Bellerophoniad

Bellerophon was a really well known hero in his hay day. He was most known for capturing Pegasus and training him. He used Pegasus to fly to where the famous creature Chimera lived. There Bellerophon slayed the beast Chimera. John Barth also takes the view point of Bellerophon being an older guy trying to relive his past. In the story Bellerophon trys to make himelf out to be more than he really is. He trys at one point in his life to ride Pegasus up to Mount Olympus to become a god, though to find himself only bucked off Pegasus and fall one-thousand feet down to the ground.

Perseid

This is a great mythological story about Perseus and his triumphs as a Greek hero. The story was like a classic love story where Perseus saves Andromeda from a sea monster, who destroys both man and beast, named Ceto. Perseus and Andromeda then get married. Perseus could be considered maybe one of the greatest heros in Greek mythology for the slaying of the Gorgon and Medusa. Though in the story of Perseid, he is show as an old man who trys to hang on to his youth where he would be heroic. He woud hang on to "fan letters" and store them in alphabetical order so he knew exactly which one he wanted to read. John Barth puts a spin on his character to seem like he is a washed actor or musician, in his case a washed up hero.

Dunyazadiad

This story is about two sisters who come up with an extrordinary plan to stop a Kings rampage towards all the women in the land. They decide to tell the King stories every night and not finish them so the King would let Sheherazade live until the next day so she could finsh the story. They do this for the next one-thousand and one nights. During this time Sheherazade has three children with the King. After Sheherazade asks for her life to be spared for the sake of their children, her and the King get married and Dunyazade, Sheherazade's sister marries the King's brother. After the marriage ceremonies they have an eleborate plan to kill both of them. I don't want to give the end away for those who might read this that haven't read the book, but it is definetaly my type of "Live Happily Ever After" story.

Opinion

My overall opinion on this book is that it's a great read. It has a lot of what you are looking for in a book. When you think you have it all figured out, the book all of a suden takes a sharp turn to a conclusion that you would have never would have dreamed of. Even though it has some off-color language in the book it puts you in the time frame when this story should have taken place. Daniel Wallace impressed me for a second time. Big Fish and now this, I can't wait to see what he comes up with next.

Three of Hearts

In the story "Mr. Sebastian and the Negro Magician", Daniel Wallace makes sure the reader isn't bored. He really liked to switch the moods up in the book. In some parts he uses tragedy, love, mystery, and even a little comic releif. I think the main tragedy he wanted his readers to focus on was the loss of Henry's sister. He really made the book kind of based off that whole tragedy, where Henry blames himself throughout his entire life for the loss of his sister. Though at the end it really reveils how Henry's father mysteriously some how gave his sister to Mr. Sebastian to look after because he was unfit to be a father. There was even a love triangle that went on. After Henry joind the circus he fell in love with Marianne La Fleur, while in the meantime the Ossified girl was in love with Heny because he was the only person that would really take care of her. Though what really made this book go over the top was the random spots of comic relief with Henry's sad attempt at Magic.