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Danny
Danny Marina's new step-father takes him to the laser tag stadium, the movies, the go-kart track. He and his mother now have a new house and more money. Then Danny finds the cameras--in the living room, his bedroom, the shower. Which leads him to uncover the secret web site, the one devoted to him and his step-brother Eric.
Danny's Mom doesn't believe him--doesn't want to believe him. Faced with the unthinkable as his stepdad brings home strangers, Danny and Eric hop a bus for Florida. Frightened, and only with each other for support, they flee to Aquapura, a crappy, decrepit resort town. But the streets of Aquapura have dangers of their own. A grinning hotel owner named Lucian ropes the boys into a prostitution ring, pimping them out to traveling businessmen who flash enough cash. The work crushes Danny's body and threatens to steal his soul.
As an escape, Danny fills his notebook with a strange and secret story. He spins the tale of Ganymede, a teenaged boy from ancient Greece. Zeus, the king of gods himself, snatches Ganymede up to Mount Olympus, where he is pulled into a web of intrigue and adventure that threatens the very gods.
As his life under Lucian's thumb worsens, Danny escapes deeper into Ganymede's fictional life. Except the more Danny writes about Ganymede, the more it becomes clear he's writing about himself. And over time, Ganymede's life crosses Danny's in strange and impossible ways. Danny needs to use Ganymede's strength to fight back and create a better life for himself and for Eric. But can a teenager use the power of a god?
Danny's Mom doesn't believe him--doesn't want to believe him. Faced with the unthinkable as his stepdad brings home strangers, Danny and Eric hop a bus for Florida. Frightened, and only with each other for support, they flee to Aquapura, a crappy, decrepit resort town. But the streets of Aquapura have dangers of their own. A grinning hotel owner named Lucian ropes the boys into a prostitution ring, pimping them out to traveling businessmen who flash enough cash. The work crushes Danny's body and threatens to steal his soul.
As an escape, Danny fills his notebook with a strange and secret story. He spins the tale of Ganymede, a teenaged boy from ancient Greece. Zeus, the king of gods himself, snatches Ganymede up to Mount Olympus, where he is pulled into a web of intrigue and adventure that threatens the very gods.
As his life under Lucian's thumb worsens, Danny escapes deeper into Ganymede's fictional life. Except the more Danny writes about Ganymede, the more it becomes clear he's writing about himself. And over time, Ganymede's life crosses Danny's in strange and impossible ways. Danny needs to use Ganymede's strength to fight back and create a better life for himself and for Eric. But can a teenager use the power of a god?
283 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 17, 2015
28 people want to read
About the author
Steven Harper
53 books119 followersA pseudonym of Steven Piziks
Steven Harper Piziks was born with a name that no one can reliably spell or pronounce, so he often writes under the pen name Steven Harper. He lives in Michigan with his family. When not at the keyboard, he plays the folk harp, fiddles with video games, and pretends he doesn’t talk to the household cats. In the past, he’s held jobs as a reporter, theater producer, secretary, and substitute teacher. He maintains that the most interesting thing about him is that he writes books.
Steven is the creator of The Silent Empire series, the Clockwork Empire steampunk series, and the Books of Blood and Iron series for Roc Books. All four Silent Empire novels were finalists for the Spectrum Award, a first!
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
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November 15, 2015I couldn't put this one down.
Most of the time I have problems with horrific real life problems mixed with fantasy; too often the fantasy boils down to wish fulfillment, with an undertone of "suffering gave me power."
Back in the seventies, my spouse (then boyfriend) worked with runaways who ended up in Hollywood and discovered what is the horrible truth for far too many runaways: that for teens there are basically three ways to survive, theft, drug-dealing, and prostitution, and all three can get you killed fast. Especially if you fall into the hands of some powerful adult who convinces you that what little safety you might grasp is all controlled by him, as long as he can use you to make money.
