Out of this unholy union between Pasiphae (Ariadne’s mother) and the bull, the Minotaur was born. Poseidon retaliated by afflicting Minos’s wife Pasiphae with a bizarre passion for the bull Poseidon had sent, such that she even mated with it. Minos wanted to keep that very fine bull for himself, so he sacrificed a different, and inferior, creature.

Poseidon, the powerful god of the sea, had sent a magnificent bull to King Minos to sacrifice to Poseidon, acts of sacrifice and praise being very important to the gods, even if they have to provide assists.

In Greek mythology, Ariadne was a princess of Crete, daughter of King Minos and brother of the Minotaur. It seeks to redress the ways in which these stories have traditionally been told from the male point of view, and focuses on “the price paid for the resentment, the lust and the greed of arrogant men.” This book turns the tale of Ariadne into a “herstory.” The winner will be announced on 2 December, chosen by a Waterstones panel.Ariadne is another retelling of Greek myths, this one from the perspective of the women involved in the stories. Waterstones retail director Luke Taylor described the nominations from booksellers as “eclectic and diverse”, and “a true reflection of our booksellers’ passion for sharing outstanding books with readers”. The Waterstones shortlist also features Paul McCartney’s story of his life told through 154 songs, The Lyrics, Marcus Rashford’s guide to unlocking potential for children, You Are a Champion, and Kazuo Ishiguro’s first novel since he won the Nobel prize, Klara and the Sun. “And maybe in difficult times, that freshness and that inspiration, and just a really good story, is something we yearn for.” “These stories are falling into the hands of a very diverse array of authors at the moment, and that’s giving them a new life, ” agreed Jeffs, pointing to books from Margaret Atwood’s The Penelopiad to more recent works by Madeline Miller, Monique Roffey and Natalie Haynes. And the trends for authors revisiting those stories for a contemporary audience has been incredibly popular recently,” said Carvalho. “There’s something really timeless and universal about those familiar stories that is quite comforting in uncertain times. Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson, on the Waterstones book of the year

Ariadne jennifer saint