I have always been fascinated by mythology and, to a lesser extent, the religions surrounding it. Or that created the myths in the first place. Having been raised religious only to eschew that way of life as I get older, as many people in my generation have, I still remember the stories that are part of the mythos of Catholicism*¹: God creating the world in seven days*², Noah’s ark, David and Goliath, The Book of Revelation, and others. These are shared archetypical stories transcending cultures, even if details differ. The Creation Myth*³, The Ark*⁴, Divine Intervention*⁵, and The End of the World as We Know It*⁶ link with the stories mentioned. With these tales being archetypical, it’s only natural that they get repackaged and repurposed as time passes. Sometimes they’re brought into modern times but maintain the same message or ideas. Other times authors take them in a different direction or focus on characters that were sidelined in the original tale, which is particularly common with female characters. These rewrites can be serious, satirical, feminist, drive home An Aesop*⁷, or just stories that use mythology as a jumping-off point for something otherwise original.

I’ve previously made a list of adult books*⁸ in this genre. While some items are on both that list and above in this post, there’s no crossover from here out. Of course… I say no more crossover, buuuut I suppose that depends on how strict we’re being. I’m not duplicating a book, but an author is making a second appearance. We know from that list that Neil Gaiman can write a great end-of-the-world book, as Norse Mythology covers Ragnarök. But pair him up with Sir Terry Pratchett and let them loose on the Book of Revelations, and you get the darkly hilarious Good Omens. Suppose you’ve not read it or watched the miniseries but are interested in dark, dry humour and biting satire of religion and humanity in general. In that case, you owe it to yourself to give this one a go. Armageddon is coming; angel Aziraphale and demon Crowley are tasked by their higher-ups*⁹ with finding the Anti-Christ, who seems to have been misplaced. The pair have grown accustomed to life on earth, though, and aren’t overly enthusiastic about the end of the world. They’re also, despite… religious differences, friends. This is Gaiman’s earliest novel. He would retread religious ideas and mythology in a far more serious tone eleven years later in American Gods, another book with an associated series. Here the old gods like Odin and Anansi walk among humans and scuffle with new gods like Internet and Media for the worship and belief they need to survive. Ideas of what makes a god a God are examined alongside humanity’s power in making that distinction.

Perhaps you’re already a fan of fantasy and want east or southeast-Asian-inspired stories. While this isn’t really modern, I can’t let an opportunity to mention The Monkey King pass me by. Karen already made a post about this mischievous character not long ago, so I’ll direct you there to learn more. To get back on the theme for this post, though, and to give readers something a little different, check out the short story collection Spirits Abroad by Malaysian author Zen Cho. VPL has a new version of the collection, first published in 2014, that adds nine new stories, bringing the total up to 19. These stories take creatures from Malaysian legends and place them in modern times, dealing with contemporary problems. Teen romance and pregnancy are explored in House of Aunts. The girl in the equation is the Malaysian equivalent of a vampire, which complicates matters. Prudence and the Dragon sees an ancient dragon-in-human form fall for an ordinary girl who just wants to get through university without falling out with her friend. If fantasy with a humorous touch that deals with complex real-world issues appeals to you, this collection is one to pick up. If poignant humour isn’t what you’re feeling right now, I do have another short-story compilation to offer: Love in Colour by Bolu Babalola. Moving from Asia to Africa*¹⁰, this collection will give readers insights into the love lives of legends by retelling their stories. From Ghana, we see Princess Yaa rewarded for choosing her own path instead of punished as in the original tale. Western readers may be more familiar with the story of Eros and Psyche, reimagined in modern times, with Olympus as a fashion magazine. Romance readers, even those who aren’t partial to fantasy, should give this one a go.