This book brought up those memories as Danny's mom, who sounds bipolar, moves in with a new boyfriend who has a son living with him named Eryx. At first Eryx hates Danny, and Myron seems cool, but very soon Danny finds out that Myron's security cams all over the house (including in his bathroom, bedroom, and shower) are actually taking photos for a porn site. What's more, Myron sells Eryx out, and now it's Danny's turn. And his mom refuses to believe any evil of Myron.
Danny and Eryx run away, ending up in Florida, where they meet a homeless girl names Irene who introduces them to Lucian, who manages a sleazy hotel. And, it turns out, sells the kids working for him.
Meanwhile, Danny has begun writing a story based on Greek mythology, about Ganymede, beloved cup bearer of Zeus. Ganymede's adventures reflect Ganymede's as things with Lucian get really grim, and Irene, Eryx, and Danny cling together. Running away has only made Danny's life worse, and so he runs in his imagination, given all kinds of powers by Zeus, and life is terrific, especially when he makes friends with Eros and Iris.
Back and forth between the myths and Danny's life we switch, as he tries to figure out his own sexuality, and where choice ends and begins. He discovers how powerful people morally justify their abuse of others, and encounters coping worldviews in homeless people, not all of which are ugly, ungenerous, or crazed.
The fantasy element is more magical realism, which can sometimes be interpreted in different ways, something that I thought worked well here, especially as the ‘magical’ interpretation was well earned. Danny gains insight into the nature of love, trust, and power before regaining control of his life. I particularly liked the end .
Most of the time I have problems with horrific real life problems mixed with fantasy; too often the fantasy boils down to wish fulfillment, with an undertone of "suffering gave me power."
Back in the seventies, my spouse (then boyfriend) worked with runaways who ended up in Hollywood and discovered what is the horrible truth for far too many runaways: that for teens there are basically three ways to survive, theft, drug-dealing, and prostitution, and all three can get you killed fast. Especially if you fall into the hands of some powerful adult who convinces you that what little safety you might grasp is all controlled by him, as long as he can use you to make money.
This book brought up those memories as Danny's mom, who sounds bipolar, moves in with a new boyfriend who has a son living with him named Eryx. At first Eryx hates Danny, and Myron seems cool, but very soon Danny finds out that Myron's security cams all over the house (including in his bathroom, bedroom, and shower) are actually taking photos for a porn site. What's more, Myron sells Eryx out, and now it's Danny's turn. And his mom refuses to believe any evil of Myron.
Danny and Eryx run away, ending up in Florida, where they meet a homeless girl names Irene who introduces them to Lucian, who manages a sleazy hotel. And, it turns out, sells the kids working for him.
Meanwhile, Danny has begun writing a story based on Greek mythology, about Ganymede, beloved cup bearer of Zeus. Ganymede's adventures reflect Ganymede's as things with Lucian get really grim, and Irene, Eryx, and Danny cling together. Running away has only made Danny's life worse, and so he runs in his imagination, given all kinds of powers by Zeus, and life is terrific, especially when he makes friends with Eros and Iris.
Back and forth between the myths and Danny's life we switch, as he tries to figure out his own sexuality, and where choice ends and begins. He discovers how powerful people morally justify their abuse of others, and encounters coping worldviews in homeless people, not all of which are ugly, ungenerous, or crazed.
The fantasy element is more magical realism, which can sometimes be interpreted in different ways, something that I thought worked well here, especially as the ‘magical’ interpretation was well earned. Danny gains insight into the nature of love, trust, and power before regaining control of his life. I particularly liked the end .
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September 22, 2017This is one of the #SPFBO books on my list, but I have to admit I didn't get too far with this. I made it to around the 15% mark, but then I decided I just couldn't keep going because it was vulgar and rape-y and pretty dark. This story definitely has scenes of abuse, porn, child abuse and it will no doubt have even worse things later on. It's dick-filled and told in diary from from a young boy, Danny, and it's just really not a book I enjoyed.
