a wasted opportunity - Rated 
many will agree that the positive traits in this novel come from the protagonists strange situation as an entirely normal, awkward everyman who was once the murderous inhabitant of the labarynth.
Unfortunately this means that this is a novel entirely about an everyman, meaning that (until the last chapter) nothing happens. i'm not the type of reader to need high octane explosions every other page so long as the prose is good as well as the structure. The prose, naturally is reflective of the Minotaur's complete lack of language skills and while some will call this a beatiful insight into the character, it just seems irksome. this is made no better by the author's very strange decision to write the entire novel in the present tense which makes it arkward and squirmworthy reading.
All in all this is a novel about nothing, while the prose may appeal to some, and i can see why it might, it, as well as just about everything else is lost on me
Excellent read - Rated 
A very enjoyable book. An affirmative account of life and peer support in the bottom half of society's heap. It treads a carefully-crafted knife edge between optimism and melancholy, and the reader is kept guessing until the final page as to which way it will fall.
Enjoyable read. The original idea would have deserved more ambition - Rated
This is a novel I bought for the title. The mixture between the banality of the action described and the mythological figure involved makes for a powerful combination, suggesting a unique voice and imagination. At first, I was completely awed by the potential of the allegory (the Minotaur is alive, working as a cook in North Carolina), reminiscent of Kafka's Metamorphosis. Besides the obvious, how we see and treat the "Other", this offers the opportunity to bring a new perspective on several interesting questions. What does a creature half man half animal tell us about our humanity? What does the fact that a creature, once feared and descending from a god, is now the object of jokes and pity tell us about our sense of wonder and our view of the magical and supernatural world? How are the ephemeral passions of our contemporaries viewed by somebody who has lived for thousands of years? What can you expect from life if you cannot die? All these questions appeared to me as I was progressing through the novel, but it became clear with almost equal speed that none would be addressed other than through the most tangential remark. In my view, this may be explained by two of the crucial choices made by Steven Sherrill. 1) Being half bull half human, the Minotaur's intellect is halfway between the one you typically associate with a cow (eating grass, watching trains pass, etc.) and the one of a human being. Although as worthy a choice as any other, this effectively closes the door to any deep reflection. 2) The story spans a few weeks of the life of the Minotaur, significantly reducing the wide perspective offered by such a character.
All this is not to say that this book is not a pleasant read, it is, but it leaves the impression that such a wonderful idea has been developed at a far lower potential than it deserves and that some more ambition would have been welcomed.
Perfect - Rated 
Working as a grill chef, keeping out of trouble and fighting his innate animal instincts, M, five thousand years since his duel with Theseus, lives in a trailer park, works on his neighbours' cars, and watches the world of men revolve around him. Yet his past haunts him still, and tragedy is never far away, as this touchingly human and flawed monster struggles with his isolation and coming to terms with his lot. Simple, subtle and sublimely written, Sherrill takes a great idea and weaves a spellbinding tale that you may well finish in one sitting. His touch is superbly illustrated in this line: "Maybe he sleeps, maybe he doesn't." Everything encapsulated! It's wonderful, for everyone with a heart and at least half a mind.
Touching, engaging but a little disappointing - Rated 
I can't deny that I really enjoyed reading this - I raced right through it in a few hours. At the same time, however, I think it is a little disappointing. I love the concept - the Minotaur of Knosses, still alive and now living within society somewhere deep in the American South. The possibilities promised by such an premise are endless: unfortunately, Sherill simply fails to deliver. Here is no exploration of immortality or historicity, no hilarious misunderstandings, very little plot and absolutely no use of the dynamic between fantasy and reality which itelf should have been able to sustain the novel. The Minotaur is a an engaging character, and the picture of his loneliness and isolation elegant and touching. His friends and work colleagues are well-drawn and interesting characters - no one could fail to be repelled by Shane and his sidekick Mike, or the way in which they exploit the Minotaur's insecurity - but it's not enough to raise this engaging and easy to read novel above the average.
|
