Atalanta and the Arcadian Beast

This is my third experience with this author and with this series (Young Heroes), having thoroughly enjoyed Odysseus and the Serpent Maze & Hippoltya and the Curse of the Amazons, I had high hopes for Atalanta and the Arcadian Beast...I'm happy to report that I was not disappointed in the least. In this volume of the Young Heroes series, we are introduced to a young Atalanta who has seen much loss in her life, but who has also been well loved despite being left to die in the wilds...by both her adoptive bear mother and her human family who rescued her after the death of her bear mother.

As we join the story, Atlanta is out hunting with her adoptive father when something large and out of place starts stalking them. On the run and show more desperate to get back to their cottage, her father is injured by this large, unknown beast. Arriving home, Atalanta manages to wound the animal, driving it off...but it's too late for her father, he's mortally wounded. He does manage to hand off a ring with a ring and tells her that it is her only clue as to her origins. From there Atalanta packs up and goes out to the woods with Urso, her bear brother. At first tracking the beast, but then when that proves to be fruitless, she becomes enmeshed in returning to a more wild life, living with Urso and being alone in the woods and even meeting the god Pan who gives her clues to what lies ahead in her young life. Her wild and free life comes crashing to a halt when she is captured by a group of hunters while trying to protect Urso inaugurating her return to life with humans. This is the start of her true adventure in joining the mythic hero Orion (who is pompous and full of himself), going to a true city and meeting royalty, and asserting her abilities when those around here would rather treat her otherwise.

Yolen and Harris don't box Atalanta into a tom-boy stereotype; yes, she is fierce, independent, a talented hunter, a swift runner, and clever...but she's not JUST that. Her character isn't a static caricature, she grows and develops as the story goes on and I think that is a lot of the draw here. It's action paced, but it also has a strong human element that draws the reader in and that combined with the strong action and genuine fear/terror that the beast evokes...that's what makes Atalanta and the Arcadian Beast so enjoyable. There is a lot going on here, loss, friendships, adventure, conflict of emotions and characters, compelling plot points all...in the end, it's a believable backdrop to the later story of Atalanta. Once again Yolen & Harris weave together just the right amount of adventure, historical fact, everyday life (of both the "common people" and royalty), and Greek mythology to give the reader a satisfying glimpse of what Atalanta's early life might have been like! I give this book a solid A; it's engaging, entertaining and just plain old fun...a great read for mythology lovers of any age!! show less

The Young Heroes series is an interesting concept, but this is a little slow to get going and not as good as some of Yolen's other collaborations. There aren't really any plot twists to speak of, since the question of the main character's origin is settled early on, and I don't feel like this retelling has much depth or complexity to it. A lot of young adult mythology (such as Rick Riordan) has been right up my alley, but I'll be giving the rest of this series a miss.