anOther Mythology by Maxwell I. Gold

If you haven’t gotten on the Maxwell I. Gold train yet, I don’t know what you are doing with your reading life.

In anOther Mythology (that title is so gotdamn clever and you will understand it once you read the book, I promise) the reader is taken on a journey of the character’s self-discovery of being more than a mortal amongst Gods, and really, the reader does to.

This is not to be read quietly and to yourself, you need to read each word aloud, forcing the words to come alive in the universe. I’m serious. I read this to my six year old for bedtime and she was captivated. The way Gold conjures images in the readers mind and they dance off your tongue with each word… remarkable.

Want proof? Here are some of my favorite lines:

“Fear, the leathery serpent-boy who slunk across the dark musty innards betwixt star and broken dreams of the universe, danced atop crumbs of dread, forever smeared beneath him.” (Say those words aloud and tell me I’m wrong!)

“Doomed to care for these wild unfortunates who glide through His lips, His sloppy seconds.”

“…granite eyes peering into my soul where he found the missing piece of his metal heart.”

Gold stuns my literary heart AND mind every time I read the newest release. I’m a fangirl through and through.

An OFF THE CHARTS, DOUBLE RECOMMENDATION 20/5.

Although I thought this poetry collection was a rather creative approach to reimagining Greek Mythology, I felt that the poems should have been more concrete character-wise; in trying to emulate depth, it occasionally came across as shallow instead.

Despite that, I still enjoyed the inclusion of queerness and horror elements, which at least gave this collection its uniqueness.

While not something truly outstanding, it's still rather bold and original.

I think I'm gonna need to read through this one again, because I don't think I understood it properly, and my raiting may change afterwards, but for now

This was beautiful prose, the creation of a new mythos while taking from the old, weaving short but beautiful scenes and images that kept my attention
i just wish that these new stories had names, if a new mythology is what the author wanted to create. It is far easier to remember and dream of the stories of Persephone, Medusa, Apollo and the likes and relate to their troubles when they are recurring names that you can put an image to. These stories didn't have that, the characters more concepts than anything else, which is nice in its own way, but not something I'd wish of a mythology

As a massive mythology nerd especially Greek mythology I was instantly pulled into this. It was a quick read of poems perfect for a quiet evening, if you want something to devour in a night pick this up. There’s a few poems I had to ask my partner which legend it was but for the most part they were pretty easy to pick out if you know your mythology.

The horror elements mixed with the Greek queer thoughts was exactly what you’ll get out of this book of poems…
Phobos Oneiroi: Into the Mouth of Fear and The Tree of Other (The Other Tree) were my two favorite poems, and highlighted so many more.

Maxwell I. Gold queers familiar Greek myths in this book of poetry and short prose. There's a lot to like: placing the myths in an intersectional framework, Gold is able to create new takes on old tales, spin ideas and words into modern contexts, and offer clever interpretations. There were also a few times when the writing felt lazy and superficial, and having read what Gold could do, those spots were disappointing. But overall this is a nice entry into the re-tellings and sequels category for myth, which seems to be a perennial reader favorite.

anOther Mythology is a queer reimagining of Greek Myths told through prose poetry. It blends intricate imagery of such Greek prose with a queer twist.

I had a mixed review on some of the work, as a lover of all things Greek Mythology, I was really excited to dive into this collection. Like most collections, some pages hit while others left me wanting more.

Some of the poems I enjoyed were:

I Am Death (Thanatos' Arrogance)
I Am Dead (Hades' Plea)
Across the Seas, Into the Desert I'd Have You Again
Drag, Queen of the Underworld
Hetero Never-After

While I enjoyed the new perspective on Greek mythology told through a queer lens, I felt that there was something missing throughout the collection. In a way, I wish the poetry did have a more modern link but that could just be a personal preference more than anything. It wasn't a collection that stood out to me in a huge way but it was overall an enjoyable read.

Thank you so much to Interstellar Flight Press for an eArc in exchange for my honest review.

My thanks to Interstellar Flight Press for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘anOther Mythology Poems’ by Maxwell I. Gold.

This short book of prose poetry reimagines a number of Greek myths from a queer perspective.

In the Author’s Note Gold states that he wanted to challenge the ‘heteronormative worldview’ of the old myths. “We’ve read all the stories and seen them through their lens. I wanted to reshape that lens. No, I wanted to completely break it, because it didn’t matter how we as queer people were seen, but it mattered more how we saw ourselves.”

As I am not queer I am not really in a position to judge how well this brief was met though I found Gold’s stream-of-consciousness poems easy to follow and rich in terms of imagery.

I especially enjoyed the Underworld poems including ‘I am Dead (Hades’ Plea)’, ‘Anti-Orpheus: the Music of Death’, ‘Graveyard of the Gods’, and ‘Drag, Queen of the Underworld’.

Overall, while I enjoyed ‘anOther Mythology’ it felt a very personal collection rather than one that particularly spoke to me. Other readers will likely have different experiences.

In addition, I continue to appreciate Interstellar Flight Press’ commitment to publishing poetry that encompasses mythology, horror, science fiction and fantasy themes.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

2.5/5 Stars

Positives:
The poetry is beautifully descriptive and the language is evocative. The reimaginings in the context of LGBTQ+ and other historically oppressed communities are touching. It was easy to read and didn't take that long.

