Another addition to the welcome wave of literature that reimagines myths and legends from Ancient Greece, the brilliant Natalie Haynes’ newest is the heart-breaking tale of Medusa, one of three ‘monstrous Gorgons’ – winged
human females with snakes for hair. Medusa is best-known for two reasons: she had the power to turn people to stone, and was subsequently beheaded by Perseus, who then used her disembodied head as a weapon on his own conquests. Facts like this make you realise just how reductive Greek legend always was towards women – but how exciting the gaps must be to imaginative authors retelling these ancient tales from new perspectives. Such simple questions can explode entire universes: what was the relationship like between Medusa and her sisters, the other Gorgons, safely isolated from the world before Perseus came calling? What would it have felt like to have writhing, sentient snakes for hair? Just how much of a hero was Perseus, anyway? Assaulted, abused and vilified: should Medusa really be remembered as a monster – or does Perseus better deserve that epithet?
Haynes’ prose flows like silk, evocative and sonorous, and feels appropriate for the scale of the stories she seeks to retell. Her ancient gods and humans speak with modern tongues: they exchange side glances when unimpressed; they get embarrassed by their shortcomings and angry when humiliated. The sections featuring Medusa and her two sisters, Euryale and Stheno, are agonisingly emotional: the gentle care these ‘monsters’ take with each other and the young baby abandoned on their shores is deeply affecting, especially the two elder Gorgons’ stumbling attempts to learn to look after a very breakable mortal child. The growing Medusa’s awkward questions about her true origins are hugely relatable for anyone who’s been left in charge of an infant.
Haynes’ Medusa is reshaped by the author’s words: given life, interests and recognisable, relatable connections with those few precious figures in her life – but what happens when a good person becomes a monster? She also re-weaves Perseus as a coward, a man who “always takes short-cuts and gives up when they aren’t available”. Her gods are as flawed as humans: simple, lust-ruled and power-dazzled, who interfere with humans with
erraticism. Haynes’ new interpretation will leave you reeling and wondering why you never questioned this narrative before now.

Thanks to Netgalley and publishers for this eARC of Stone Blind.

I was so looking forward to this Medusa retelling, as I love the Greek mythology that seems to be abundantly being retold these days. I felt like we don't get any from Medusa - hence my eagerness to read this.
Unfortunately this novel isn't exactly a retelling for her as such - I'm not sure why it's pegged as it is.
The story is told by multiple characters from in a POV style, which I absolutely enjoy, it gives more insight into the characters.
Medusa however felt like a side character.
The story itself was enjoyable and the pacing was excellently executed. The other characters show cased themselves well. Over all this was an enjoyable read.

Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes is a retelling of the myth of Medusa and Perseus as he seeks to take the head of the Gorgon. Despite this being a retelling, it felt completely fresh and being told from a new perspective makes the reader think twice about how heroic and brave Perseus truly is. This book challenges us to think about what truly makes a monster (or a hero) and how quick we are to judge based on very little fact. I thoroughly enjoyed this book from start to finish, despite finding it incredibly sad and difficult to read in places due to the treatment of Medusa. I loved the Gorgon sisters and could really feel the love they shared with each other; I was heartbroken for them all when Athene took her revenge on Medusa.

This is an incredibly well written book, with several strands of the story from different chapters weaving together to tell the overall story. I highly recommend this to anyone who loves historical fiction and mythology. Thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for a digital copy for review.

Fantastic book. Would've liked to have seen more of Medusa, though. She felt like a side character at times. Still highly recommended.

Medusa is the only mortal in a family of gods. Growing up with her sisters, she quickly realizes that she is the only one who gets older, experiences change, feels weakness. Her mortal lifespan gives her an urgency that her family will never know.

When the sea god, Poseidon, commits an unforgivable act in her sacred temple the goddess, Athene, takes her revenge on an innocent - and Medusa’s life is changed forever. Appalled by her own reflection: snakes have replaced her hair and she realises that her gaze can now turn any living creature to stone. Medusa can no longer look upon anyone she loves without destroying them, and so condemns herself to a life lived in shadow and solitude to limit her murderous rage.

The title state's that this is 'Medusa's story' and this precisely why I can only afford this a four instead of a full five-star rating.

