2024-05-08
In Bell’s fantasy novel, an epic battle rages between a new set of gods and the titan who rules their world.
The goddess Gaia is in the throes of labor, but she must keep moving, for nowhere is safe for the son she’s about to bring into the world. Surrounded by lava and fire, Hades is born. Gaia knows she cannot keep him with her, so she delivers him to two people she trusts—Ethan and Raven, a couple who long for their own children but have none. Over the course of the next several years, Gaia delivers three more boys to their doorstep, each born tied to an element: Atlas (earth), Poseidon (water), and finally Zeus (air). It is their destiny to defeat the tyrant Kronos and restore balance to the world. Ethan and Raven are both members of the Cross of the Iron Phoenix, a society dedicated to serving Gaia and protecting the people. Ethan raises and trains his “sons” to be members themselves, and to do what is right, telling them nothing of their special purpose (“I don’t want him growing up with some great destiny hanging over his head”). But when Hades comes into his birthright powers during a fight with a local thug, the couple can no longer hide what their sons are. In this first installment of Bell’s Cosmic World of Olympus series, the author takes some creative license with Greek mythology in addition to a few choice elements picked from other classic tales (the boy’s home of Sherwood Forest may ring a bell with many) to weave a thrilling fantasy tale. The story has the quick pacing of a YA novel, with some added time jumps that ensure readers have little chance to be bored between the action scenes. With plenty of excitement, epic battle plans, and a little bit of young romance sprinkled in, this novel will provide plenty of enjoyment for fantasy readers.
A thrilling tale of four young godlings who must restore balance to the world.
