Wrath goddess sing

First Title Value for Searching:

Wrath goddess sing

Personal Author:

Deane, Maya, 1985-

Edition:

First edition.

Physical Description:

449 pages ; 24 cm.

Genre:

Mythological fiction.

Summary:

"The gods wanted blood. She fought for love. Achilles has fled her home and her vicious Myrmidon clan to live as a woman with the kallai, the transgender priestesses of Great Mother Aphrodite. When Odysseus comes to recruit the "prince" Achilles for a war against the Hittites, she prepares to die rather than fight as a man. However, her divine mother, Athena, intervenes, transforming her body into the woman's body she always longed for, and promises her everything: glory, power, fame, victory in war, and, most importantly, a child born of her own body. Reunited with her beloved cousin, Patroklos, and his brilliant wife, the sorceress Meryapi, Achilles sets out to war with a vengeance. But the gods-a dysfunctional family of abusive immortals that have glutted on human sacrifices for centuries-have woven ancient schemes more blood-soaked and nightmarish than Achilles can imagine. At the center of it all is the cruel, immortal Helen, who sees Achilles as a worthy enemy after millennia of ennui and emptiness. In love with her newfound nemesis, Helen sets out to destroy everything and everyone Achilles cherishes, seeking a battle to the death. An innovative spin on a familiar tale, this is the Trojan War unlike anything ever told, and an Achilles whose vulnerability is revealed by the people she chooses to fight...and chooses to trust"--

Subject Term:

Trojan War -- Fiction.

Transgender people -- Fiction.

Publication Info:

New York, NY : William Morrow, [2022]

Subject:

Trojan War -- Fiction.

Transgender people -- Fiction.

Mythological fiction.

Achilles (Mythological character) -- Fiction.

Achìe (Mythological character)

Achilas (Mythological character)

Achille (Mythological character)

Achilleus (Mythological character)

Achilli (Mythological character)

Ahil (Mythological character)

Ahile (Mythological character)

Ahilej (Mythological character)

Ahillejs (Mythological character)

Aĥilo (Mythological character)

Aichill (Mythological character)

Akhilles (Mythological character)

Akhilleus (Mythological character)

Akhilleusz (Mythological character)

Akiles (Mythological character)

Akili (Mythological character)

Akille (Mythological character)

Akilles (Mythological character)

Akkilles (Mythological character)

Aquiles (Mythological character)

Aquilles (Mythological character)

Axill (Mythological character)

Axilles (Mythological character)

Ἀχιλλεύς (Mythological character)

آخيل (Mythological character)

アキレウス (Mythological character)

Akireusu (Mythological character)

아킬레우스 (Mythological character)

阿喀琉斯 (Mythological character)

Ахіл (Mythological character)

Ахил (Mythological character)

Ахилл (Mythological character)

Akhill (Mythological character)

Ахіллес (Mythological character)

אכילס (Mythological character)

Akhiles (Mythological character)

TG people

TGs (Transgender people)

Trans-identified people

Trans people

Transgender-identified people

Transgendered people

Transgenders

Transpeople

SAILS ISBN:

9780063161184

Available:

Library	Shelf Number	Shelf Location	Status
Searching... Foxboro - Boyden Library	SF DEANE	SCIENCE FICTION	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Pembroke Public Library	FIC DEANE, M.	FICTION	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Rehoboth - Blanding Free PL	FIC DEANE, M.	FICTION	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Somerset Public Library	DEANE MAYA	FICTION	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Taunton Public Library	DEANE, MAYA	1ST FLOOR STACKS	Searching... Unknown

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

"Deane's tour de force debut ...brings the familiar story to fresh, vivid, and unforgettable new life." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Drawing on ancient texts and modern archeology to reveal the trans woman's story hidden underneath the well-known myths of The Iliad, Maya Deane's Wrath Goddess Sing weaves a compelling, pitilessly beautiful vision of Achilles' vanished world, perfect for fans of Song of Achilles, The Witch's Heart, and the Inheritance trilogy.

