Format: E-Galley, 464 pages
Release Date: February 16, 2016
Publisher: Orbit
Source: Publisher
Genre: Urban Fantasy
MANHATTAN HAS
MANY SECRETS.
SOME ARE OLDER THAN THE CITY ITSELF.
Manhattan.
The city sleeps. Selene DiSilva walks her dog along the banks of the Hudson. She is alone-just the way she likes it. She doesn't believe in friends, and she doesn't speak to her family. Most of them are simply too dangerous.
Murders.
In the predawn calm, Selene finds the body of a young woman washed ashore, gruesomely mutilated and wreathed in laurel. Her ancient rage returns. And so does the memory of a promise she made long ago. To protect the innocent-and to punish those who stand in her way.
Gods.
With the NYPD out of its depth, Selene vows to hunt the killer on her own. But when classics professor Theo Schultz decodes the ancient myth behind the crime, the solitary Huntress finds herself working with a man who's her opposite in every way. Together, they face a long-forgotten cult that lies behind a string of murders, and they'll need help from the one source Selene distrusts most of all: the city's other Immortals.
SOME ARE OLDER THAN THE CITY ITSELF.
Manhattan.
The city sleeps. Selene DiSilva walks her dog along the banks of the Hudson. She is alone-just the way she likes it. She doesn't believe in friends, and she doesn't speak to her family. Most of them are simply too dangerous.
Murders.
In the predawn calm, Selene finds the body of a young woman washed ashore, gruesomely mutilated and wreathed in laurel. Her ancient rage returns. And so does the memory of a promise she made long ago. To protect the innocent-and to punish those who stand in her way.
Gods.
With the NYPD out of its depth, Selene vows to hunt the killer on her own. But when classics professor Theo Schultz decodes the ancient myth behind the crime, the solitary Huntress finds herself working with a man who's her opposite in every way. Together, they face a long-forgotten cult that lies behind a string of murders, and they'll need help from the one source Selene distrusts most of all: the city's other Immortals.
The Immortals, by Jordanna Max Brodsky, is the first installment in the Olympus Bound series. This series is based on the idea that some of the Twelve Olympians are still alive, and living as mortals. Some Olympians have faded away, while others are barely hanging on to who they once were thanks to man no longer believing in them. This first installment focuses not only on Artemis (Selene DiSilva) the Goddess of the Hunt, Virginity, Wild Animals, and the Moon, but also the discovery that someone is attempting to bring back the Eleusinian Mysteries that were thought to have been outlawed in the fourth century A.D by Holy Roman Emperor Theodosius.
The Mysteries are said to have been true, and were a religious ritual that ancient Athens participated in. It is said to be able to give mortals immortality. While the author does a fairly impressive job of cobbling up what different experts have written about, the actual Mysteries remain just that today, a mystery. Selene, as she is currently known, has a penchant for protecting the innocents, mostly women, from being harmed by men. So, it is not surprising nor shocking that after she discovers the body of a woman disemboweled, she goes on the hunt for answers to whom is responsible.
That brings Selene to the attention of classicist Theodore (Theo) Schultz. Theo is an instructor at Columbia, and has a deep understanding of all things Greek Mythology. He is also the ex of the first victim. The author does alternate narratives when the story deems it necessary. As the two run around NYC like chickens with their heads cut off trying to stop bloody sacrifices, the mystery as to who is actually responsible, gets played out perfectly right to the end. Along the way, there are appearances by Apollo, Dionysus, Hermes, Hades, Persephone, Orion, and Hephaestus.
I've always enjoyed fictional characters in actual settings for stories, so, let's call this Immortals of New
York City since the entirety of this story takes place around the city that
never sleeps. I love that author Brodsky has done her research, and then some. If you're not sure of something, look in the back of the book! I love that she uses historical figures like Alexander Hamilton, and Theodore Roosevelt as characters whom one of Selene's former alias met. I love that Brodsky mentions the Policewoman's bureau of the 1920's which another Selene alias was a member of and was a real thing.
If you live in NYC, you will probably have a clue what the author is speaking about when she mentions Franklin Roosevelt's presidential railroad car, the waterfall in Central Park's Ravine, and Liberty Theater, One of the more interesting things I had no clue about, was the Pneumatic Transit system that never quite got off the ground. As a fun research project, go to Google and do a search. If you've watched Ghostbusters, you definitely saw what's remaining of a remarkable idea.
I started this one a few weeks ago but ended up setting it aside. Need to give it another shot.. sure does sound interesting. :)
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