I want to state that I did adore my time within this book. Medusa's story was one I knew before beginning this. However, this, I believe, faithful mythological retelling exposed many facts that were previously unknown to me. I also found that the characters felt real, the myriad of gods were easy to differentiate, the repeated traumas intimately felt, the horrors sympathetically handled, and the storyline exciting, varied, tense, and well-plotted.

The error for me lies only in Medusa being so infrequently featured throughout this. The entire story, even when not focusing directly on her, was her own, and so this tale was narrated by her character. However, the exposure to her person was far briefer than anticipated and instead remained on the many others who featured in her downfall. I did not imagine this would be so and anticipated this to be Medusa's story, told by her, about her, and for her. It was a brilliant retelling but with a focus similar to so many other retellings, as well as the original, where Medusa feels like a side-character in her own story.

What a fantastic book, it had me gripped from the very first page. Natalie really brings the past to life in a most interesting way. Her narrative takes you from being a reader to a participant without you noticing until you emerge from the end of the book. This book blows away the preconceptions the reader may have had about Medusa, her sisters and the other gods. I have read a couple of Natalie's books but this is far and away my favourite.

Prepare to whisked to ancient Greece from the second you open the book. Its one heck of a ride.

Stone Blind sits amongst a plethora of recent novels dealing with Greek myths with a spotlight on the often misunderstood female protagonists. Stone Blind details the life of Medusa as she grows with her Gorgon sisters into a young woman who is then abused by Poseidon and ultimately beheaded by Perseus. Haynes illuminates the petty power struggles of the Gods and their blatant disregard towards the mortals that they oversee.
Nicely written, Stone Blind is a good read for anyone interested in this oeuvre.

The recent surge in authors rewriting the Greek myths has provided another such novel in Natalie Hayes’ Stone Blind. She rewrites the story of Perseus and Medusa to question whether the former is really the hero he is usually portrayed as. While this is interesting and funny, it felt like Hayes lacked material - she broadens her lens to include events like the birth of Athena. Short chapters mean we frequently change narrator and this removes any emotional charge. Retelling such a well known story also means any suspense is lost as we know Medusa’s fate before starting the novel. I really enjoyed Hayes’ previous novel about the Trojan Wars, but perhaps it’s time for publishers to look beyond the Greek myths. I appreciate the attempts to recentre women but, as Hayes’ narrators explain themselves, this is a world where gods punish women for being raped by other gods - and it’s very hard to turn this into a feminist narrative. I’d give this book three and a half stars.

Honestly, I was so disappointed with this book. The description is rather misleading and instead of getting Medusa’s story, I got pretty much every other Greek god, goddess, and side character’s story with a handful of chapters about Medusa instead, most of which were told from a different POV other than her own.
I have read other Medusa retellings that have actually delivered a story I was looking for; that being the actual story of Medusa.
This book was far more Athene’s or Perseus’ story.
Perseus was the most infuriating character in this story; he spends half the time crying over pathetic problems and the rest killing anyone who mildly offends him.
Bonus points of rage must go to the chapters where Poseidon spends what seemed like 10 pages complaining how he must look like a beached seal and the 20 odd pages from an olive grove’s POV, that I’m pretty sure still had more plot coverage than Medusa.
It was a bore to get through this book and I only persevered because I am not someone who can bring myself to DNF.

I don't think Natalie Haynes should have subtitled this book as Medusa's story as readers will be disappointed as it is a much more expansive tale than just Medusa's backstory, encompassing numerous gods and beings. The story is told not only by Medusa but by multiple narrators in a "POV" style. A device that I think has been vastly over used by authors for the past decade. I also though a lot of the story telling was a bit heavy handed and the pacing was uneven. The narrative felt curiously dull and flat for me. It was okay but didn't spark for me in the same way as Circe by Madeline Miller did a few years ago.

“Why would anyone love a monster?” asked Perseus.
“Who are you to decide who is worthy of love?

Firstly, I will start by saying my absolute favourite myth is that of Medusa, so I was EXSTATIC to see Natalie Haynes was writing her own take on it!

'Stone Blind' is the tale of Medusa, starting from when she is born of Ceto and Phorcys and left on a beach as a task to her immortal sisters, the Gorgons, Sthenno and Euryale to her growing as a curious mortal with so much love to give, to the twisted involvement of gods in her life and her overall fate.

