Gruender, Nataly. Medusa. Grand Central. Aug. 2024. 432p. ISBN 9781538765340. $30. F

In Gruender’s debut, Medusa is given space to tell her own story, from the daughter of sea gods to an outcast wandering through Greece, blindfolded, with snakes orbiting her head. Also part of the story is Perseus, who, as the myth foretells, is hunting Medusa down with the intent to murder.

Hong, Eunice. Memento Mori. Red Hen. Aug. 2024. 240p. ISBN 9781636281872. pap. $17.95. F

Considering anew the myths of Eurydice and Orpheus and those of Persephone and Hades, Hong ponders death and trauma as a Korean American woman comes to terms with both. Hong was a finalist for the Dzanc Prize for Fiction and the Louise Meriwether First Book Prize for this debut.

De Robertis, Caro. The Palace of Eros. Atria. Aug. 2024. 320p. ISBN 9781668035238. $28.99. F

The winner of two Stonewall Book Awards and the John Dos Passos Prize for Literature, De Robertis offers a new take on the myth of Psyche and Eros, exploring love, desire, secrets, trust, magic, and reality as Eros, the nonbinary deity of desire, defies the plans of gods.

Sinaki, Navid. Medusa of the Roses. Grove. Aug. 2024. 256p. ISBN 9780802163035. $27. F

Sinaki debuts with a queer literary noir that explores the contemporary criminalization of homosexuality in Iran and the country’s treatment of trans citizens. Referencing Persian and Greek myths while set in modern-day Tehran, the novel follows the fate of lovers Anjir and Zal and explores self-determination, love, and identity.

Wilson, Emily H. Gilgamesh. Titan. Aug. 2024. 432p. ISBN 9781803364421. pap. $17.99. F

Wilson, the editor of New Scientist magazine, continues her retelling of the Epic of Gilgamesh, following Inanna. Gilgamesh stands on the eve of a great battle, Inanna and Ninshubar seek revenge upon the king of the water gods, and the queen of the underworld encounters a man with a role in a long-running prophecy.