It's not of ten that novels explore the emotions and motivations of the monster, so I was really looking forward to this one. My response, though, is mixed.
What I liked - The verse novel format keeps the pacing snappy. It's not weighted down with excess description and reflection. Additionally, it's a nod back to the original Greek storytelling method with a modern, near hip-hop, feel. Each character's perspective takes a slightly different format, helping to differentiate character and reflecting some aspect of their personality.
What I didn't like - This novel presumes that the reader has more than a passing familiarity with the tale of Theseus and the Minotaur, simply referencing several details and never really telling the reader how the myth ends. Even more troubling for me, it bills itself as the story from the Minotaur's perspective. But Asterion gets very few pages. As the story progresses, he gets fewer lines. Asterion remains largely unsympathetic.

Bull was so clever, comical, and great. I honestly didn't know what to expect and was so pleasantly surprised. This was such a fun book. It's a creative retelling of Theseus and the Minotaur. Key word: creative. Don't expect a by the books retelling. This is a retelling that is fun and hilarious, often quite satirical. There is sassiness and snark. The story is told in verse. There is definite adult language and humor, but it is still something I would 100% recommend to high schoolers. If any of what I'm saying intrigues you, do yourself a favor and check out Bull today!

David Elliott’s Bull is a modern retelling of the story of the Minotaur, relayed in verse.

I thought this retelling was original and funny. It has a similar feel to “Hamilton” in the fact that it has a distinct beat, and I constantly heard Lin-Manuel Miranda’s voice narrating the part of Poseidon. I also thought it was interesting to read it in this format, trying to figure out the unique rhyming style the author chose for each character.

While the author sought to stay true to the original myth, he did invent some of the behind-the-scenes motives and actions of some of the characters, which I wasn’t really a big fan of. Because of this, it made Asterion (the Minotaur) come off as whiny kid who wanted his mommy instead of as a ferocious beast, Adriadne (King Minos’ daughter) come off as well-meaning but naïve instead of as brave and rebellious, and Theseus (the Athenian hero) come off as an arrogant jerk rather than as a fearless, brave hero.

It was a short and quick read, though almost a little too short. I don’t think this format lent itself well to strong plot or character development, and I felt it was lacking in both. I also don’t think that adequate time was given to the actual myth of “Theseus and the Minotaur” – it felt glossed over and lacking in heft.

However, I enjoyed it. I don’t usually read YA books, and I felt that it was refreshing and has an appeal to a rather broad audience. And it was really, really funny.

Overall, I’d give this book three stars for originality and humor.

Thank you to NetGalley and HMH Books for Young Readers for an advanced copy of this eBook in exchange for an honest review!

I wasn't sure if I was going to like this book, because I tend to steer away from poetry, not that poetry is bad, but for me, it can't make an entire novel. In this case, it did. The writing was so clever, the voices changed which form of poetry for each character, giving them distinct voices. Amazing.

This is a retelling of the story of the Minotaur, which looks at how he because the bull-headed creature of the labyrinth. Using Poseidon, and other members of the royal household to tell the story, this is a fast read. Everyone speaks in the vernacular, no matter which form of poetry they are speaking in.

This is basically fan/fic, but for the mythological set. Sometimes it is just fun to imagine how it might have gone.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

Not usually a fan of verse, but it made this book go so fast and it was witty! I love Greek mythology and had forgotten the story of the minotaur. This was a great retelling/version of the story and I think teens will like it.
It is told from multiple view points of people involved in the story from Asterion, to Minos, to Poseidon.
Author includes information at the end about what was part of the original myth and what parts he imagined as well as information about they types of poetry he used for each character.

Unable to review this book. Tried to download but it is telling me the link is bad.

Like the title already suggests, this story written by David Elliott is a mythology retelling of the classic Greek Minotaur story I'm sure most have at least heard about. I actually translated part of it during high school so I was looking forward to revisiting the story! One thing is for sure: Bull definitely wasn't the mythology retelling I was expecting. I'm still not sure what to make of it all, but there is no doubt it was at least both an entertaining and very original retelling. Why? Bull is a story full written in verse and each character in the story has its own unique style; very creative indeed. The writing style made me laugh more than once, although the humor might be a bit unorthodox and I'm still not sure the tone was actually appropriate. Still, I would recommend this story to anyone searching for an original and slightly bizarre story and to those who enjoy reading in verse and don't mind a swearword or two.

I really loved the poetic form of this book. I love Greek Mythology and this was such a fun way to read it. I would love to read more like this!

