Genre: Urban
Fantasy/Mythology/Contemporary
Description:
“Steve—Diomedes Tydides to his Trojan War buddies—just had a bad day
on his charter fishing boat in San Diego, but when the goddess Athena calls on
her faithful warrior for another secret mission, he’s ready. The bomb that
exploded inside the Metropolitan Museum of Art isn’t the crime American
authorities’ think it is. Someone also stole the Cup of Jamshid, and Diomedes
knows its fortune-telling abilities won’t be used for anything benign.
Though Diomedes recovers the Cup from a determined shaman holed up
beneath Central Park, when he finds his allies slain and the Cup taken once
more, he knows he’s up against a truly powerful enemy. Over a millennium has
passed since Diomedes last contended with Medea of Colchis, deranged wife of
Jason the Argonaut, but neither her madness nor her devotion to Hecate, goddess
of witchcraft, has waned, and she intends to use the Cup of Jamshid to release
across the world a dark brand of chaos unseen in human history.
Immortal since the Trojan War, Diomedes must once again fight for
mortals he understands less and less, against a divine evil he may never truly
defeat.”
Author:
“Brian S. Leon is truly a jack of all trades and a master of none. He
writes just to do something with all the useless degrees and skills he’s
accumulated over the years. Most of them have no practical application in
civilized society, anyway. His interests include mythology and fishing, in
pursuit of which he has explored jungles and museums, oceans and seas all over
the world.
His credentials include an undergraduate degree from the University of
Miami and a master’s degree from San Diego State University, plus extensive
postgraduate work in evolutionary biology at the University of Massachusetts
Amherst, where he studied animals most people aren’t even aware exist and
theories no one really cares about anyway… Brian currently resides in San
Diego, California.”
Learn more at Brian's website.
Appraisal:
Havoc Rising isn’t the type of Urban Fantasy I generally
enjoy reading. The Mythology, Gods, and Goddesses sucked me in. Diomedes
Tydides is a Guardian, who was recruited thousands of years ago by the Goddess
Athena to protect humankind. The story starts with a suicide bombing at the
Metropolitan Museum of Art, where we are introduced to the bomber and his mind
ramblings, which explains his motive to the reader.
As authorities are scrambling at the scene, Athena, as head of the
Metis Foundation, employs Diomedes, who goes by Steve Dore, to join the
investigation and recover a stolen item. The foundation’s primary focus is
finding peaceful solutions to human conflict. It is known as one of the most
respected think tanks in the world. Athena is sure the bombing served as a distraction
for a theft of an ancient bronze cup on exhibit in an upper level of the
museum. The novel is told through Diomedes point-of-view, and he readily tells
us he excels at clandestine operations, intelligence gathering, and
combat. He also admits he does not play well with others. But he's forced to
overcome this and build a small team to help him.
The plot is fast moving and has many surprising twists as the drama
unfolds. The battles are vivid, tense, and grisly as magic is thrown around
against seemingly impossible odds while battling unearthly monstrosities. Humor
is interspersed throughout to lighten the severity of the story. Diomedes is
the perfect tragic hero; he is engaging, courageous, and intelligent, with just
the right amount of biting wit.
I found it easy to get totally swept away in this thoroughly
engrossing tale. The relationship develops between Diomedes and Sarah is
cautious and endearing. The story comes to a satisfying close with some promise
of Sarah being included in future missions, which left a smile on my face,
especially after she decked Diomedes. I would highly recommend Havoc
Rising to any reader who enjoys mythology brought forward in a
contemporary setting that includes epic battles between good and evil.
Buy now
from: Amazon US Amazon UK
FYI:
Havoc Rising contains graphic violence and gore.
Colorful obscene adult language with plenty of F-bombs.
Original review posted July 18, 2016.
Format/Typo
Issues:
I found no proofing or formatting issues.
Rating: *****
Five Stars
Reviewed
by: ?wazithinkin
Approximate
word count: 120-125,000 words
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