Pre-order Athena’s Champion on Amazon
Release Date: November 8, 2018
Synopsis from the publisher…
The first in a thrilling new historical fantasy series; Odysseus must embrace his secret heritage and outwit the vengeful Gods who would control or destroy him…
Prince Odysseus of Ithaca is about to have his world torn apart. He’s travelled to the oracle at Pytho to be anointed as heir to his island kingdom; but instead the Pythia reveals a terrible secret, one that tears down every pillar of his life, and marks him out for death.
Outcast by his family, hunted by the vengeful gods, Odysseus is offered sanctuary by Athena, goddess of wisdom, and thrust into the secret war between the Olympians for domination and survival. Only his wits, and his skill as a warrior, can keep him ahead of their power games – and alive.
When one of Athena’s schemes goes drastically wrong, and the young Helen of Sparta is kidnapped, Odysseus must journey past the gates of Hades to save her. Falling in love with a Trojan princess, a bewitching woman who poses a deadly threat to both his homeland and Athena, won’t make his task any easier…
Drawing from classic Greek mythology, Athena’s Champion, first in the epic Olympus Trilogy, is perfect for fans of Madeline Miller and David Gemmell.
Gina’s thoughts…
Athena’s Champion tells the story of Odysseus as a young man. Think of this book as a prequel to the infamous Iliad by Homer. Its obvious that the authors did their research as they told of the events and arguments amongst the Gods that lead up to the Trojan War.
This book expands on the idea in Greek mythology that the Gods and Goddesses constantly meddled in the lives of mortals, and used them as pawns, to win favor with Zeus, start wars, gain worshippers, etc.
The writing style was very direct and just focused on the action and dialogue. It did take me a chapter or two to really get into the story, but after that, I was fully engrossed and refused to put the book down. I had fun geeking out throughout the novel by looking up the characters and places found in the story.
As I read the story I felt like I was living the re-telling of an old tale; however, that tale was fresh, like I had just unearthed some long-lost scrolls with new stories that hadn’t been told for ages. I had flashbacks of all the wonderful things I learned in my favorite college courses: mythology, ancient literature, humanities, world history.
The development of characters, that you’ll recognize from Greek myths and legends, plus the endearing love story woven throughout the novel, made everything even more enjoyable.
I knew I was hooked when I thought to myself, “Mom would love this book. I’ll have to buy her a copy.” There were several references, such as Jason and the Argonauts and the Battle of Thermopylae between Sparta and the Persian Empire, which all reminded me of story-time with my Mom growing up. She loved to read me mythological stories and the book brought back very fond memories.
The authors brought Ancient Greece back to life and I can’t wait to read the next book in the Olympus Series.
I received an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
Connect with the authors…
David Hair – Visit his website and Twitter
Cath Mayo – Visit her website and Twitter
Learn more…
Have you read Athena’s Champion? Please feel free to share a link to your review in the comments below!
I just love this cover!
tea + book + blanket = cozy bliss 
Can tell how much you enjoyed this book! I do enjoy historical fiction, but Greek mythology not so much.
Thanks for linking with #TalkoftheTown
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