I started this hoping that it would become a good story. Right from the start it was brash beyond belief, kind of reminiscent of Adrian Mole books, as it's the diary of a young boy throughout a tumultuous time in his life. his mother is a drinker, his uncle's just died, he's got a new step-dad who they move in with, and an annoying new brother. The situation is already far from ideal, add in that he's an angsty teen and that there's secrets in the house and it all just goes a bit too far for me.
The brother, Eryx, quickly gets under Danny's skin and they end up fighting. Eryx tells Danny he's a huge porn star as he's been caught on camera jerking-off. It's crude. It's invasive. And it's hellishly creepy and dark. I did not like that element of this book one bit (I know you're not meant to) and there was no subtlety, it's just shocking and all about the shock-factor.
The parallel to this is that Danny is writing his own Greek God-inspired story and he's relaying his own fears and troubles in this story too. Instantly it's clear that there will end up being non-consensual sex and rape in that story, and apparently as the book goes on it's supposed to end up with this story and the magic of the gods blending with Danny's...needless to say, I didn't get far enough for any SFF elements at all to creep into the book. It was all just ultra gross and creepy...
This would probably have only got 1* from me. I just don't see it really being able to improve past the horrible entry to the story. At first I thought it could be good to have a really blunt tale of a boy growing up and discovering himself, but the lack of SFF elements and the crazily lewd and sexual-based story just was too far for me personally. I don't really want to sit and read rape/porno stories...
I started this hoping that it would become a good story. Right from the start it was brash beyond belief, kind of reminiscent of Adrian Mole books, as it's the diary of a young boy throughout a tumultuous time in his life. his mother is a drinker, his uncle's just died, he's got a new step-dad who they move in with, and an annoying new brother. The situation is already far from ideal, add in that he's an angsty teen and that there's secrets in the house and it all just goes a bit too far for me.
The brother, Eryx, quickly gets under Danny's skin and they end up fighting. Eryx tells Danny he's a huge porn star as he's been caught on camera jerking-off. It's crude. It's invasive. And it's hellishly creepy and dark. I did not like that element of this book one bit (I know you're not meant to) and there was no subtlety, it's just shocking and all about the shock-factor.
The parallel to this is that Danny is writing his own Greek God-inspired story and he's relaying his own fears and troubles in this story too. Instantly it's clear that there will end up being non-consensual sex and rape in that story, and apparently as the book goes on it's supposed to end up with this story and the magic of the gods blending with Danny's...needless to say, I didn't get far enough for any SFF elements at all to creep into the book. It was all just ultra gross and creepy...
This would probably have only got 1* from me. I just don't see it really being able to improve past the horrible entry to the story. At first I thought it could be good to have a really blunt tale of a boy growing up and discovering himself, but the lack of SFF elements and the crazily lewd and sexual-based story just was too far for me personally. I don't really want to sit and read rape/porno stories...
July 9, 2015
Her Tangh-i-ness has identified yet another juicy book for all those fellow Bisexual-approving, Mythophilic, Science Fantasy, Ancient History addicts out there.
YA Librarians please take note: other than the use of standard Anglo-Saxon-derived cuss words, this work is devoid of Any reason to hesitate to include it on bookshelves. For prurient content, look elsewhere.
And I talking about this book called Danny.
I read it. Really.
*Spoiler Alert*
Her Tangh-i-ness greatly appreciates pithy plot summaries. However, for those who must have a virgin reading experience, read no further, and eyeball elsewhere.
*Spoiler Alert End*
Ok. Onto the good stuff. So Readers meet Danny Marina a sixteen-year-old who discovers...gasp...he likes boys just as much as he likes girls and guess what? He doesn't have to give up either of them! Hows that for starters?
What do you do when you run away from one creepy situation with the son of the guy that your mother's sleeping with? Where do you go if you think you can make it on your own? Who said someplace warm?
All right, Genius.
So what if you're in the Sunshine state and you meet a girl who has no problem bedding you at the same time along with the other boy you ran away with? Hmnnn. Hmmmn.
