The Golden Fleece: And the Heroes Who Lived Before Achilles ANNOTATION
Describes the cycle of myths about the Argonauts and the quest for the Golden Fleece, as well as the tales of the Creation of Heaven and Earth, the labors of Hercules, Theseus and the Minotaur, etc.
FROM THE PUBLISHER
Follow the strange and wondrous adventure of Jason and his Argonauts - through uncharted waters where clashing rocks dash the sea, to shores where harpies with wings of birds and heads of women torment poor mortals. Listen to the songs of the Argonaut Orpheus, songs of the creation of Heaven and Earth, Zeus's battle with the Titans, Pandora and her jar of troubles, Persephone in the Underworld, and the great labors of Hercules.
FROM THE CRITICS
Children's Literature - Carol Raker Collins, Ph.D.
Reader, prepare yourself for storytelling at a slower pace. In Colum's book, language mimics the epics in its formality of style with a sprinkling of grand similes, while the book's intricate structure is original. Jason's episodic heroic voyage provides the framework of stories within stories. Jason's acceptance of the challenge by his usurper-uncle to bring back the Golden Fleece begins the central plot. The building of the Argo, the roundup of heroes and half-divines, like Heracles, Theseus, Castor and Polydeuces, Atalanta, and Orpheus, sets up the plot and characters. Jason falls for Queen Hypsipyle on the women's Island of Lemnos, where the Argonauts nearly forget about their mission. But once in Colchis, Jason is again focused on his task, which he accomplishes with the help of the sorceress Medea. By the end of the book, Jason has returned to Iolkus and claimed his throne, but Medea has disobeyed the gods and turned Jason to another woman, whom Medea kills. Such plot twists are commonplace in this mythic world of Demeter and Persephone, Pandora and her jar, Prometheus and the vulture, Perseus and the Gorgon, Theseus and the Minotaur, Orpheus and Eurydice, and the labors of Heracles. The creation of Heaven and Earth and of the many races of men, as well as the story of Achilles' parents, are here. The Battle of the Frogs and Mice, probably the author's own mock-heroic addition, is another amusing interlude. The illustrations are simple but effective. There are some copyediting errors. 2004 (orig. 1921), Aladdin Paperbacks/Simon & Schuster, and Ages 10 up.
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