Bull

By Aijah H.

Uniquely written and skillfully worded, Bull by David Elliott is a great find. This book tells the story of the Minotaur, a greek mythical creature. From his birth to his death, Bull shows the Minotaur's thoughts as well as those around him. The first section titled "Book 1", focuses on Poseidon, God of the Sea, and Pasiphae, Queen of  Crete and wife of Minos. They have an affair as Poseidon does with many women in similar myths. Minos finds out and in a fit of rage curses Poseidon and the sea. Poseidon retaliates by cursing Pasiphae's unborn child to be half bull. She names her child Asterion, but Minos and the kingdom call him the Minotaur leading Minos to hide the child's true parentage from the public. Treated as an animal, he is locked in a labyrinth made by Daedalus, the Royal Engineer. Not until after Asterion is locked away, does his half sister Ariadne find out they're related. Minos, fearing the public will find out about his connection with Asterion, sends in Theseus, a warrior and heir to the Athens throne, to slay Asterion.

One of the reasons I found myself interested in this book was the way it's formatted. Titling each section as if it was a separate book. Almost at random, the author will break a sentence into parts and give each part it's own line. It seems poetic, but I failed to find any rhyme scheme or structure to suggest a pattern. The way each character addresses the complex situations in this story is almost comedic, which makes the harsh reality of this situation much lighter. Each character is unique and fits the traditional myth perfectly. With bits of comedy, drama, romance, and action, it's a very well written story.

People should read this story because I feel it has a little bit of everything for readers. The story doesn't rely too much on one theme, and peppers in an interest for many different kinds of book enthusiasts. Each character has many differences, which makes each issues interesting whether it is small or huge. It could also be a gateway for readers looking into greek myths, since it tells the story of the Minotaur in an easy to read way. I enjoyed every page, and i encourage others to pick up Bull and enjoy it as well.

Bull, by David Elliot, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, March 2017, 200 pages