School Library Journal Review

Gr 6 Up Evslin's version of the story is very different from other modern retellings. Jason sets off with his companions in the ship Argo to recapture the Golden Fleece, but the crew of the Argo is different, and many well-known events are missing or changed. In an interesting afterword, Evslin explains that he has chosen lesser-known details from the classical sources and omitted the familiar; he does this without violating folklore tradition. His streamlined version has emotional involvement because of the first-person narrative of bitter, sharp-witted Ekion, Argonaut and son of Hermes, who colors the account dramatically with his fascinating personality. Unfortunately, Evslin periodically shifts point of view to different characters, interrupting the flow. But there is still more immediacy than in the third-person accounts of Ian Serraillier's The Clashing Rocks (Walck, 1964; o.p.) or Padraic Colum's The Golden Fleece (Macmillan, 1983). Characterization is excellent. Lethe, an egocentric, amoral bubble-head, is truly the valley girl of nymphs, and Medea is despicable. Motivations are clear for both mortals and gods, rendering their actions logical. Evslin's language is more accessible than Colum's heroic tone or Charles Kingsley's Victorian didactism. The plot is full of seething emotions which effect deeds. The book is exciting, and the fight scenes dramatic, but there is a feeling of not being completely fleshed out, and there are a few abrupt skips in plot. Full-page black-and-white illustrations reinforce the mood of the story. Despite small flaws, this is an interesting supplement to standard reading. Annette Curtis Klause, Montgomery County Libraries, Md. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.