Metamorphica

Ovid. Having riffed on Greek classics in an earlier novel, Zachary Mason turns to the myths from Ovid in a novel titled, Metamorphica. His take on Ovid’s classic stories makes for lively reading, and some of the stories are presented in their violent starkness. Mason even adds Ovid as a character to open and close the novel. Mason’s take on these stories focuses on the fruitless and meaningless search for meaning in life. At the end, there is nothing. Perhaps because of that perspective, the familiar classical characters come across as hollow. For those readers who find our current times bleak, Mason echoes an emptiness from the past in this book, and he may speak, if not comfort, consistency to those readers. Rating: Four-star (I like it) Click here to purchase Metamorphica from amazon.com.