The gods wanted blood. She fought for love.

Achilles has fled her home and her vicious Myrmidon clan to live as a woman with the kallai, the transgender priestesses of Great Mother Aphrodite. When Odysseus comes to recruit the "prince" Achilles for a war against the Hittites, she prepares to die rather than fight as a man. However, her divine mother, Athena, intervenes, transforming her body into the woman's body she always longed for, and promises her everything: glory, power, fame, victory in war, and, most importantly, a child born of her own body. Reunited with her beloved cousin, Patroklos, and his brilliant wife, the sorceress Meryapi, Achilles sets out to war with a vengeance.

But the gods--a dysfunctional family of abusive immortals that have glutted on human sacrifices for centuries--have woven ancient schemes more blood-soaked and nightmarish than Achilles can imagine. At the center of it all is the cruel, immortal Helen, who sees Achilles as a worthy enemy after millennia of ennui and emptiness. In love with her newfound nemesis, Helen sets out to destroy everything and everyone Achilles cherishes, seeking a battle to the death.

An innovative spin on a familiar tale, this is the Trojan War unlike anything ever told, and an Achilles whose vulnerability is revealed by the people she chooses to fight...and chooses to trust.

Reviews (2)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Deane's tour de force debut gives The Iliad the beating heart of a legendary warrior. Alaksandu the Hittite prince has stolen Helen, the wife of King Menelaos, using magic, and it's prophesied that only Achilles, the transgender demigod daughter of Athena, can defeat him. But Achilles is hiding on Skyros, transitioning using herbal medicines, and doesn't want to abandon her only chance at staving off her natural puberty. To convince her to go with King Agamemnon to win Helen back, Athena comes to Achilles and grants her the body she's always prayed for. But Helen is more than mortal and certainly not the passive prize the Greeks have painted her. Soon, Achilles is enmeshed in a web of godly plots and counterplots, searching for a set of ancient magical weapons powerful enough to defeat Zeus himself before he can wipe the world clean. Deane's narrative soars: epic in scope without ever growing tedious, with a huge supporting cast (including many wonderful LGBTQ characters) that readers will have no trouble keeping straight due to their beautifully shaded personalities. Add in massive battle scenes, meddling gods, and all the cultures of the ancient Mediterranean, and the result brings the familiar story to fresh, vivid, and unforgettable new life. Agent: Jason Yarn, Jason Yarn Literary. (June)

Kirkus Review

A retelling of the Iliad featuring an Achilles who's a trans woman. Finding an elasticity in the story of the Iliad, Deane pits Achilles against Helen of Troy in the Trojan War. The book begins with Achilles hiding in Skyros with the princess Deidamia. Under Deidamia's tutelage, and using special herbs, Achilles is transitioning from a male body to her true female self. Athena intervenes and transforms Achilles completely into her ideal female body so she can feel fulfilled in her real identity. Athena also grants Achilles' greatest desire--to have a child--by forging a womb in her center. The book holds close to the story of the Iliad in broad strokes but attempts to deliver a parallel journey for Achilles as she transitions and then explores the world of war while questioning what it means to be a woman and a man. Achilles thinks, "Once, her violent impulses had horrified her, evidence of a manhood that would inevitably consume everything she loved about herself. But on her journey to Skyros and here on the island, she had met her share of violent women and knew better." Despite knowing better, when Achilles arrives at the battlefield and attempts to rescue Helen, she's caught off guard by the realization that Helen is not a damsel in distress but a megalomaniac, thrilled by her effect on the armies who fight one another with her name on their lips. Helen does not desire a quick end to war. She is also vicious about Achilles' identity, saying, "Here's an idea: when you die, I will erase you from history. I will make it so you were never a woman. Everyone will remember you as a man." This book is Achilles' fevered journey from womanhood to childbirth to death. The premise of the parallel journeys is effectively handled and integrated into the Homeric epic. This fresh perspective is valuable even if the swashbuckling style of the prose lands a little heavily on the page. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.