My favourite part of the entire story was the relationship between Medusa and her sisters, Haynes gives such life to both Sthenno and Euryale and you can really appreciate the love that grows between them all. The book itself, although about Medusa - isn't REALLY about Medusa, it's also about the gods and Perseus and really everyone who has an ounce of impact on Medusas fate and this is all told through multiple character perspectives such a Andromeda, Athene, Perseus etc.

Personally I didn't mind the multiple POVs throughout the book as it helps you further understand how and WHY things play out the way they do, but I would have loved for so so SO much more of Medusa as I felt that she was almost a minor character in her own story?

The writing throughout was beautiful and immersive and you really learned so much about the famous Greek mythological tales without it being a dry read which can often sometimes be the case, instead it was fun and enjoyable from the get go.

Overall, I very much enjoyed the book and Haynes depiction of Medusa's tale and she is a wonderful voice in the Greek mythology retellings and I can't wait to see what she goes with next!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review...did I go ahead and pre order it anyway? yes. yes I did.

Over the last few years, I’ve really got into Greek mythology, and along with it, many of the popular ‘retelling’ of various myths and stories from the genre.

In Stone Blind, Natalie Haynes has recreated the story of Medusa.

We all know Medusa right? Crazy lady with snakes for hair, turns people to stone for looking at her wrong..
But what if that isn’t the real Medusa?
Why is she such a monster?

Natalie Haynes takes us down that path..we find out about Medusa’s history, how she became that monster, why she was hunted by Perseus, and how their stories weave into the wider world, and very intricate web of Greek Mythology.

The ‘real’ story is heartbreaking, full of betrayal and sorrow.
I want to read it again!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this copy in exchange for an honest review.

Absolutely loved this!

Medusa is my girl and Natalie Haynes did a brilliant job.
Such a fantastic read for any Medusa or Greek mythology fans

This is an entertaining retelling of the Medusa myth, reframing the story we all think we know (heroic Perseus slays monstrous Gorgon) into something very different.

Medusa's story is, of course, a full-on tragedy but Haynes keeps the tone light with humorous interludes showing the childishness of the gods.

I particularly enjoyed the chapters outlining Medusa's relationship with her sisters (I wanted to know a bit more about what happened to them after the climax), and the petty infighting on Olympus, which was reminiscent of modern day global, local, or even office(!), politics.

As others have pointed out, the book is about much more than Medusa. On occasions, this is a strength, as the stories of Athene and others are such fun. But at other times I felt like the focus could have been narrowed a little and more time spent with Medusa.

The continued breaking of the 4th wall to remind us what an asshole Perseus is was a bit tiring. We already know this from his actions and from multiple characters pointing out his cowardice, stupidity and hubris.

This book has fleshed out my knowledge of Greek myths, which I love, and also offered both drama and humour. However, I never felt close enough to any of the protagonists to really feel a huge amount of emotion.

At this point feminist retellings of the Greek myths are their own genre, but it’s a surprisingly difficult one to get right. At its best (Pat Barker’s The Women of Troy is one favourite), it can be terrifically powerful to combine the narrative force of the classics with the psychological depth of more modern character-building, and the contextualisation of social critique. When less successful, it can feel like fan fiction.

Unfortunately Haynes’ books always feel like the latter to me (a fact I evidently forgot when I picked up this book). Stone Blind was promising, a sympathetic retelling of Medusa’s tragic life - a mortal abandoned to be cared for by her immortal gorgon sisters, raped by Poseidon, then beheaded by a son of Zeus. Haynes uses the story to interrogate who the ‘monsters’ here really are, and the indignity of a girl’s senseless death at the hands of a man undeservingly preordained to greatness. The book shows up Olympus for their irrationality, capriciousness, and callousness - the way it’s described, it could be Boris Johnson’s cabinet with Zeus as an egotistical powerful fool (Johnson himself), Athena as his spiteful implementer (Patel), Hermes as one of the bored deputies (Raab?), and Poseidon as his arch frenemy (Sunak).

Yet none of this feels that new or that convincing, and the book has a tendency towards being heavy handed. I found A Thousand Ships similarly enticing in theory, but disappointing in execution - the writing falling short of the story.

'So to mortal men, we are monsters. Because of our flight, our strength. They fear us, so they call us monsters.’

