Olympia

by Kris Kramer

In the late 21st century, economic and religious upheavals led to widespread unrest, and then to a devastating world war. As cities began to disappear from the map, salvation came from the most unlikely of sources - the gods of Olympus, Zeus, Athena, Apollo, Ares, all recently returned to earth to save humanity from itself. Stunned nations quickly became ardent supporters, following the Greek gods in their pursuit of a new way of life, a rebuilt society in which old borders and beliefs no longer exist. A society they called Olympia.


Nearly five hundred years later, Anthony Kensom lives in the nation of Athens with his aunt and his domineering grandmother. The early loss of his parents, and his struggles since have made him an outcast, and angry at the gods who have let him suffer. An incident at school leads him into the Athenian Army, where outcasts thrive, and Anthony finds his true calling as a commander and strategist. Thrust through the ranks by skill and by fortune, he leads the soldiers of Athens into the glorified bloodsport they now call war.


But his new glory is short lived. Anti-Olympia rebels known as Faithless seek to undermine him for their own purposes, using his past in an attempt to turn him against the gods. Olympia is a cage, they protest, and the more Anthony fights against their message, the more he begins to see the chains that keep him shackled.

Genres: Amazon

498 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 7, 2014

Reviews

[Franklin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started reading this without any idea what was going on in this world so I was a bit lost in the beginning by the return of the Greek gods. The world setting became very clear quickly and that is when the fun started.

Admittedly at first I was put off by the using guns is cowardly theme and thought I was going to dislike the story. But as I continued to read and discovered the depth of the story and it's characters I was extremely intrigued and couldn't stop reading. All of the characters seem real and not over the top which made it easy to relate to some and dislike others. For me they all brought out a strong emotional response in one way or another.

I really enjoy stories like this because it doesn't fall into an exact genre. I feel it has picked some of the best of many and joined them into a compelling tale.

The ending was satisfying and definitely left me wanting to read the next book in this series.

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

Olympia is a mixture of well crafted emotional intent, strong male characters and the fickle attitudes of Grecian religion. As a mythologist myself, I found Kris Kramer's take on the gods to be accurate and beautiful. The Pantheon has always been serendipitous and Anthony's experience makes him an overachieving angry Everyman. A killer with skill, reason and heart. The prose is fantastic and flowing. The settings took me to a future dystopian world and I found life breathed into even the smallest bit player.

Read this. Olympia is a book everyone can find enjoyable, it's a work of the craft I forgot existed, honed and edited. Follow Anthony from Kerberos' jaws to Paris' canals. I'm so glad I got this book to review.

[S.K. Gregory · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anthony lives in a world ruled by the Greek gods. He decides to join the army and fight for his country but along the way he realises that the world isn't as he thought. This was a great mix of the ancient and the modern. I love Greek mythology and it was interesting to read about the Greek gods in this context. Well written and enjoyable. I would recommend this book to people who love fantasy and mythology.

[Aly · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an interesting book for me! I very much enjoyed this book. I think this author maybe on to something here! I am a big fan of mythology. I also enjoyed the futuristic feel to this book. Wild right, Mythology and futuristic? You have to read this book for yourself to find out what you think. Thank you to Kris for sharing! * I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review*

[Robyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting mix that threw me a bit at first. I had to continuously readjust my mind set from ancient times with the gods, to a story line set in the future revisited by the Greek gods. For my taste, it was more of a 3.5, but it was a good story with lots of action. This will especially appeal to those who enjoy strong, male characters who deal with adversity and challenges.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Sherie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I couldn't make it through the book, I'm sorry I didn't like it.

[Velvetink]

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