Atalanta
A Novel
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5.0 • 1 Rating
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- $16.99
Publisher Description
From the beloved, bestselling author of Elektra and Ariadne, a reimagining of the myth of Atalanta, a fierce huntress raised by bears and the only woman in the world’s most famous band of heroes, the Argonauts
Princess, Warrior, Lover, Hero
When Princess Atalanta is born, a daughter rather than the son her parents hoped for, she is left on a mountainside to die. But even then, she is a survivor. Raised by a mother bear under the protective eye of the goddess Artemis, Atalanta grows up wild and free, with just one condition: if she marries, Artemis warns, it will be her undoing.
Although she loves her beautiful forest home, Atalanta yearns for adventure. When Artemis offers her the chance to fight in her name alongside the Argonauts, the fiercest band of warriors the world has ever seen, Atalanta seizes it. The Argonauts' quest for the Golden Fleece is filled with impossible challenges, but Atalanta proves herself equal to the men she fights alongside. As she is swept into a passionate affair, in defiance of Artemis's warning, she begins to question the goddess's true intentions. Can Atalanta carve out her own legendary place in a world of men, while staying true to her heart?
Full of joy, passion, and adventure, Atalanta is the story of a woman who refuses to be contained. Jennifer Saint places Atalanta in the pantheon of the greatest heroes in Greek mythology, where she belongs.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Saint (Elektra) continues to breathe new life into Greek myths in this exciting and intelligent reimagining of the story of warrior Atalanta. After Atalanta's father, a Greek king, abandons her as an infant to die on a mountainside, she's rescued by a bear and later comes under the protection of Artemis, goddess of hunting, who raises her among nymphs and orders her to fend off men. When Greek hero Jason begins gathering Greece's greatest warriors to join his quest for the Golden Fleece, Artemis chooses Atalanta, who's honed her skills at archery, as her representative on the Argonauts. On her way to join the crew, she encounters Meleager, a king's son, who's also en route to join up. She overcomes skepticism from her comrades and proves her worth on the perilous journey as they battle monsters, six-armed giants, and hostile soldiers. Readers familiar with the original will appreciate Saint's thoughtful creation of an inner life for her protagonist, who struggles to reconcile her chaste upbringing with the passions Meleager inspires. For readers who can't get enough of feminist retellings, this will more than do the trick.
