The Twelve Labors of Nick: Book 1 of the Mythos Series

Mythos #1

by Amy Wolf, Anthony Christou (Illustrator)

★ He’s just a high school kid. Can he perform the 12 Labors of Hercules? ★Los Angeles. Nikólaos (“Nick”) Chironopolous finds himself bullied at every turn. As a Greek, his skin is too dark, and, as a track guy, he’s no football hero. The only refuge he has is at Lil’ Pardner stables, where he hangs with his best friends – horses.Nick’s whole world crumbles when his dad comes to turns out he’s head of all centaurs, Chiron. And has a crazy scheme to send Nick to some wacked-out place called Mythos.Once there, Nick finds he has to perform 12 Labors to free both Mýthos and Earth from the monstrous Typhon. After finding a helper, Helen, who has secrets of her own, he journeys near and far to battle Typhon's namely, the Nemean Lion, the Hydra, a huge Boar, four lovesick Mares, a dragon . . . and that’s just for starters!With Helen’s help, Nick victors over evil King Diomedes, Hades’ nasty three-headed dog, and even the god Poseidon. He makes friends with the mermen who help him and earns Athena’s respect. Along the way, he discovers his true identity.But his ultimate test occurs in the hellish Tartarus where he must call on everything he’s got in an epic battle with Typhon. Helen reveals her last secret and even the gods pitch in to vanquish this ancient foe who once held Zeus himself captive.Can Nick come through and complete his 12 Labors?Can he save his dad and get together with Helen?Find out in The Twelve Labors of Nick, the first book in the action-packed Mýthos historical fantasy trilogy. If you like courageous heroes, page-turning tension, and a new fun twist on Greek myths, then you’ll love Amy Wolf’s fast-paced tale.

Genres: Fantasy

266 pages, Hardcover

Published May 2, 2021

About the author

Amy Wolf is an Amazon Kindle Scout winner for her novel THE MISSES BRONTES ESTABLISHMENT.

She recently published the first two books in her Honest Thieves Series, and the first book of her Mythos series. The second book is soon to follow.

Amy has published 38 short stories in the fantasy/sf press and is a graduate of the Clarion West Writer's program. She has an honors English degree from The University of London.

She started her career working for the major Hollywood studios, including 20th Century Fox & Warner Bros.

One of three natives out of 10 million, Amy was forced from L.A. and now lives in Honolulu. She has one adult daughter currently terrorizing L.A., and a small, barky dog.

Reviews

[Julia]

I’ve been sitting on my review of this book for a while and I think I’m finally ready to write it. I bought this directly from the author at ECCC this year who suggested that I would enjoy her work as I was wearing Percy Jackson merchandise. Not but a few hours later in line for an event, I opened the book and knew I was in for a ride. I won’t sugarcoat it. These books are bad, point blank; and yes, I read all three. They read as if the author skimmed the wikipedia articles for the myths included, not to mention that I have a lot of problems with the “happy ending” given to the freshly 18 year old protagonist, but I digress. My physical copy of the first installment is highlighted and annotated so much that almost every page is marked. I’ve probably thought about the series more than the author has at this point. For that, I would actually like to extend my begrudging respect and gratitude to the author, because these were also unintentionally the funniest books I’ve ever read. I presented the entire series to my book club at great length, and we still reference Nick months later. “[…] and I totally suck at Fortnite!” is unfortunately a permanent part of my vocabulary now. I can’t give a star rating to any of these because my simultaneous enjoyment and disdain for the series is so nebulous I cant even begin to attempt quantifying it.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

This did remind me of Riordan a bit. For one thing, in Wolf and Riordan, various characters function a little differently than in classical mythology. For another, both authors use Typhon as a formidable villain. But there are also notable differences. In Riordan, Medusa is gleefully evil, whereas Wolf gives her a conscience and a chance at rehabilitation.

