An Asian Minor is unlike any book that you are likely to read this year. The story of a thirteen-year-old boy who discovers that he is the most beautiful mortal ever born, it examines that dubious honor in a retelling of the classical Greek myth that has attracted artists for centuries. An Asian Minor: The True Story of Ganymede
Felice Picano Û 6 READ
This is such an amazing short listen. I love read mythologies so I thought this is such a great short story about Ganymede. I just love how Jason Frazier has done this narration. Even though it is short it was definitely entertaining. English A modern retelling of the legend of Ganymede from his point of view. This novella is short, quick, to-the-point and delightful. English Audio review:
Overall 5
Performance 10
Story 4
OK, I have to admit that I didn't really understand this story but I LOVED the audio performance by Jason Frazier. After I listened to it I looked up Ganymede and realized why I didn't know much about the story. I've never really been into mythology but now, after Googling Ganymede, I think I will go back and listen to this short audiobook again.
I've found a new audiobook performer to add to my list of favorites.
A complementary copy of this audiobook was provided to me but my review is freely given and not influenced by the gift. English Marvellous!😂 I just love the dry, ironical, satirical voice that Felice Picano has given to Ganymede. English A simple novella that takes only an hour to read. Nevertheless it's delightful and charming and worth reading. If only we could all find our own Ganymedes --- or Zeuses! English
God, how I loved this tasty little morsel! 😍 I admit, the main reason I bought this book is because of Jason Frazier, the narrator. After I got my first taste of him from “Blame it on the Mistletoe”, I knew I gotta get more of his yummy, sexy narration. 😁 So I went audio hunting on Audible and bought several more of his titles. And this little treat caught my attention right away.
First of all, I studied English literature and classics are and will always be my first and great love. So it’s no wonder, I also have a special fondness for mythologies. I love myths, that vivid and powerful imagination of gods and their glory, the powerful heroes and their epic battle scenes, the beautiful world of nymphs, mermaids, goddesses and unicorns, all that kind of deliciousness. And we have of course, at least heard if not read about Ganymede, the most beautiful mortal who has ever walked on this earth. 😊 So beautiful and perfect that he was taken away to Mt. Olympus to become the cupbearer of Zeus, the king of all gods. 😉 However, this is a very different perspective on retelling of Ganymede because this is his POV. 😱 And let me tell you, our hero Ganymede is a one very cheeky and snarky Grecian brat. 😂 The way he conveyed the story, it was masterfully and beautifully crafted, of course with the healthy amount of quick wits and a bit of dry humor. 😉
This is not just Ganymede retelling what truly happened some 4000 years ago. This is him teaching us valuable life lessons, passing us a wisdom that he’s learnt first hand so that we won’t settle for the first thing that came along our way. 😌 It was fun, it was witty and hilarious and it was glorious. 😱👏 And Jason Frazier’s superb narration made it even more enjoyable and realistic to immerse oneself into this mythical, magical world. 😍 I was in a different plane when gods walk among mortals and engage interactions with us, puny and weak humans. I was in a place where there were mighty and magnificent temples built for gods that we worshipped and when we still believe in the fortune telling by chicken blood that we had just sacrificed. I was mesmerized, I was in love, I was Ganymede himself and I was in love with my plain, wise and loving sheep farmer, Zeus. 🥰 And smutwise, although it isn’t explicit, it was very titillating and erotic. 🔥 Well, after all, for the lovers of books about men loving men, Ganymede truly was our pioneer in the art of lovemaking between men. Right? 😁 I can’t recommend this little tasty morsel enough! And you know the best part??? This audio was under 5 bucks! 😱 Can you believe it? Because I can’t, and I’d gladly pay 50 bucks for this glorious and beautifully narrated story. 👏 Loved, loved and loved it! 💙
5 And just like our love, I became immortal stars
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Audio rating
Story - 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Narration - 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Performance - 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Overall - 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ English The obvious reference point is Merlis’s “An Arrow’s Flight,” but Picano sticks to the time period instead of inserting modernity into the mix. And Picano’s conversational Ganymede is funny and breezy and altogether charming. His observations on life and mythos are as interesting as they are clever. English If you are looking for a traditional Greek tale with formal classic language then this is certainly not for you. Picano visualises a young man, given immortality at fourteen, who has aged mentally with the earth; he sees and knows the world – the modern world – and he speaks like a modern (albiet an American) boy. He decides to speak up and tell his true story because he sees that “a certain group of overconcerned busybodies are intent on making me a symbolic victim of an old pervert’s lust; and contrarily, by others saying that the perversion is fine.” He wants to set the record straight, to point out that his human rights had NOT been violated and he’s not the unwilling victim, raped and abducted without his permission.
