THE MEMOIR OF THE MINOTAUR

In this satire, the Minotaur of Greek mythology tells his unusual and bloody life story.

This first-person account comes from the Minotaur, named Asterion, who’s speaking to the new 21st-century arrivals to Hades. In the Middle Realm (aka Earth), he is born to Queen Pasiphaë and a white bull intended for sacrifice. As Asterion’s mother dies giving birth, her husband, Minos, becomes the king of Crete. Though Minos sends servants to kill Asterion, the young Minotaur survives and in time meets his siblings. But ultimately, Minos puts Asterion in a cage and subsequently shuts him away in a labyrinth. Minos intermittently sends 14 virgins—seven boys and seven girls—to the labyrinth as sacrifices. Though Asterion boasts to his listeners that he’s the greatest of all serial killers, he also stresses he had to murder humans to stay alive. And while he engages in sexual acts with and even grows fond of some of those humans, he invariably kills and eats nearly everyone. Once Asterion meets his own inevitable death, he lands in hell, where he is reunited with and learns the fates of individuals he knew while he was alive. Shachtman’s amusing tale is predominantly tongue-in-cheek. The humor is unsurprisingly dark once inside the labyrinth, though scenes of sex and violent death are never excessively graphic. Much of the comedy stems from Asterion’s striking narration, as he’s prone to alliteration and contemporary phrases or references. He, for example, says of Crete’s virgins (and potential sacrifices) that none of them want “to win this version of Athenian Idol.” Populating the intriguing story are numerous mythological figures, including Daedalus, the labyrinth’s creator, and his son, Icarus. Though several of these characters star in the Hades-set final act, the tale ends with a memorable denouement for the Minotaur.

A witty and captivating perspective from a famous fictional character.