What do you do if you were once immortal and the most recent "plaything" of that infamous Olympian Seducer, Zeus, that guy with the thunderbolts? Would you stick around and take being trapped in a divine equivalent to a suburban gated community? Do you really want to keep getting poked occasionally and pour ambrosia on command?
Her Tangh-i-ness thinks not.
Let's keep reading shall we? How do three hairs and a mug become power objects? Why was an Egyptian God seen shaking hands with Zeus? And most important of all, why did the island of Thera undergo that eruption that spread ash to the corners of the known ancient world? Think you can stand up to a mother who puts you at-risk, a pistol, and a category 4 hurricane?
See? Aren't you itching to find out?
PS. At the end of Danny, there is a teaser for another Steven Harper book called Nightmare. Always did wonder what would happen to Aboriginal people in Space. I found the teaser quite compelling.
Note: This copy of Danny was an electronic edition acquired from an author upon the reviewer's request. Her Tangh-i-ness usually reviews on a for-the-love basis. No lucre has been involved.
YA Librarians please take note: other than the use of standard Anglo-Saxon-derived cuss words, this work is devoid of Any reason to hesitate to include it on bookshelves. For prurient content, look elsewhere.
And I talking about this book called Danny.
I read it. Really.
*Spoiler Alert*
Her Tangh-i-ness greatly appreciates pithy plot summaries. However, for those who must have a virgin reading experience, read no further, and eyeball elsewhere.
*Spoiler Alert End*
Ok. Onto the good stuff. So Readers meet Danny Marina a sixteen-year-old who discovers...gasp...he likes boys just as much as he likes girls and guess what? He doesn't have to give up either of them! Hows that for starters?
What do you do when you run away from one creepy situation with the son of the guy that your mother's sleeping with? Where do you go if you think you can make it on your own? Who said someplace warm?
All right, Genius.
So what if you're in the Sunshine state and you meet a girl who has no problem bedding you at the same time along with the other boy you ran away with? Hmnnn. Hmmmn.
What do you do if you were once immortal and the most recent "plaything" of that infamous Olympian Seducer, Zeus, that guy with the thunderbolts? Would you stick around and take being trapped in a divine equivalent to a suburban gated community? Do you really want to keep getting poked occasionally and pour ambrosia on command?
Her Tangh-i-ness thinks not.
Let's keep reading shall we? How do three hairs and a mug become power objects? Why was an Egyptian God seen shaking hands with Zeus? And most important of all, why did the island of Thera undergo that eruption that spread ash to the corners of the known ancient world? Think you can stand up to a mother who puts you at-risk, a pistol, and a category 4 hurricane?
See? Aren't you itching to find out?
PS. At the end of Danny, there is a teaser for another Steven Harper book called Nightmare. Always did wonder what would happen to Aboriginal people in Space. I found the teaser quite compelling.
Note: This copy of Danny was an electronic edition acquired from an author upon the reviewer's request. Her Tangh-i-ness usually reviews on a for-the-love basis. No lucre has been involved.
March 17, 2021
Danny at sixteen is happy with his life living by the lake with his mother in northern Michigan, but that is about to change when his mother takes up with and then moves in with a new man. Danny's new 'stepfather' Myron seems OK and gets on well with him, more than can be said for Myron's son Eryx, who goes out of his way to cause trouble for Danny; that is until the day it all turns. Eryx reveals that Danny's new home is rigged with hidden cameras, and Danny is now a porn star, sharing his fate with Eryx, but there is worse, it is one thing to be unknowingly captured on camera, quite another when Myron brings home two men expecting to enjoy the virgin Danny.
Danny sees no option other than to run away, and despite Eryx attitude towards him seeks to rescue him too and take him with him. So they escape to Florida, but to what? It seems to be a case of out of the frying pan into the fire.
