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Showing posts with label Son of Zeus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Son of Zeus. Show all posts

Monday, January 24, 2022

Bronze Age Greece Hist Fic Reading Order

It occurred to me this past weekend that you all might benefit from a reading order reference for the books all set in the shared world of HELEN OF SPARTA, in Bronze Age Greece, so I'm here to make it happen today!

These books, so far, except for SON OF ZEUS, all take place between the conception of Theseus and Odysseus's return home to Ithaca. That... probably will change, because I'm working on a Heracles book as we speak, and I have a larger Aethra project in the works as well! Something to look forward to, I suppose, and of course I will update this list when/if those titles are completed and released.

As things stand right now, if you'd like to read these works in chronological order inside the Bronze Age, here's where to start:



1) The Lion of Troezen (Novelette--launching on Patreon, January 2023) 
More than 40 years before Helen of Sparta, this novelette retells the myth of Theseus's conception, focusing on Aethra's extremely intimate relationship with Poseidon, and how that relationship alters the course of her life.
 
2) Ariadne and the Beast: A Short Story 
A little more than 25 years before Helen of Sparta. I guesstimate Theseus is in his late teens during the events of this story!
 
3) Tamer of Horses
~20 years before Helen of Sparta. Theseus and Pirithous are both kings of their respective domains, but still learning what that means.
 
4) Helen of Sparta
Theseus and Pirithous are both in their 40s and Heracles is older, still. 
 
5) By Helen's Hand 
Picks up right where Helen of Sparta leaves off. Pirithous's son by Hippodamia, Polypoetes, is of age to take over for his father as king of the Lapiths.
 
5a) A Broken Horse 
This novel is written but not yet published--I'm looking for an agent!--and follows both Paris and Polypoetes as they navigate the Trojan War.
 
6) The Siren's Song/A Sea of Sorrow
Takes place after the close of the Trojan War, as a retelling of The Odyssey. A Sea of Sorrow is in continuity with A Song of War, History 360's retelling of The Iliad, but my revised author's cut edition of The Siren's Song novella does exist within the same world as Helen of Sparta.
 
7) Son of Zeus
~3000 years or so after Helen of Sparta, this novel takes place in our modern world, and Pirithous is still in his 40s after being trapped in the chair of forgetfulness for millennia.

 All these titles, with the exception of Helen of Sparta and By Helen's Hand, were written to stand alone. You don't need to have read Tamer of Horses to enjoy Son of Zeus (I wrote Son of Zeus immediately after I finished writing Helen of Sparta, actually, before I had even written Tamer of Horses or By Helen's Hand.) And you don't need to read Ariadne to enjoy Helen of Sparta, though Theseus appears in both. 

You probably DO want to have read Helen of Sparta before you pick up By Helen's Hand, though, as they were written as a duology of Helen's life leading up to the Trojan War. And if you did happen to read Tamer of Horses before or after Helen of Sparta, it might enrich the experience of both books! If I've done my job right, you shouldn't need to have read either of Helen's books before A Broken Horse, either, when/if that makes it out into the wider world. Do I think you'll enjoy it more if you have? Yeah, of course. And even more again if you've read Tamer of Horses as well, since that's the story of Polypoetes's parents. But it shouldn't be a necessity. 

Consider them all just--companion novels, that allow you to travel a little deeper into the world and the stories of the characters you've met, either in reading Helen of Sparta, or in your own exploration of the myths themselves.

Tamer of Horses, Son of Zeus, and Ariadne and the Beast are all available in wide release through the digital retailer of your choice. Tamer of Horses and Son of Zeus are also both available in paperback for your physical reading pleasure--you should be able to order them from pretty much anywhere. (Here's a bookshop.org link to prove it! Alas, the Son of Zeus hardcover is Amazon Exclusive.) 

Ah! and before you go, The Siren's Song is going wide this week! Look for it in your library apps and available from non-amazon vendors at this link very soon!!!


Thursday, March 11, 2021

Son of Zeus: The Modern Adventures of Pirithous

It's been pretty quiet over here because--well, social media and also pandemic plague times, and my Amalia Carosella stuff got a little lost in the excitement of launching a third entire pen name last year, Amalia Theresa, for sexy romcom style contemporary romances.  

But it's 2021 now, and for you, that means: MORE PIRITHOUS!

Goodreads


If you've been following me on social media, you might already know that SON OF ZEUS was released exclusively to Patreon Patrons in a serialized format beginning in 2019. This summer, it's coming out in wide release for everyone else to read in paperback or the ebook format of their choice! Which means I have a goodreads link for you in preparation, even if I haven't quiiiite settled on the exact release day yet. (Right now it's looking May-ish?)

It also means that the first two chapters are available for you to read over on patreon as a teaser, and so is the rest of the book for as little as a dollar a month, if you want to get your read on in advance! 

You'll notice, too, that this book is authored by BOTH Amalia Dillin and Amalia Carosella--that's because while Pirithous is an Amalia Carosella character--the same Pirithous you all loved in HELEN OF SPARTA and TAMER OF HORSES--the contemporary setting and his adventures as a fish out of water in upstate New York felt a little bit like an Amalia Dillin story at the same time (in fact, it was written well before Amalia Carosella was even invented!) 

I think this book will have a lot of appeal to BOTH audiences, and I wanted to make sure readers of Amalia Dillin and Amalia Carosella could find it!

A NOTE FOR PATREON PATRON READERS: The Wide Release edition of SON OF ZEUS will have some small edits and expansions--nothing that makes a big difference to the story and mostly just places where the wording felt like it could be stronger or I needed another line to clarify Thalia's thoughts or Pirithous's intentions.

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!

In celebration of SON OF ZEUS's much belated release, TAMER OF HORSES is also going wide! No longer will you only be able to enjoy Pirithous's wedding to Hippodamia and the war with the centaurs that follows on kindle alone (and also everywhere in paperback already) but very shortly, you'll be able to grab it from apple books, for nook, kobo, and request the digital edition for your local library! 

I hit publish just this morning and will update this post and Tamer's home page with the new links once they start going live.

Taking TAMER OF HORSES wide has always been kind of a huge, terrifying leap for me with HELEN OF SPARTA and BY HELEN'S HAND as Amazon exclusive titles, but with SON OF ZEUS coming--it finally makes business sense to share this story with a potentially wider retail ecosystem, too. 

I hope you'll all enjoy BOTH of Pirithous's adventures now that they're going to be available outside of the kindle sphere!

As always, if  you've already enjoyed any of my books, do consider leaving a review wherever you bought it or like to review your reads.