Chimera (Barth novel) Chimera (Barth novel) Chimera is a 1972 fantasy novel written by American writer John Barth, composed of three loosely connected novellas. The novellas are "Dunyazadiad", "Perseid" and "Bellerophoniad", whose titles refer eponymously to the mythical characters Dunyazad, Perseus and Bellerophon (slayer of the mythical Chimera). The book is an example of postmodernism, which can be seen in its metafictional content and its incorporation of stylistic elements that go beyond the traditional novel genre. It shared the U.S. National Book Award for Fiction with "Augustus" by John Edward Williams. The Dunyazadiad is a retelling of the framing story of Scheherazade, the
A Man Called Hero surprises the stalker and corners her after a brief chase through the streets. She identifies herself as Kate, the daughter of Hero's senior, Shadow. Kate leads Sword and Sheng to her father. Shadow tells them how he rescued Hero from Steel Bull Canyon when Hero was buried in the sand after being falsely accused of murdering two men. Hero and Shadow encountered the Five Elements Ninjas and defeated them. During the fight, Hero injured the female ninja, Wood, but spared her life and sent her for medical treatment. When Wood develops a crush on Hero, the Gold Ninja, who is