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A Novel
by Eilish Quin
Discover the full story of the sorceress Medea, one of the most reviled and maligned women of Greek antiquity, in this "haunting, deeply moving" (Claire Legrand, New York Times bestselling author) debut in the tradition of Circe, Elektra, and Stone Blind.
Among the women of Greek mythology, the witch Medea may be the most despised. Known for the brutal act of killing her own children to exact vengeance on her deceitful husband, Jason, the leader of the Argonauts, Medea has carved out a singularly infamous niche in our histories.
But what if that isn't the full story?
The daughter of a sea nymph and the granddaughter of a Titan, Medea is a paradox. She is at once rendered compelling by virtue of the divinity that flows through her bloodline and made powerless by the fact of her being a woman. As a child, she intuitively submerges herself in witchcraft and sorcery but soon finds her skills may not be a match for the prophecies that hang over her entire family like a shroud.
As Medea comes into her own as a woman and a witch, she also faces the arrival of the hero Jason, preordained by the gods to be not only her husband but also her lifeline to escape her isolated existence. Medea travels the treacherous seas with the Argonauts, battles demons she has never imagined, and falls in love with the man who may ultimately be her downfall in this fresh and propulsive "must-have" (Library Journal, starred review) read in which you will finally hear Medea's side of the story through a fresh and feminist lens.
"A must-have for adult collections, especially for readers who want to rethink how so-called monsters are traditionally presented, from a modern feminist viewpoint." —Library Journal (starred review)
"With this complex and involving debut, Quin adds to the growing field of Greek myth retellings from the perspectives of monstrous women, probing here into the life of the filicidal heroine of Euripides's play of the same name […] As Medea's familiar story unfolds, Quin allows for a great degree of moral complexity, but consistent throughout is her devotion to those she loves—including her eventual ill-fated children. Madeline Miller fans should snap this up." —Publishers Weekly
"With rich prose, vivid imagery, and a voice of singular compassion, Eilish Quin tells the story of Medea, a remarkable woman whose lonely childhood and innate curiosity led her down unthinkably catastrophic paths. Quin's telling is clear-eyed but tender, and explores questions of power, sacrifice, and what it means to be a woman in a world ruled by men. A haunting, deeply moving tale that I won't soon forget." —Claire Legrand, New York Times bestselling author of Furyborn
"For centuries Medea has been caricatured as an unnatural mother or treated as a cautionary figure-- Eilish Quin's unflinching novel gives her voice and vividly dramatizes the cost and power of her agonizing choices." —Katharine Beutner, author of Alcestis and Killingly
This information about Medea was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Eilish Quin is a queer writer and artist based in the smog and glamour of Los Angeles with her various cats. She enjoys conversing with plants, watching British crime dramas, photographing lizards, rereading gothic novels, and staring aimlessly into tempestuous bodies of water. Medea is her first novel. Follow her on X @Eilish_Quin or on Instagram @EilishQuin.
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