Novels in verse are not my cup of tea, but if they were all as entertaining as Bull, I would definitely read more. This was a creative, completely hilarious, retelling of the Greek myth of Theseus and the Minotaur. I've always loved Greek mythology and this was such a fun way to go about a retelling. Each of the heroes and heroines in the story had a unique voice and style of verse which really added to the novel. Bull is a quick, fun, laugh-out-loud book that is totally worth your time if you like a twisted comedy with your Greek mythology.

It’s interesting:
As a god I almost always find,
The more repressed the mortal,
The dirtier the mind.


4 1/2 stars. I loved this!

Bull is going to be a hard sell. To be honest, if you'd told me what it actually is before I requested it from netgalley, I never would have read it. And that would have been a real shame. It's a hilarious and creative retelling in verse of Theseus and the Minotaur. Easily one of the best novels in verse I have ever read.

Despite thinking I was about to open a dark and dramatic novel about the Greek hero - Theseus - and the monstrous Minotaur at the centre of a labyrinth, I quickly adjusted to this punchy, hilarious tale. And I say that as someone who would pick dark and dramatic over light and funny any day of the week. But I think most people would benefit from knowing what they are getting into.

So:
• This is a novel in verse.
• It is comical, in a twisted kind of way.
• Rather than change the original story, it's more of a "behind the scenes" retelling.
• There's a lot of swearing and sexual references.

I also love how the author considered the Minotaur's childhood years, and changed our view of many characters from the original myth without changing any of the story. It's narrated from various points of view, but the main one is Poseidon. God, he is such an asshole - though I find myself almost rubbing my hands together with glee as I say that. He's very much a love-to-hate character.

So he wonders
If I’d give the people
An omen,
A sign,
Something impressive,
He says, something divine.
Anything to prove
He’s the man
For the royal job.

So what the fuck, I think.
I’m gonna help this slob.


I don't know... maybe it's just my fucked up sense of humour, but I had SO MUCH FUN reading this.

As a pre-teen, years ago, I was obsessed with Greek mythology. I completely absorbed myself into every epic poem, stage play, television show, video game and (age appropriate) book I could find. So seeing a new book which promised a whole new light on Theseus and the Minotaur had me at hello. The cover is a pretty awesome selling point too.

Entering the book itself, I was ready to go. And immediately greeted with something completely unexpected. First the listing of the cast of characters... this part makes sense, much like in a play, you want to know who the main characters are. The descriptions are a little funny, and I'm good with that. Like:
"Poseidon, King of the Sea. He may be a god, but he's not unreasonable, and when he is, so what?"

Okay. True. And cheeky. Then we move on to the tale itself.

Poseidon:
"Whaddup, bitches?
Am I right or am I right?"

OH I SEE HOW THIS IS GOING TO GO. It's modern verse. Gotcha. So scrap the idea of a new Greek myth re-telling, enter Hamilton-esque expectations. But I did have a moment of... should I keep reading this? No, let's not... yes, let's... no... yes... it's a book just read it!

The verse was enjoyable and very entertaining. Some f-bombs and such. I liked it for how contemporary it really was overall, and could see it being a great complementary piece to the original myths for discussion in classrooms. It's not something I would crave to read again, personally, but it was a fun read.

Note: Thank you to NetGalley and HMH Books for Young Readers for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Well, that was a hoot! "Bull" is a retelling, or shall I say more so a reinterpretation, of Theseus and the Minotaur (and as an intense lover of ancient history my first thought was "where do I sign!!?", and if you're looking for sweeping epic grand poetry... you probably won't find that here. Instead, you will get a sassy and cheeky Poseidon (who has obviously swallowed too much salt water), power crazed and psychotic rulers, and a fragile, emotional, misunderstood and victim-of-circumstance-and-evil-people Asterion, aka the Minotaur.

I do enjoy poetry, though I can't say I'm an expert on the form, so I don't know the "literary" merits of this book, but I will say that it was a breeze to read, and was very funny, and quite a bit ridiculous!

Case in point, Poseidon's opening line:
Whaddup, bitches?

Yeah, pretty much from that first line I knew this was NOT going to be a "serious" read. I liked the author's notes at the end, I appreciated getting an understanding on his creative process with this particular work, and his development in using different poetic forms for each character.

Did this sweep me off my feet? Not necessarily, but I did find it fun and refreshing, and somtimes, that's just what you need!