My thanks to Pan Macmillan Mantle for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Stone Blind: Medusa’s Story’ by Natalie Haynes.

I have been anticipating this novel since it was first announced as I was excited to see how Natalie Haynes would portray Medusa, who suffers a cruel fate due to the capricious nature of the Greek gods.

Medusa and her sisters, Sthenno and Euryale, are Gorgans, daughters of sea gods Ceto and Phorcys. Of the three, only Medusa is mortal, aware that she is the only one who gets older and experiences change. Unfortunately she attracts the attentions of Poseidon, who violates her in the sacred temple of Athene.

The goddess takes her revenge on the innocent Medusa, changing her life forever. Her hair is replaced by snakes and her gaze can turn any living thing to stone. The gentle girl is horrified by her new power and condemns herself to live in shadow and solitude.

Meanwhile, years previously Zeus up to his usual antics had fathered Perseus. Later when Perseus is grown, his mother, Danaë, is being forced into an unwanted marriage. In order to prevent this Perseus must undertake a quest to fetch the head of a Gorgon . . .elsewhere the Princess Andromeda has her own problems when her vain mother boasts of her daughter’s beauty and seriously upsets a goddess.

Haynes has said more than once how Ray Harryhausen’s ‘Clash of the Titans’ inspired her. It was an important film for me as well and so I was pleased with her imaginative retelling.

Haynes weaves various other Greek myths into the story. Athene plays an important role throughout, including being ordered by Zeus to join up with Hermes to assist Perseus in his quest. While the central story of Medusa is undoubtedly tragic, Haynes manages to provide comic moments throughout.

Her portrayal of Perseus was savage as rather than a fearless hero, he is spoilt and hopeless, bumbling his way through the quest. Athene and Hermes are always close by providing snarky comments. They are clearly not keen on having to babysit Zeus’ by-blow.

The narrative switches often between various viewpoints; including a chapter in which Medusa’s snakes speak as a chorus; while in others a chatty crow and a grove of olive trees contribute to the story. It is a brilliant, entertaining tale.

I simply loved ‘Stone Blind’. Natalie Haynes’ storytelling skills are outstanding and she writes so beautifully. I felt that her portrayal of Medusa and her sister Gorgans was just amazing, bringing a fresh perspective to these timeless myths.

Highly recommended.

Having read and enjoyed Hayne's Pandoras Jar, I was beyond excited to receive this as an ARC. I have a passion for classical mythology, and it pains me the way that Medusa is commonly portrayed.

But Haynes' has worked her magic and produced a captivating, emotional and refreshing re-telling of the Medusa myth - more authentic than many of the more recent interpretations of the past 100 years. Even the way that Haynes' has captured the individual personalities of the Olympian Gods, matches exactly how I would expect them to be and brings them to life in an unexpected but fabulous way.

Perfect for fans of Circe, I would recommend this to just about everyone. For me, it's pretty close to perfection.

Stone Blind is the story of Medusa with other. Greek myths interwoven and mostly told from females point of view.
The Gorgons acquire a baby sister - Medusa from their sea creature parents. They bring their sister up as if she is their own - although she is much prettier, seems to have no powers and doesn't look much like a monster at all..

It is quite well known that some of the Greek gods including Zeus and Poseidon in many previous stories force themselves upon females and in this book we read some quite horrific things with Medusa and others where they are then punished for the things that the male gods have done to them- Athene is also quite brutal in this story, she kills people and skins giants in wars. She is vengeful and cruel and always blaming women for what men do.

We also hear from Danea, who is locked up at her fathers demands as an oracle has told him his daughters son would kills him and I was interested to find out how this myth unfolded. Would this be true?

Cassiope and her daughter Andromeda are obsessed with beauty and status but when her parents try to make their daughter marry her old ugly uncle can she escape their plan?

I enjoyed reading this book. I found it so interesting to read from different female perspectives. It was funny in lots of parts and I loved some of the conversations that were had between the characters making me laugh out loud on occasions . However at the same time I also found the book to be quite sad in parts as it seems women were the ones always getting hurt. At last they have more of a voice with this re-telling.

I will be recommending to others and looking out for more from this author!

Tried to read this book but sadly not for me , however I am sure others will enjoy it, thought I would give this book a try as it’s not my usual genre