way, she will escape the life she’d been given.

Gods of Jade and Shadow promises Mayan Gods in 1920s Jazz Era Mexico, but also offers a magical fairytale inspired by Mexican folklore, a journey of self-discovery, slow burn romance, political and social commentary, and meditations on power, duality, freedom, and death.

Find Gods of Jade and Shadow in the catalog here!

Marcy and the Riddle of the Sphinx

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Marcy and the Riddle of the Sphinx by Joe Todd Stanton
Format: Book
Who it’s for: Kids

Marcy and the Riddle of the Sphinx by Joe Todd Stanton is a story about a daughter who travels to Egypt to rescue her world-famous adventurer father after his disappearance while searching for the Book of Thoth. In her journey Marcy faces her fears and finds her courage, solves puzzles, and even meets Egyptian gods.

The illustrations in this book are beautiful and imaginative. It’s a great quick read for anyone who has a special interest in Ancient Egyptian mythology, and it is particularly geared for children ages 5-7.

Marcy and the Riddle of the Sphinx is the second installment in the Brownstone’s Mythical Collection. The first in the series, Arthur and the Golden Rope, is about Marcy’s father going on his own mythical adventure when he was still a child.

Find Marcy and the Riddle of the Sphinx in the catalog!

Find Arthur and the Golden Rope in the catalog!

The Song of Achilles

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The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
Format: eBook, Book, Audiobook
Who it’s for: Adults, Teens

The Song of Achilles is a retelling of the story of Achilles from the point of view of Patroclus, his best friend and eventual lover. Miller takes the stories we know from The Iliad and fills in the blanks, starting with Achilles’ childhood and the beginnings of his relationship with Patroclus. Achilles is a complicated figure. More than the arrogant, brash man who fought in the Trojan War, he is depicted as often unsure of himself, kind, and capable of love. 

We follow Achilles and Patroclus from childhood to their adolescence, during which they travel to train under the centaur, Chiron, to young adulthood. Through it all, Achilles’ mother, Thetis, appears often to express her displeasure with her son’s relationship with Patroclus. We see Achilles and Patrolcus grow closer over the years, ultimately falling in love before the story turns to the more familiar Trojan War years. Although you may know what happens next, Miller’s writing makes the entire series of events gut-wrenching.

The Song of Achilles is for anyone with even a passing interest in Greek mythology, or anyone who likes a well-written romance with a dash of war and vengeful gods. Also recommended is Miller’s second novel, Circe, a retelling of the life of Circe, a daughter of Helios.

The Wicked + The Divine

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The Wicked + The Divine
Format: eBook, Book
Who it’s for: Adults

The Wicked + The Divine takes place in a world much like the one we are familiar with, but with a unique twist: Every ninety years, a phenomenon called the Recurrence takes place, and 12 deities – gods and goddesses – incarnate the bodies of young people, imbuing them with supernatural powers. For two years these members of the “Pantheon” use their powers to create superhuman art, inventions, and inspiration. They are loved and hated. Then they die. And it’s happening again.

It’s the 2010’s, and our gateway to the Pantheon is Laura, a “fangirl.” Laura adores the Pantheon and would do anything to be among them. She attends a deity’s performance, gets to meet some, befriends one, and is then swept up into a vast conspiracy involving the all the gods, the mysterious person who discovers/awakens them, and the truth behind the Recurrence and what causes it.

The Wicked + The Divine is a story about life and death. It’s a story about music and how it can speak to us and through us. It’s a story about the desire to create, and how consuming that drive can be. It’s a story about the cult of celebrity: how we worship them, or attempt to “cancel” them. (The Pantheon are the ultimate stars; they even bare resemblance to pop music icons to reinforce this idea.)

If you like mythology, music, and mystery, check out the graphic novel series The Wicked + The Divine, starting with Vol. 1 The Faust Act. We have the complete series at the library, and digitally via Hoopla. See it in our catalog.

Dark Shores

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Dark Shores by Danielle L. Jensen
Format: Book
Who’s It For: Teens

Jensen’s sea faring adventure is set in a Romanesque world inhabited by forgotten gods and greedy empires. We have two main characters the story follows; Teriana and Marcus.

Marcus is the young leader of a ruthless legion, the Thirty-Seventh, with a brutal reputation of conquering nations in the name of the empire. He is hiding a secret that could not only strip him of his title but cost him his life.

Teriana was born on the mysterious Dark Shores and is heir to the Maarin ship, Quincense. The Maarin are not only traders but have vowed to never allow anyone from the Empire to discover the Dark Shores existence. Then Teriana and Marcus are both faced with what seem to be impossible decisions and are forced together on a mission neither of them wants.

Find it on the catalog.

 

 

Norse Mythology

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Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman
Format: Book or Audiobook
Who it’s for: Adults, teens, and children (parents should read it first – there is violence, drinking, and other mature content)

Neil Gaiman’s works often reference mythologies (see American Gods, Anansi Boys, Sandman, The Ocean at the End of the Lane, and really almost anything else he’s written). In Norse Mythology, he turns his interest in mythology toward the Norse gods, but instead of creating a fictionalized world based on them, he retells the stories of Odin, Thor, Loki, and other gods and characters as we know them from the Prose Edda and the Poetic Edda. Gaiman uses his witty and engaging prose to tell the story of how the gods received their treasures (including Mjollnir – Thor’s hammer), Thor’s journey to the land of the giants, the death of Balder, and more. In his capable hands, the stories — which span from the creation of everything through Ragnorak, the end of the world — are accessible and engaging, often funny and sometimes sad.

Anyone with even a passing interest in Norse mythology will enjoy this, and it’s even better in audio. Gaiman narrates the audiobook (as he does for so many of his other works) and brings an added passion and wit to the stories (and you get to hear the names pronounced, which is useful if you go back and read the printed book).

Check it out today!