Blurb:
The
boy watched the star fall. It fell very slowly, and it was not one light but a
multitude of lights spinning lazily through the night sky. Then great silver
fish flew through the sky and other mysterious lights began to appear on the
mountain. At last a great thunderbolt struck the ocean. The sound was flat and
hollow and unbelievably loud, as if a giant had stamped on the earth. And the
sign of the Goddess appeared in the sky—the sign of the Sacred Mushroom. These
are the events that mark the arrival of the Atlantis, the doomed starship,
bringing new gods who would change the lives of the boy and his people forever.
About the Author:
Jenny
Twist left school at fifteen and went to work in an asbestos factory. After
working in various jobs, including bacon-packer and escapologist's assistant
(she was The Lovely Tanya), she returned to full-time education and did a BA in
history at Manchester and post-graduate studies at Oxford.
In
2001 she retired and moved to Spain where she lives with her husband, Vic, and
their rather eccentric dog and cat. Besides writing, she enjoys reading,
knitting and attempting to do fiendishly difficult logic puzzles.
Review:
Back
in the seventies I read a book called Chariots
of the Gods that posited the gods primitive peoples worshipped were
actually explorers from other planets who landed on Earth. It suggested these
people built such structures as the Great Pyramids, the Parthenon, and created
the Nazga Lines, the patterns of which can only be seen from the air. In her acknowledgments
at the end of The Owl Goddess, Ms.
Twist admits to having read the same book and been greatly affected by it.
Although, she puts her own spin on the story—one you’ll have to read the book
to discover.
Prometheus
is a member of a tribe called the Titans. Around sixteen years old, he’s
already a man, and he’s been cast out of the group by Atlas, who wants to be
King, and knows he can’t beat Prometheus in the footrace that would determine
who will marry Pandora, the Queen who represents the Mother Goddess, and ascend
the throne with her. He witnesses the landing of the Atlantis and its eventual scuttling
by its captain, Zeus.
The
crew settles on a plateau toward the top of Mount Olympus, setting up camp and
traveling about in shuttles and escape pods they’ve salvaged from their damaged
vessel. They use an energy shield to protect their camp from indigenous animals
or people, and wear similar suits when they leave camp, so they appear to be
impervious to the Titan’s weapons. On the other hand, when Pandora falls and
hits her head on a rock, Prometheus appeals to Athena, Zeus’ daughter for help.
Using modern technology, they’re able to heal Pandora, and the two groups
become friendly—except for Atlas and some of the younger warriors who resent
being bested by the “Olympians” superior defenses.
Many
of the Greek myths play out in The Owl Goddess, but in ways that fit the
premise. Athena adopts a baby owl, and the Titans worship her as a wise
goddess. Zeus banishes Atlas and his cronies across the Mediterranean to Africa
as punishment for attacking a group of Olympians who were no longer wearing shields.
Pandora talks Prometheus into stealing “fire” from the Olympians and does,
indeed, open something that releases chaos and death. However, Ms. Twist left
out the fact that at the bottom of Pandora’s box, there was hope.
Altogether,
The Owl Goddess was a fascinating
look at Greek mythology from a slightly different point of view. Athena doesn’t
see herself as a goddess at all. In fact, having been born aboard the Atlantis,
she’s the only teenager in the colony, and she kind of has a crush on
Prometheus, who is in love with Pandora, so there’s a bit of a romantic
triangle going on there. She’s a clone of Zeus, so Hera is her mother, but not
in the traditional sense. There’s not too much love lost there, and Athena
tends to keep her distance from her. Hera is homesick, bored, and wants her
creature comforts back. She’s cranky and demanding, and even Zeus avoids her as
much as possible.
The Owl Goddess grabbed me from the
beginning and held my attention throughout with well-drawn characters and a
really cool twist at the end. I highly recommend it.
Author Website: https://sites.google.com/site/jennytwistauthor/home
Heat Rating: PG
Length: 273 Pages
Prices:
Print: $15.99
Digital: $4.33
Thanks
for visiting.
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