Friday, February 12, 2016

Review: A Billion Gods and Goddesses: The Mythology Behind the Pipe Woman Chronicles by Lynne Cantwell


Genre: Mythology/Legends/Folk Tales/Native American/Spirituality

Description:

More than forty deities, representative of fifteen pantheons from around the world, have found Their way into the ten books (and counting!) of the Pipe Woman Chronicles story cycle. In A Billion Gods and Goddesses: The Mythology Behind the Pipe Woman Chronicles, you will find additional information on each of the deities in the urban fantasy series, as well as a brief foundation in comparative mythology.

The gods and goddesses in the Pipe Woman Chronicles hail from Alaska to Mexico, and from Russia and Scandinavia to Ireland and Japan – with pantheons of several Native American tribes well represented. The book is organized by type of deity: creators, tricksters, and so on. The gods are also cross-listed by pantheon, as well as by Their first appearance in the series.

A Billion Gods and Goddesses is meant to be a companion volume to the Pipe Woman Chronicles novels, but it also serves as a wide-ranging introduction to the subject of mythology. Anyone curious about what others believe will find something to interest them here.”

Author:

Lynne Cantwell is a contributing author at Indies Unlimited where she shares her knowledge about Indie publishing and promotion. She has a master’s degree in fiction writing from Johns Hopkins University and is a former broadcast journalist who has written for CNN and Mutual/NBC Radio News, among other places. Ms. Cantwell currently lives near Washington, DC. You can connect with her at her website or on her Facebook page.

Appraisal:

I found this a comprehensive guide for the Pipe Woman Chronicles, Pipe Woman's Legacy, and Land, Sea, Sky Trilogy. I wasn’t sure whether I would enjoy just reading about the gods and goddesses but Ms. Cantwell is a storyteller at heart. It would be extremely wordy to include every detail about each and every god or goddesses she included in her stories. Besides you would get distracted from the story itself that she was trying to tell.

In this book she has included more information she liked and expands a bit further. As an example, “To most people these days, myth is a derogatory term that denotes a story based on a lie. But to anthropologists, a myth a simply a sacred narrative.” And it turns out there are a lot of similarities between most if not all mythic cultures around the world.

I like the way Ms. Cantwell has organized her extensive research referencing and cross-referencing, and cross-cross-referencing. I can’t even imagine the tangled webs she wove and unwove for our benefit. Thanks for going to so much trouble for your readers' benefit, Ms. Cantwell.

Buy now from:      Amazon US      Amazon UK

FYI:

This is where I generally mention foul language or sexual content… I got nuttin’.

Format/Typo Issues:

I don’t recall any proofing or editing issues.

Rating: ***** Five Stars

Reviewed by: ?wazithinkin

Approximate word count: 20-25,000 words

4 comments:

Lynne Cantwell said...

Whoo hoo! Thanks for the kind review! :)

?wazithinkin said...

You are welcome, Ms. Cantwell. I have to apologize for that FYI comment. That was meant for BigAl, LOL! I can't believe he didn't edit that out. *blush*

Anonymous said...

I'm a big fan of Lynne Cantwell's Pipewoman Chronicles and related series. They appealed to me from the outset because of their use of mythologies. I shall certainly check this out.

?wazithinkin said...

Thanks for dropping in and commenting, judimoore. I think you will enjoy this addition to Ms. Cantwell's series.