Hmmmm . . . Maybe more like 3.5 stars? For creativity? This one is actually pretty difficult to rate. When it comes to the classics - Ancient Greek literature is definitely my favorite. I love the language and the use of song and poetry to tell these epic (and usually pretty violent) tales. "Bull" is definitely an interesting homage and interpretation of the original story of Theseus and the Minotaur. Elliott's use of modern language (who knew Poseidon had such a snarky mouth on him?!?) as well as making the Minotaur a sympathetic adolescent with a distinct voice of his own was certainly creative. Additionally, the Author's Note at the end of the book along with Elliott's explanation to use varying styles of poetry for each narrator were undeniably awesome and I think that's what added that extra half star for me.

That being said - I still feel like it's missing something. What? I'm not quite sure. In the grand scheme of things, I think Elliott was successful in terms of taking the classic myth and making it relatable and interesting for a teen audience. The modernity of the language and utilization of varying methods of poetry, the choice to make the characters teenagers, and the exploration of a classic myth from a new perspective are all refreshing and make the text more accessible for the teen audience. I also appreciated that while Elliott definitely toned down the brutality he also didn't completely hold back on it either (let's give our teen readers more credit here!) However, I also still get that little feeling of disconnect.

As I said. . . Hmmmmm . . . Ultimately - I think I need to stew a bit more on this one and probably re-read . . . .

You may know the myth of Theseus, the Minotaur, and the Labryinth, but I guarantee you've never read it like this. Told in verse, with each character's voice using its own poetric form, from sonnets and stanzas to split couplets. Poseidon acts as a kind of narrator, boastful and smug, laying out the lay of the land for readers: how Minos wouldn't sacrifice a bull to him, so he decided to take it out on his wife and son. We have Minos, who's not winning any father of the year awards; poor, insane Queen Pasiphae, who loves her baby boy and loses her mind when he's taken from her; Ariadne, Minos' daughter who just wants to take her brother, Asterion - the Minotaur - away from the hell he's living, Daedalus, the engineer of the labyrinth, and last but never least, Asterion, the voice of the Minotaur himself.

There are inevitable Hamilton comparisons to be made, and this is a good thing: it's a modern, compulsively readable, update of the classic myth, full of dark humor, angst, and betrayal. Elliott fleshes out the story by giving his take on the characters' internal dialogue; most notably, Asterion's growing despair and rage, also depicted by the progressively darker pages on which his dialogue runs. I'd love to see this staged, and I'm sure many, many high school and college students will, too.

Bull received (well-deserved) starred reviews from Booklist and Kirkus. Language and situations may give some more conservative readers pause, but it is a Greek myth, after all.

Author David Elliott's webpage has more information about the author and his books, plus information about author visits. There is also a link to Mr. Elliott's Pinterest page, where readers can find more links to information about the players in Bull and their mythology.

"What is it with you mortals?
You just can't seem to learn:
If you play with fire, babies,
You're gonna get burned"

* * * *
4 / 5

Bull was a wild ride. I am not an expert in the story of the Minotaur, so I went into this virtually blind and was rewarded with a hilarious, witty, and surprisingly sorrowful tale. Does Elliott do the original justice? I have no idea. What I do know is that I had fun.

"So this Minos
This "king"
This two-faced
Turd.
The guy's all ego.
BUT I'M ALL ID."

Bull is guilty of the same crime that I bash Rick Riordan for: making a mockery of and not doing justice to divine figures. The difference here is that Elliot's characterisation is actually hilarious and not just cringey. I'm also reasonably sure it is satire, but to be honest I'm not really sure. Poseidon's first line, and indeed the first novel of the book, is "Whaddup, bitches?", which really sets the tone; Bull is not a delicate book, this is not a Mary Renault retelling but a humorous, often crass, and sassy version with a good dose of modern upholstering (language-wise, not setting). This is not to say that Bull is unsophisticated. There are lots of little homages to Homer, the poetry is reasonably fluid and has fairly decent rhyme, but I'm not a poetry critic.

"She calls her calf Asterion. Asterion. Asterion.
That's my name - Asterion.
I'm Ruler of the Stars"

Bull is split into different "books" each book is told by a variety of people: Poseidon, Daedalus, Pasiphae, Minos, Ariadne, and Theseus who each have their own unique voice. At the end of the book the author discusses the choice of form for each character, which was quite interesting to read about. For example, Daedalus has fairly standard quartets because he is a simple, straightforward engineer.

