Corydon & the Island of Monsters

Corydon, the lead character begins this tale as a humble goat herder run out of his native village (the mob included his own mother) as a Pharmakos due to a deformity (one leg is "goat footed"). Corydon finds peace as a simple goat herder on a largely deserted part of the island, that is until a group of pirates show up and captures him, adding him into their traveling "freak" show. Here Corydon finds himself imprisoned with the likes of the Sphinx, Medusa, The Minotaur and many others. During his brief imprisonment, Corydon finds an unlikely friendship with the gorgon, Medusa and he finds there is a surprising humanity to her and all the monsters...each is tender and much more human than the humans in this story in their own monstrous way. Lucking into being nearest the fearful and mysterious staff that the pirates use to keep the monsters prisoner, he manages to snare it and free himself and Medusa. Later, with the help of the other two Gorgons on the island, they are able to free the remaining monsters who eventually all find happy homes on the island. They might have remained happily ensconced on the island for many years to some, however, in a surprising twist, the surviving pirate escapes and goes to King Polydectes spinning a tale of treachery and murder on the part of the monsters. The King naturally assigns Perseus to take care of the monsters...however he (Perseus) is unable to raise a band of heroes in the traditional manner so he resorts to a bit of trickery (promising riches that don't exist) and begs the aid of his father Zeus (who here is a selfish, absent minded pig of a man) to accomplish the task. The story continues as Corydon and his monster friends make plans to defend themselves from the invading would be heroes. In a refreshing new twist that turns traditional Greek mythology right on its ear, Druitt gives us monsters that become heroes and heroes that become monsters and gods that are just slightly off center from their traditionally accepted positions. This departure is what makes Corydon & the Island of Monsters so enjoyable...we're not being given the same old story in shiny new wrapper; we're getting the same old wrapper with a shiny new story in it! I found myself unable to put down this book, I was sick with worry for Medusa and her child...fearful for the Minotaur and Corydon as they traversed the depths of the Underworld (and this part of the story is some of the best reading in the entire book). It's a wonderful tale and I hope that many people will discover the joys and sorrows, triumphs and tribulations of Corydon, the monsters and all the others contained in these pages! The only "complaint" I can foresee anyone making about Corydon & the Island of Monsters is that is does go into who Medusa became the "monster" that she is in this story (for those unfamiliar with this myth, Medusa had sexual relations in the temple of Athena and was cursed for it by being turned into a monster). This part

I like this book alot, because it showed a different way to looking at greek mytholgy.You look at Medusa in a different way you look at her as a mother to a baby a woman trying to make her way in the cruel world that does not accept her. Also a boy that was used as a scape-goat to rid the town of its "sins" this child shunned by is own mother finds his way to be a sheperd boy and gets mixed up in with some trouble.I cant tell you any more but all I have to say is that I did not want this book to end. -Ali

When I am handed a brand new bright and beautiful book for children or teens for me to review, I shut myself into a personal sensory deprivation tank (of sorts). I refuse to read reviews of the book, hear opinions from other people, or even scan the bookflap attached to the novel. I want to walk into a book knowing absolutely nothing about it except the name of the author (and if I could get away from that detail you can bet I would). Often this method of denying myself extraneous info is silly and wouldn't affect my opinion of the novel one way or another. In the case of "Corydon and the Island of the Monsters", however, it was a godsend. Had I read the Author Note at the beginning of the book, my read would have been tainted by two items. Item Number One: The fact that the book was written by a mother/son team. Item Number Two: It is the first in a trilogy. If I had known about the whole mother/son mutual writing experience you could not have peeled the sneer off of my face with all the battery acid in the world. If I had known it was the first in a trilogy I would have read it with an additional moue of distaste that comes with finding yet ANOTHER first book in a series (are there no single volumes of books anymore?). Instead, I came into "Corydon" without any taint of expectation and found it to be a delightful and truly engrossing read. It's been a while since I've read a child or teen novel that made me so simultaneously fearful and enraptured by a tale's plot. This is a book with a steady and satisfying emotional core, not to mention a great grasp on mythology to boot. Corydon lives alone as a shepherd on a hillside far from his island's villages. Years ago the boy was driven from his home by a crowd of angry villagers simply because he was cursed with the leg of a goat. At the time he was rescued from death by two powerful Gorgons that he never saw again. He often wonders what became of them, but that question is answered soon enough when Corydon is taken prisoner by a group of pirates and their traveling freak show. While there the boy makes the acquaintance of a very pregnant Medusa and together the two escape, free their fellow monsters, and find the Gorgons' home. All might have been fine too, had one of the pirates not gone to King Polydectes and told tales of a isle of monsters. The next thing you know that pompous hero Perseus has organized a huge army of men intent on the monsters' destruction. It all falls to Corydon to discover how best to defeat the men and save the monsters that have become his family. It is a journey that will take him to the halls of Time and the depths of Hades and back. I didn't mean to fall in love with the characters in this book. Honestly, I didn't! But if ever a talented mother/son team there was, Diane Purkiss and Michael Downing are they. There's no silly Zizou Corder nonsense going on here. No, sir. The writing is so entrancing that when Perseus shows up on the island'

