#atozchallenge Grumpy Old Gods: Volume 2 #bookreview

My theme this year is blogging about my author brand. Wednesdays' posts are Book Reviews.


Last week I reviewed a book with a mythology-based story. This week I'm reviewing an anthology that has mythology-based characters. (And the novel I published... same energy.) Is this a pattern? Not really. Next week is review of a YA story.

Grumpy Old Gods: Volume 2

Yet another great book in this anthology series. I'm glad I got to read it. I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys ancient mythology retold in more modern times, often with funny twists.

I really liked Wine and Mazes by Vanessa Wells. That's how my job felt when I first started, sort of (so many hallways...). Purr Like an Egyptian by Rachael Dickson had me hooked right away and concluded puuurrfectly. In Christian Goldback and his Conjectures by Andrew Paul Grell, there's a great part about using rocks to signal for help; I really enjoyed how that scene was done. Hermes Penitence by Juneta Key was a really creative mix of modern times and ancient myths. The story How You Remind Me by Ronel Janse Van Vuuren was an exciting mashup of various pantheons with a great choice for a main character.

Some of my favorite lines from the book include:
"But kids know something adults don't: jumping is fun."
"It's the level of belief that keeps them alive."
"They divorced, and now she's in Bikini Bottom with that celebrity sponge."
"He finally understood what the mortals meant when they said they missed the taste of food the most in the afterlife."

The book is easy to read, entertaining, and has several different mythologies represented. Several of the stories hold a mirror up to society because some of the stories we tell about the old myths are a reflection on how we see ourselves or our leaders. I am an online acquaintance with some authors in this book.

I did end up reading this twice. (There was too much tragedy in my life to enjoy anything the first time I read it. But the second reading, I'm happy to report, resulted in much enjoyment.)



Do you enjoy books that use ancient mythology characters in modern settings?