Minos says I'm nothing more than Nothing.
Can Nothing take a form and call it me?
But Nothing is ever what it seems

My favourite was by far and away Asterion - rather than amusing, Asterion's parts are sad and often beautiful. As the book progresses his verses become more and more broken to reflect his deteriorating mental state, and the pages becomes darker and darker as becomes less man and more minotaur. Ariadne is also a hit with me: she's snarky, bitter, sassy, and her language is not tame, but she's also compassionate and kind. In terms of sheer humour though, Poseidon's narrative definitely takes the grand prize; the book alternates between Poesidon as the overall narrator, and everyone else, so he gets the most page time. His parts are peppered with grave comments and a wagonload of banter.

"Mother prefers to take refuge in madness
I don't blame her, I confess:
There's danger in sanity"

There is a lot of adult humour and adult language, such that I wouldn't recommend to under sixteens. There's also a fair amount of misogyny going on, which wasn't exactly my favourite thing ever, but understandable given the story. Other than that, my only real complaint is that it is a touch too long. Mostly, Bull is just a bit of a laugh, but particularly towards the end I get a lot more respect for the poetic decisions that Elliott made. The last dozen or so pages bleed emotion. The key to enjoying this is to be aware of what you are getting when you start; expecting a classic collection of poems is only going to ruin the pleasure you might have gotten out of Bull.

I have to admit I wasn't up to date on my mythology, and had to stop and refresh it early on just so I could compare Elliott's delightful prose to the historical tale. From what I can tell, he did well. (Hey look, I can rhyme too. ;) ) Freed from the confines of traditional storytelling or novel writing form, Bull is written entirely in various styles of poetic verse. Built on the foundation of the Minotaur's original legend, Elliott took free creative reign to conceptualize the characters' emotions and the understated day to day that was excluded in the traditional version. Filling in blanks that didn't already have a story surrounding them allowed him the ability to grow the story into his own while still maintaining the integrity of the myth.

Each chapter of the book is written from the viewpoint of one of the main characters, with Poseidon leading the charge. Rather like a narrator, his voice seemed to direct the overall story while the individual characters then played their roles. I adored Poseidon's crass, in your face attitude. Elliott cast him with a vicious, snarky flair and a lethal tongue that had me laughing out loud on several occasions. I loved it. I loved all of it! As someone who, as I've already admitted, is not a big mythology or history buff I have to say that I wish more people would cover such topics in this way. I would totally be able to understand and engage with the material if more authors chose this kind of style to relate their subjects in. Elliott, Got anymore tricks up your sleeve?! You legitimately are on to something here, and could have an even more massive following if you felt inclined to gift us with more history lessons or mythological tales told in your easy and lilting manner. Just saying....

Thanks so very much to the author, his publisher, and to NetGalley for granting me this advance review opportunity. I reviewed this in e-copy, but can not wait to get my hands on a print copy when it comes out later this year. This is most definitely a keeper I can see myself wanting to read many times over.

I cannot wait to get this one on the shelf! Students love anything mythology! Perfect for reluctant readers!

Bull is the story of Theseus and the Minotaur, told in verse from the point of view of several characters.

I loved reading this book. It's beautifully told. Each character has a different type of verse for when they're speaking which is brilliant and really imaginative. It also bring each character to life in a unique way, from the god Poseidon, to the arrogant Theseus, to the pitiful Minotaur.

Oh and the Minotaur or Asterion as his mother has named him, is the most moving character of all. Throughout the book you watch him grow up, you watch his father Midas ban him from the palace, and see in the end his downfall. I was in tears by the end of this story.

Bull is a short story, only 200 pages but I promise it is well worth the read. It's available for preorder on Amazon now, and there's also a giveaway on Goodreads for it. I was given a copy of this book by NetGalley in exchange for a fair review. Thank you NetGalley!

I always enjoy when stories are told through poems rather than prose, and Bull brings to life the story of the Minotaur from the sassy sea-god Poseidon himself. I laughed at Poseidon's snarky and sassy nature, like a teenage girl ready to tear your hair out; Poseidon told the story fiercely and ruthlessly, with not much sympathy toward the cast of characters.

He was slighted, so he's a salty bitch.

And he would totally claim that title though!

While we get a much more modern air to the god of the sea, we also get some insight on the Minotaur as a person. The half-boy/half-bull has his own beautiful set of verse that follows him through childhood into the time Minos plants him in the maze. The way in which Elliott captivates Asterion's internal beauty juxtaposing the monstrous, inhuman features was done well through poetry. As well as the queen's fall into madness, and Ariadne's youthful voice coming through the pages.

A fast read. And one that fans of mythology and sassy narrators would devour.