The way Nick perceives Mýthos and interacts with its inhabitants reminds me of how Seth Sorenson views Fablehaven and interacts with some of its fantastic creatures, i.e. the the lofty and touchy centaurs. Sometimes in Wolf this tips a little into the ridiculous, such as when Nick declares that "Mýthos needs to get woke."*

All in all, this was a quick, enjoyable read.

*Amy Wolf. 12LaborsD2D (Kindle Location 972). Kindle Edition.

[Kristie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a cute version of mythology. I felt it was for younger kids than I anticipated. There was a lot of slang used in the story. Seemed to be missing some parts of the story here and there which would explain certain transitions, basically how one piece jumped to the next. However, pending a few areas to clean up, should make for a good youth book. Certainly will make mythology more interesting. I received this book was received as an ARC.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

"MYTHS AND LEGENDS"
Greek Mythology at its finest.
The main character in the book is Nick.
Just an ordinary boy until he finds out about his parents.
There is a Movie on the 12 labors of Hercules if you liked that you will love this even more.
This book is full of great characters and is good for a wide audience ,exciting fun and hard to put down.
Cannot wait for next book as i was left high and dry and want to know what happened next....

[Andrea Stoeckel · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I was a young teenager, and first saw Harryhausen's stop-action work on the movie about the 12 labors of Hercules, it sent me delving into mythology and learning about the myths of the gods and goddesses of Greece and Rome. So, when I got the chance to read a new retelling, I jumped at it.

Aimed at the age of the kid I was, Nikólaos (“Nick”) Chironopolous is bullied for being different. His only solace is the Lil’ Pardner stables, where he hangs with his best friends the horses. He just wants to get out of the area, go to college and make life easier for he and his Mom. Until, the secret she's been hiding, literally appears in front of him. His father, Chiron, the head of all centaurs, comes to take him to someplace called Mythos to save the heavens and earth from Typhon. But, he's a kid; can he do it? Better yet, will he?

This is a fast fun read that beats Rick Riordan' myth reworkings with a trident! Where Riordan bores my young family members, this is a kid their age; one they can really connect with. I can hardly wait to share this with them! Highly age appropriate and recommended. 5/5

[disclaimer: I received this book from the author and voluntarily read and reviewed it]

[Ami · Rating 4 out of 5]

This YA tale is well-written with interesting, well-rounded characters, several that I really like or really enjoyed not liking. There is plenty of action with surprises galore. I love stories that include Greek gods and this one used them well and in unique ways. I recommend it and hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this ebook from the author and this is my honest and freely given opinion.

[Mary T · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fun book.
Nick is a twenty first century boy of Greek descent who is challenged with the twelve labors of Hercules. The references to modern day events and slang in the mythic challenges make for a humorous and enjoyable story that I enjoyed reading.
I received this as an ARC.

[Jenny T. · Rating 2 out of 5]

High school junior Nick finds out that he's not a regular Californian teen but actually the son of Chiron (a centaur). He is then sent to Mythos with the task of completing the 12 labors of Heracles in order to defeat Typhon and save the world. I enjoyed re-visiting Greek myths, but was a bit turned off by the use of a lot of slang in the characters' dialogue. (see also "The Lightning Thief" by Rick Riordan)
(I received a copy of the book in exchange for an honest and unbiased opinion.)

[Amy Wolf]

For fans of Percy Jackson and fun fantasy/myths too. The book combines the present day with Mythos, the best of ancient Greece created by Big Guy Zeus. This is YA, but has enough stuff to amuse adults as well. The hero Nick is seventeen, so he's a lot older than Percy when first introduced to the gods.
You can check out the book here:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08D8M6HP8

Thanks.

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an arc and the opinions and views are my own. I enjoyed reading the twelve labour’s of Nick and the Greek mythology that went with it however I didn’t get all the slang being used. This is clearly a book for the younger generation.

[Ronald Manley · Rating 4 out of 5]

An entertaining version of the mythos.