Michel Faber, The Fire Gospel

I'm making my way through the Canongate myth series, so I was really pleased to pick up The Fire Gospel from my local library.

I've blogged about Canongate before, basically they have commissioned well respected authors to retell myths, folk-tales and biblical stories, if you want read my reviews of the other Canongate books click on the titles below:-
Ragnorok  A.S Byatt
Baba Yaga Laid an Egg, Ugresic Dubravka
Weight, Jeanette Winterson 

The Plot: When visiting a museum in war-torn Iraq, Theo Gripenkerl stumbles upon an ancient manuscript written by a man named Malchus, who personally witnessed the betrayal and crucifixion of Jesus. When the fifth gospel is published it inflames believers, sceptics and Amazon critics alike.

Rating: 2.5/5

Graham Joyce, Some Kind of Fairy Tale

The blurb of Some Kind of Fairy Tale doesn't give a lot of info, so I wouldn't be surprised if people picked this up in a book shop then put it back.

The Plot:  After an argument with her boyfriend fifteen-year-old Tara Martin disappears, she was last seen in the woods near to her parents house.  20 years later a woman claiming to Tara returns, insisting that she has only been gone for 6 months and that she was taken by fairies. Her parents, her brother Peter, and her former boyfriend, Richie, are initially sceptical, but her unaltered appearance and steadfast believe in her story begins to persuade them that Tara's fairy tale is real.  

Rating: «««¶¶ (3/5)

Full review after the cut:-

Dubravka Ugresic, Baba Yaga Laid an Egg

I picked up Baba Yaga Laid an Egg as I have gradually been making my way through the canongate myth series. Canongate have commissioned popular and critically acclaimed authors to retell myths from all over the world.  

Baba Yaga. picture source 

My knowledge of Slavic folktales is pretty limited, though I am familiar with the folk villain/heroine Baba Yaga. Baba Yaga is an elderly female witch who lives in a hut that stands on chicken's legs. She flies through the air using a mortar and pestle. Baba Yaga is usually the malefactor of the story and often attempts to eat the hero/heroine, but occasionally she helps the hero/heroine on their quest.


The Plot: Baba Yaga Laid an Egg is divided into three sections ( the number three been a common motif in  fairytales). The first tells the story of the relationship between the author and her mother. The mother is suffering from aphasia and dementia, and has become difficult. The author has her own troubles, a clingy fan and a dissatisfying trip to Bulgaria. The second, and longest story, concerns a trio of octogenarians who are on the holiday of a lifetime at a spa. Kukla, thrice widowed has given up on men, Beba is incredibly financially lucky but estranged from her son and Pupa a cantankerous woman, who once fought as a partisan and now spends her time with her legs in a giant fur boot,  waiting to die. The third segment is a faux-academic and feminist tirade examining how the previous stories relate to the cannon of Baba Yaga myths.

 
Rating: ««««¶ (4/5)

Full review under the jump:-