Say Cheese Medusa

In Greek mythology, Medusa was a Gorgon a winged monster with snakes for hair. Anyone who looked at her was instantly turned to stone. But she wasn't born that way. Not even close. Athena was so jealous of Medusa's beauty that she cursed her. Zeus changed the story to make his son, Perseus, look good. Hades is here to set the record straight on Perseus, Medusa, and everything in between.

Puts a modern and humorous spin on the Greek myth of Medusa and Perseus, in which Perseus slays Medusa in her sleep before she can turn him to stone.

Think you know the real story behind the Greek myths? Think again. Most people only know what Zeus wants them to. But the truth is, Zeus is a total myth-o-maniac. Hades, King of the Underworld, is here to set the record straight on how he ended up as Ruler of the Underworld and Zeus became King of the Gods.

In this modern version of the Greek myth, Persephone asks Hades for a ride to escape her overprotective mother, sneaks into the Underworld, and refuses to leave.

Zeus's version of the Theseus myth is totally fabricated! Theseus went into the labyrinth all right, but the only thing he did in there was get lost. He never killed the Minotaur. Zeus made the whole thing up so everyone would think the Minotaur was gone for good. Hades, King of the Underworld, sets the record straight on the story of Theseus and the Minotaur.

The story about Pandora opening a box and releasing terrible evils into the world? Totally made up! Pandora couldn't have cared less about what was in that box. The one who was really dying to know was Zeus. Zeus gave Pandora a box alright. A box full of really nasty items. But disease? Pain? Greed? No way. Hades, King of the Underworld, reveals the true story behind the Pandora myth.

The story about the handsome Greek god Cupid and how he met Psyche? Just another lie from that myth-o-maniac Zeus! The truth is, when Cupid met Psyche he was a gawky teen god with bad skin and braces. Psyche was so beautiful, Cupid was scared to even approach her. Instead, he and Zeus cooked up a plan to kidnap Psyche. Hades, King of the Underworld, is here to shine some light on what really happened.

A ravishing, luminous selection of short stories from the prize-winning imagination of A. S. Byatt, "a storyteller who could keep a sultan on the edge of his throne for a thousand and one nights" (The New York Times Book Review). With an introduction by David Mitchell, best-selling author of Cloud Atlas Mirrors shatter at the hairdresser's when a middle-aged client explodes in rage. Snow dusts the warm body of a princess, honing it into something sharp and frosted. Summer sunshine flickers on the face of a smiling child who may or may not be real. Medusa's Ankles celebrates the very best of A. S. Byatt's short fiction, carefully selected from a lifetime of writing. Peopled by artists, poets, and fabulous creatures, the stories blaze with creativity and color. From ancient myth to a British candy factory, from a Chinese restaurant to a Mediterranean swimming pool, from a Turkish bazaar to a fairy-tale palace, Byatt transports her readers beyond the veneer of the ordinary—even beyond the gloss of the fantastical—to places rich and strange and wholly unforgettable.