Shout-Out: Antigoddess by Kendare Blake

Old Gods never die…

Or so Athena thought. But then the feathers started sprouting beneath her skin, invading her lungs like a strange cancer, and Hermes showed up with a fever eating away his flesh. So much for living a quiet eternity in perpetual health.

Desperately seeking the cause of their slow, miserable deaths, Athena and Hermes travel the world, gathering allies and discovering enemies both new and old. Their search leads them to Cassandra-an ordinary girl who was once an extraordinary prophetess, protected and loved by a god.

These days, Cassandra doesn't involve herself in the business of gods-in fact, she doesn't even know they exist. But she could be the key in a war that is only just beginning.

Because Hera, the queen of the gods, has aligned herself with other of the ancient Olympians, who are killing off rivals in an attempt to prolong their own lives. But these anti-gods have become corrupted in their desperation to survive, horrific caricatures of their former glory. Athena will need every advantage she can get, because immortals don't just flicker out.

Every one of them dies in their own way. Some choke on feathers. Others become monsters. All of them rage against their last breath.

The Goddess War is about to begin.

Out August 19th.

Creature Feature: Harpies

In this column I talk about some of the more unusual fantasy creatures and/or creatures it would be cool to see in books.

"Harpy". Licensed under Public domain via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Harpy.PNG#mediaviewer/File:Harpy.PNG

I'm starting this series with a greatly underused creature from Greek myth.  

Harpies are:

“Huge predatory birds with the faces of women and the talons of eagles, used by the gods to punish or torment humans.” (Encyclopedia of Things That Never Were by Michael Page & Robert Ingpen, p.195)

Their name comes from the Greek word ‘snatchers’, which aptly describes what they do.  They scream as they fall upon their prey and their stench is overpowering. 

Sound cool, don’t they?

Shout-Out: Food for the Gods by Karen Dudley

I came across this book when I did April's upcoming fiction titles as the second book in this series, Kraken Bake is out April 30th.  This series, based on Greek mythology, looks hilarious.

Pelops' troubles began when his father chopped him into stewing meat and served him to the gods for tea. Although he's been remade, and gifted with a talent for the culinary arts, there are downsides--namely a missing shoulder and sea god with an infatuation. Poseidon's nice enough, but he just doesn't take no for an answer. Not only that, a wealthy, but mysterious patron has been causing Pelops' clients to cancel their engagements. Meanwhile, a rival chef is doing his best to destroy Pelops' reputation, the woman Pelops loves appears oblivious to his feelings, and just before Athens' most important festival begins, Pelops finds himself suddenly without olive oil--a serious concern for a chef. But things get worse when a courtesan is murdered at a dinner Pelops prepares--drowned in his newly-acquired olive oil. Seeking vengeance, the Furies arrive in Athens, and the rival chef blames their attacks on Pelops. Clients cancel in droves, and even Pelops' friends are affected by his rival's machinations. Pelops asks the gods for help, but when they turn him down, he realizes he alone must find the woman's killer to salvage his reputation.