He also says in the prologue, that he wants to give guys of today some hints
“to get themselves a sugar daddy who really counts, rather than settling for whomever comes along.”
Yes – unhinge your classical brain, we ain’t in the land of Laurence Olivier as Zeus!
Now you’d think I’d be complaining bitterly but I’m really not. I thoroughly enjoyed it once I saw the tack that Picano was taking. Ganymede is a cheeky little bastard, but wouldn’t you be if you were fated to be the most beautiful youth that ever lived? Picano takes the story mentioned in The Iliad that Ganymede was the son of Troas, King of Troy and whilst some of the ends of the story are changed a little, Ganymede Explains It All with typical youthful brio. When Zeus propositions him, there’s one of my favourite lines in the book and typical of the boy:
“If you want me, you’re going to have to do a lot better than they did. I’m not going to be known as the idiot who threw over Apollo and Hermes and Ares for an instant baking.”
The fact that his dad is dying of embarrassment as his son talks back to Zeus is a perfect touch.
Ganymede learns very early on that being so beautiful is both a blessing and a curse. His father shows him off as one of the wonders of Troy and soon on the boy is exiled from his home because Troas doesn’t want any gods turning up to court his son and making a nuisance of themselves. Ganymede’s adventures begin after this, rejecting Hermes, Ares and Apollo (after giving them a little taste of what they were going to miss) because he knows he’s worth more than any old randy minor god. And who can blame him. However it’s not until he’s humbled that he gets the chance to fulfill his destiny. The fact that it was Ganymede that brought about the Trojan war and subsequent destruction I thought was nicely done. It was his face that launched those ships, after all!!
The book is illustrated with lovely black and white drawings by David Martin which are very lickable and I wish I could show you one.
This book could easily have descended into a laughable, sporkable farce-but it doesn’t. It manages to be a fun, funny read thanks to the characterisation of the narrator and if you can get hold of a copy, reasonably priced, I think you’ll enjoy it. English When you listen to audiobooks on a regular basis, as a listener you start to find performers you love. Before you know it, when you’re looking at the lists of audiobooks, you’re searching the listings not by title or author, but by who performs the audiobook, and then reading the blurbs of the books they’ve done. Finding a new and awesome performer is like finding a new author, and in fact absolutely leads to just that: finding new authors through the performer.
I reviewed this in full over at Out in Print: Queer Book Reviews. English This book was originally written in 1981 by Felice Picano, and details the early life and career of Ganymede, as told by the alluring boy in his own words. It is extremely well-written, a colourful, ribald account of his escapades as he fights off the attentions of men of all rank and age. His beauty also captures the attention of various Immortals, who will go to great lengths to seduce him. It probably should be noted to those unfamiliar with Ancient history that Ganymede is 12 at the beginning of the book, so 21st century sensibilities do not apply.
The book hasn’t been in print for a long while, but now it has been republished as an audiobook, narrated in a salacious drawl by Jason Frazier. This is the first audiobook I have listened to all the way through. The delivery is everything, especially with a book that could be dismissed as being either too highbrow by some or too lightweight by others. This would be a shame. In fact, it is a witty, sexy, sometimes humorous account of Ganymede’s life. The reader gets a peephole view into the lusty world of Troy and its inhabitants, where beauty is highly prized and judged at every turn. Ganymede is the most beautiful of all boys, gaining sexual experience with a variety of Immortal lovers, before being disgraced and shunned for rejecting the top man, Zeus; probably not his greatest career move.
Jason Frazier’s voice should have an R rating. He could read a telephone directory and make it ooze with sexual promise. The book itself is not explicit, but the theme of lust runs through it in a pulsing thread. Ganymede learns humility, but still retains an arrogance that only truly beautiful people can get away with. He isn’t particularly likeable, but that doesn’t matter. His story is told in such rich and gorgeous detail, one cannot help but be captivated. This is a book to be savoured at home, rather than driving, or in a public place, as it would be a crime to miss a single word.
I was given a copy of this Audiobook in return for an honest review. English
