No Friend to This House is an extraordinary reimagining of the myth of Medea from the Sunday Times bestselling author of Stone Blind, Natalie Haynes.
'Muse, sorceress, high priestess, Haynes is all of these, but above all she is the consummate storyteller.' — Adam Rutherford
‘Natalie Haynes is a once-in-a-generation storyteller, and No Friend to This House is her masterpiece.’ — Dr. Amanda Foreman
‘This book is about many things: the true nature of heroism, ancient magic, loyalty and family, but, most of all, it is a tapestry of choices dictated by sorrow, spite and survival. Another masterpiece from Haynes.’ — Costanza Casati
No Friend to This House by Natalie Haynes
No Friend to This House
by Natalie Haynes
11th September 2025 • Mantle • HB fiction • £20
This is what no one tells you, in the songs sung about Jason and the Argo. This part of his quest has been forgotten, by everyone but me . . .
Jason and his Argonauts set sail to find the Golden Fleece. The journey is filled with danger, for him and everyone he meets. But if he ever reaches the distant land he seeks, he faces almost certain death.
Medea – priestess, witch, and daughter of a brutal king – has the power to save the life of a stranger. Will she betray her family and her home, and what will she demand in return?
Medea and Jason seize their one chance of a life together, as the gods intend. But their love is steeped in vengeance from the beginning, and no one – not even those closest to them – will be safe.
Based on the classic tragedy by Euripides, this is Medea as you've never seen her before…
Natalie Haynes is a Sunday Times bestselling writer and broadcaster. She is the author of novels The Amber Fury, shortlisted for the McIlvanney Prize; The Children of Jocasta, a feminist retelling of the Oedipus and Antigone stories; A Thousand Ships (shortlisted for the Women’s Prize), a retelling of the Trojan War from an all-female perspective and Stone Blind, a re-telling of the Medusa story (long listed for the Women’s Prize). Her non-fiction books include The Ancient Guide to Modern Life; Pandora’s Jar, about the women in Greek myths, and Divine Might: Goddesses in Greek Myth. She has written and presented 11 series of the BBC Radio 4 show, Natalie Haynes Stands Up for the Classics. In 2015, she was awarded the Classical Association Prize for her work in bringing Classics to a wider audience.
Instagram: @nataliehaynesauthor
Facebook: nataliehaynesstandupclassicist
Selected praise for Natalie Haynes
‘Witty, gripping, ruthless’ – Margaret Atwood on Stone Blind
‘Passionate and gripping’ – Madeline Miller on The Children of Jocasta
‘[Haynes] deftly drags the classics into the modern world.’ – Kate Atkinson
‘Haynes is a master of her trade..’ – Daily Telegraph
‘Fiercely feminist . . . A many-layered delight’ – The Guardian on A Thousand Ships
‘Haynes’ clever, empathetic writing transforms Medusa from Gorgon into a girl, who’s a victim of the cruel machinations of the gods and of circumstance.’ Red on Stone Blind
‘feminist, funny and thought provoking.’ – Mail on Sunday on Stone Blind
‘her zingy, lively style will bring these myths to a new, younger audience, especially girls…’ - Herald on Divine Might
Tour Dates
Tuesday 9th September - Bloomsbury Theatre, London
Wednesday 10th September - The Stoller Hall, Manchester
Friday 12th September - Malvern Theatre
Saturday 13th September – Bath Komedia
Monday 15th September - The Junction, Cambridge
Tuesday 16th September - The Sheldonian Theatre, Oxford
Thursday 18th September – Blake Theatre, Monmouth
Saturday 20th September - Storyhouse, Chester
Sunday 21st September - Assembly Rooms, Edinburgh
Monday 22nd September - Hexham Queens Hall
Sunday 28th September - Mannington Book Bash
Tuesday 30th September - Warwick Arts Centre
Friday 10th October - Cheltenham Literary Festival
Saturday 18th October – Canterbury Festival
Friday 28th November - Hay Winter Weekend
For publicity enquiries please contact Emma Finnigan.