Negatives:
While the source material is deeply present in the poetry, it felt like with some of the works the connection to the modern is lost. Instead of recontextualizing the original story in the context of modern society, it felt like the poem just described the original story with a more flowery language. Some of the poems were understandable, but for a lot of them, it felt like I was having to dig out meaning between unnecessary fluff.

This was an okay poetry book. It didn't stand out to me in terms of impact, but I did appreciate the intention. I would recommend this for LGBTQ+ people who love mythology and people who are willing to put in the work to understand poetry.

NetGalley ARC Educator 550974


As a lover of mythology and poetry, I loved this tome. It was simply amazing. Some parts may soar over the heads of some, like Icarus chasing the sun. While others captivate you as Zeus captivates the fair maidens. Have fun reading this, I did.

Exquisite!

Going to buy a physical copy of this as well.

This was a great take on classic mythological characters that showed a new side to their lives and stories while relating it to modern day issues.

"How I longed for his touch, but too heavy was the music of darksome lullabies which pulled down the stars themselves into loathsome, blissful oblivion."

anOther Mythology is a short poetry collection of Queer Mythological Horror. It gives new insight into the Greek Mythos we all know. The complex character building and beautiful language is full of meaningful metaphors that leave your jaw on the floor wondering how Gold can describe emotions and feelings in a way you never thought imaginable.

I will warn you that if you don’t have any background knowledge in Greek Mythology this might not be for you. I was doing A LOT of Googling, but I got there and once I did I was sucked into an eerie, beautiful world.
 
Some of the pieces that stuck out to me were:
Across the Seas, Into the Desert I’d Have You Again
Phobos Oneiroi: Into the Mouth of Fear
Blood and Flowers: Saffron Nightmares

This was a fast read that was heart-wrenching, but left me feeling hopeful. I’m looking forward to reading more from Gold in the future.

aNother Mythology is a short little book blending various mythology in prose poetry into a much less heteronormative viewpoint. It's not always easy to tell but that's not really a detriment - why should anyone assume the default POV is cishet?

It's a little Advanced Mythology, but that also is not a bad thing - it's just more to learn when things are unfamiliar or forgotten. There's some really good lines in here, even in the Afterword, and I definitely will be thinking about Endymion as a twink from hereon out.

Thank you to Interstellar Flight Press and NetGalley for the free borrow in exchange for this honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC copy of Golds anOther Mythology in exchange for an honest review. Beautiful. Beautiful, beautiful, Beautiful. Gold spins the tales in the most indescribable of ways. As a queer person utterly obsessed since youth with Greek Mythology and Poetry, I feel seen, I feel elevated, I feel overjoyed at the magnificence with which Maxwell J. Gold paints the stories we think we know, as well as those we do not. The creative liberties he takes add to their delectable passion and his word choice and metaphors are exemplary.

Really gorgeous poetry with a bit of snark tucked in. What is mythology for if not to remake it on our own image as time and the world change around us. Stories are forever but, as Gold points out, and oral tradition upholds, that doesn’t mean it’s chiseled in stone.

What can I say about this! I am a massive mythology nerd and honestly love reading anything related to the greek / roman or any other mythology / legends. So finding this, was amazing. I devoured this in a day

This just wasn't for me, I DNFed the book at 30%. Poems are written in quite a complicated manner, very prose-like, and I feel like you must know a lot about mythology beforehand, which I don't, and therefore I didn't really understand any of the poems. The words and metaphors do conjure up beautiful imagery and all the personifications are interesting to read about, but I'd recommend this book only to people who already dabble in Greek mythology and are fans of this kind of advanced poetry.

This wasn't what I was expecting, but it was inciteful, especially the authors note about representing queer people through the old tales of Greek Haitian and others.

I'll admit that I was drawn in by mythology. I'm not typically a poetry person, but the idea that there would be different poems related to different myths intrigued me.

It took me awhile to get through even though it is quite short. I don't particularly hate it, I would just say that perhaps it's not for me. Someone who likes both poetry and mythology would get more enjoyment out of it.

I got an ARC of this book.

I just 100% did not get it. I was promised scary and queer, but all I got was Greek mythology (which yes is very queer, but not in a way I enjoy). I don't like Greek mythology so I know I missed a ton of the references, but the mythology I know just didn't really come into things. It just felt like generic poetry and that is not for me.

If you are super into mythology, this may be a better fit for you. If you are like me and hate magic and mythology then might be best to avoid.

Maxwell I. Gold's poetry collection, anOther Mythology, was well written and engaging. I really enjoyed the prose throughout the collection and the originality around the collection as a whole. I don’t have a lot of knowledge in Greek mythology, but I still enjoyed the collection; however, I wouldn’t recommend it to someone who doesn’t have a lot of knowledge on Greek mythology. There are some really good lines throughout the book. For example, one of my favorites is, “I’d cross the seas, traverse the cosmic sands if it meant I’d hold you again." This collection would be perfect for annotating! I definitely want to revisit this collection in the future once I study more about Greek Mythology, which this book is perfect in selecting what to study first. Well, at least for me, because I want to focus on queerness in mythology. I highly recommend this collection!

Thank you to Net Galley, the author, and the publishers, for granting me access to an arc of this wonderful book in exchange for an honest review.