We read Danny's story through his diary entries, were he also seeks refuge in his own imaginings as he recreates the story of Ganymede captured away from Earth by Zeus to become his lover, and where he meets Iris and Eros. But how much of this does Danny really imagine, and what is his connection with Ganymede, and what bearing does all this have on events taking place or about to occur. Stephen Harper weaves an intricate tale in which Danny and his new friends confront their fears and finally face up to those taking advantage, and in which a beautiful youth from a few thousand years past may have a bearing.
Danny is an appealing character, who is content to be without friends, although as he gets to know Eryx, and then Irene whom they encounter later, he not only learns the value but also the responsibilities of friendship. He also experiences a sexual awakening that is more than a little ambiguous.
Stephen Harper writes well and has created an engaging and increasingly gripping tale, and while dealing with a theme of sexual exploitation manages to keep the writing chaste leaving it very much to the reader to fill in the blanks after offering just a few hints as to what occurs between consenting boy/boy, boy/girl, boys/girl and non-consenting boy/man.
(2015 publisher's review copy)
Danny sees no option other than to run away, and despite Eryx attitude towards him seeks to rescue him too and take him with him. So they escape to Florida, but to what? It seems to be a case of out of the frying pan into the fire.
We read Danny's story through his diary entries, were he also seeks refuge in his own imaginings as he recreates the story of Ganymede captured away from Earth by Zeus to become his lover, and where he meets Iris and Eros. But how much of this does Danny really imagine, and what is his connection with Ganymede, and what bearing does all this have on events taking place or about to occur. Stephen Harper weaves an intricate tale in which Danny and his new friends confront their fears and finally face up to those taking advantage, and in which a beautiful youth from a few thousand years past may have a bearing.
Danny is an appealing character, who is content to be without friends, although as he gets to know Eryx, and then Irene whom they encounter later, he not only learns the value but also the responsibilities of friendship. He also experiences a sexual awakening that is more than a little ambiguous.
Stephen Harper writes well and has created an engaging and increasingly gripping tale, and while dealing with a theme of sexual exploitation manages to keep the writing chaste leaving it very much to the reader to fill in the blanks after offering just a few hints as to what occurs between consenting boy/boy, boy/girl, boys/girl and non-consenting boy/man.
(2015 publisher's review copy)
July 13, 2015
I received this copy of Danny through LibraryThing in exchange for an honest review.
Danny is the story about a boy who gets sucked into prostitution via his mother's boyfriend, who is already submitting his son Eryx to it. Danny tries to tell his mother what is happening, but she accuses him of lying. The two boys decide to run away to Florida in order to escape, where they meet a girl who teaches them the tricks of the street and gets them a job - inevitably, hooking at a local hotel. The three of them live and explore their sexuality together, with the comfort that they aren't facing the world alone. The book alternates between Danny's point of view and the story of Galymedes, a Greek mythology story that Danny writes in his spare time which tends to mimic the events of Danny's life.
I really enjoy books that explore subjects some people find hard to confront, and in this case there are two - prostitution and homosexuality. The characters were very real to me and I loved the alternating backstory of Danny's mythology. Well worth the read and I look forward to reading more from this author.
Danny is the story about a boy who gets sucked into prostitution via his mother's boyfriend, who is already submitting his son Eryx to it. Danny tries to tell his mother what is happening, but she accuses him of lying. The two boys decide to run away to Florida in order to escape, where they meet a girl who teaches them the tricks of the street and gets them a job - inevitably, hooking at a local hotel. The three of them live and explore their sexuality together, with the comfort that they aren't facing the world alone. The book alternates between Danny's point of view and the story of Galymedes, a Greek mythology story that Danny writes in his spare time which tends to mimic the events of Danny's life.
I really enjoy books that explore subjects some people find hard to confront, and in this case there are two - prostitution and homosexuality. The characters were very real to me and I loved the alternating backstory of Danny's mythology. Well worth the read and I look forward to reading more from this author.
April 28, 2016
No thank, you. I do not want to read about sexual abuse and prostitution of male teenagers. Adding in the myth with Ganymede may make it more literary, but I still cannot finish this kind of book.
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