When contemporary books retell the stories of the Greek gods placed in modern settings, the familiar roles of the major pantheon are usually the deities of choice. (Think of Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson series.) Not so in this imaginary worldscape. Kika Hatzopoulou has decided to people her tale with descendants of other beings—not gods or goddesses, exactly, but major players all the same. So we have a world filled with descendants of the Fates, Furies, Muses, Keres, Phobos and Deimos (Ares’s sons), gods of sleep, dreams, etc.
This novel idea plunges us into the world of women who literally can see life threads swirling in the air around them, allowing them to manipulate other people by sowing love, indifference, hatred, rendering an enemy unconscious, strengthening emotional ties or weakening them. These gifted females and others of their ilk must make their way in a world of humans who hate and/or fear them. They must struggle with being second-class citizens and the hardships that entails. They are either poor and struggling or delving into illegal activities to survive.
The prose is swimming with delirious imagery as we see the world as shining with silver threads or clotted with what look like droplets of blood as clustered as a heavy rainfall. Part crime mystery, romance and political thriller, this is potent, heady stuff, giving us a tale rich in otherworldly detail, emotional entanglements, original scenarios and all of this graced with truly memorable characters. It intrigues from the very first page to the last and, while I was sorry to have it end, I’m cheered by the fact that it’s not over by a long shot.
Gods and mortals are set to battle. There will be blood.
This novel idea plunges us into the world of women who literally can see life threads swirling in the air around them, allowing them to manipulate other people by sowing love, indifference, hatred, rendering an enemy unconscious, strengthening emotional ties or weakening them. These gifted females and others of their ilk must make their way in a world of humans who hate and/or fear them. They must struggle with being second-class citizens and the hardships that entails. They are either poor and struggling or delving into illegal activities to survive.
The prose is swimming with delirious imagery as we see the world as shining with silver threads or clotted with what look like droplets of blood as clustered as a heavy rainfall. Part crime mystery, romance and political thriller, this is potent, heady stuff, giving us a tale rich in otherworldly detail, emotional entanglements, original scenarios and all of this graced with truly memorable characters. It intrigues from the very first page to the last and, while I was sorry to have it end, I’m cheered by the fact that it’s not over by a long shot.
Gods and mortals are set to battle. There will be blood.