Corydon is a pharmakos, a scapegoat and an outcast from his ancient Greek village. After years of being on the outskirts of village society, the deformed boy (whose leg looks like a goat's) is chased out of town by an angry mob (including his own mother), threatening him and calling him mormoluke --- demon. For years, Corydon lives alone, tending the sheep and goats he steals from the villagers. Then, one day, Corydon is captured by a band of marauders, who take him away as part of their sideshow of monsters and freaks. The Minotaur, the Hydra, even the pregnant Gorgon Medusa are all enslaved, put on display for the delight and horror of ordinary citizens. That is, until Corydon obtains a mysterious magical staff and uses it to free his fellow prisoners. Soon enough, the island where they have been entrapped becomes their own, where they are free to live in peace and form their own families, of sorts. Soon enough, though, hero wannabe Perseus gets wind of the Island of Monsters. He's determined to make a name for himself, to finally get his father Zeus to remember his name in particular over the chief god's dozens of other sons. Using marketing strategies worthy of any Fortune 500 company, Perseus recruits a band of other B-List heroes to join him; he rejects Odysseus ("Full of cunning...Too fond of his wife and family") and Achilles ("Get his mother to stop spoiling him"). Backed with the powers of the Olympian gods, the heroes set off to earn their fame and fortune. Meanwhile, Corydon, Medusa and two other Gorgons, aware that an army is on the move, work to awaken the gods of the earth. These less renowned gods, who make their home in the earth or below it, include figures like Hades and Corydon's own father, whose identity he discovers early in the story. Corydon's voyage to the underworld, accompanied by the fiercely loyal Minotaur, is one of the most emotionally powerful elements of the story. Equally powerful is the depiction of Medusa, her tragic history and her dedication to her son, culminating in her ultimate sacrifice. Betrayed by his own mother, still longing for a perfect maternal love that doesn't exist, Corydon must learn to recognize true motherly love --- flawed but powerful --- in this most unlikely creature. Given the nature of its author, it's probably not surprising that CORYDON & THE ISLAND OF MONSTERS includes mother-child love as one of its major themes. Tobias Druitt is the pen name of a writing duo: a mother, who is on the faculty of Oxford University, and her young son, who is only nine. In addition to being emotionally powerful, the novel is firmly grounded in both ancient Greek mythology and in other works of classic literature --- allusions to poems and plays both ancient and modern will reward careful readers. A playful attitude combined with the elevated language and epic struggles of high fantasy will attract many readers, who will be hungry for subsequent adventures in this projected trilogy. --- Revie

I was trapped in a childrens hospital last week while my son had surgery, with nothing to read but his copy of Corydon. I could soon see why he was alternately engrossed and laughing out loud, despite the anxieties of waiting for surgery. Lots of action and sly humour, and a better glossary of Greek mythology that I have ever come across. If you have ever wondered whether it is possible to be a good mother when your face is purple and your hair is full of snakes, this book is for you and your 10-15 year olds. Enjoy.