Description: Icarus flies once more. Aztec jaguar gods again stalk the earth. An American soldier designs a new kind of Trojan horse—his cremains in a bullet. Here, in beguiling guise, are your favorite mythological figures alongside characters from Indian, Punjabi, Inuit, and other traditions.

Review: When I got XO Orpheus from the library, I was so excited to read it and discover the new ways the Greek myths would be retold but unfortunately this anthology was a mixed bag for me. I enjoyed the stories that gave the  mythological figures a 21st century makeover. Two of the stories that stood out for me was the re-imaging Demeter as a divorced mom who is struggling with the half-year custody of her daughter and a Vietnam veteran, in the spirit of Daedalus, builds an emotional labyrinth for his son. Where this anthology lost me is when it took the myths in a really bizarre direction that played with the content as well as loosely adapting the myths.
Editor Bernheimer describes her anthology as a necessary farewell to the old world of myth and acknowledgment of a modern age in which humans are regarded as the new gods. Though many of the stories maintain the timeless and quite often frightening themes of the myths, I'm not sure if this anthology is for every reader.

Rating: 2 stars

Words of Caution: There is strong language, sexual situations, and adult themes. Recommended for adults only.

If  you like this book try: My Mother She Killed Me, My Father He Ate Me: Forty New Fairy Tales edited by Kate Bernheimer,