Books, fashion and the literary world are funny creatures: you never know what's going to stick. So I was thrilled this week to discover that The Double Axe, a book I wrote ten years ago, which was published in 2016, is still out there finding readers.
I remain very fond of it: I remember enjoying the process of writing it, as it combined fantasy and Greek myth. It's not a faithful attempt at a recreation of Bronze Age Crete by any means, but is set on an imaginary version of the island, one which is populated by spirits and demons that are not in the canonical myths. I chose to tell the story in the first person, through the eyes of young Deucalion Stephanos (known, for convenience, as Stephan), whose young brother is mysteriously removed from the care of his parents by a priestess whose intentions are nefarious. The structure of the story is there: the death of Androgeos, the eldest son of King Minos; the resulting attack on Athens; the tribute from Athens with Theseus among the seven young men and maidens; and Ariadne with her ball of wool. I even gave Icarus a little cameo part. But what I did with it was spin it round a little: why would a story like the Minotaur spring up?
It's a story that has enormous resonance: Mark Haddon retells it brilliantly in his new collection, Dogs and Monsters, which I reviewed recently for The Spectator. I'm sure that in future years we will see more and more retellings. It all proves the essential strength of myth: and its brilliant plasticity.
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