The Winnowing: A Tale of Seduction, Deception, Goddesses and Love

by Patrick C. Garner

We know the Greek gods from mythology, and assume their stories ended there. They did not. This is a compelling new story about the Olympic gods in our century. Now they appear in our time to prevent humans from discovering immortality. The Fates — three ancient goddesses who determined human life span — are reborn so they can manipulate events to restore the balance of life and death. Their machinations make this a classic Greek tale. 21st century Jack Night, a financial whiz, raises his daughter by himself in a bucolic Pennsylvania countryside. When she’s 19 extraordinary events begin, which include golden light and irresistible lust. Sightings of a massive, three-headed dog and the goddess Artemis occur in the backyard. He’s shocked to find his daughter is one of the Fates. Jack finds himself pulled into the amoral world of Greek divinities and a mad rush to take down world-famous scientists. A second Fate — who claims to be his daughter — joins them at his estate. When a third daughter appears, the Fates are set for action. The stakes rise and additional Greek goddess join in the fray. As scientists are picked off one by one, Jack is torn between conventional morality and loyalty to his daughters. Just before the startling climax, Jack is aided by a nymph who is destined to become more powerful than the Olympic gods. She is the subject of Books II, III and IV. This is a stand-alone novel or Book I of The Naxos Quartet .

This is contemporary fiction at its finest.

Genres: Fiction

428 pages, Paperback

Published August 9, 2020

About the author

Patrick Garner is a writer, artist and poet. He has written stage plays and co-founded the off-Broadway “Bright Lights Theatre” in Providence, RI. He was honored by the American Theater Critics Association when one of his plays was selected for a reading. He has published A Series of Days of Change (a poetry collection), Playing with Fire, and D Is for Dingley, as well as numerous articles and reviews in national magazines over the last two decades. He has most recently completed the first volume of The Winnowing, a work of contemporary fiction. In addition, he has completed a novel about Arthur Rimbaud that awaits final edits. He founded and published Four Elements (a poetry review). His paintings and etchings are in the collections of museums, universities and private collections throughout the world. Between his creative projects, Garner works as a wetland scientist and hydrologist. He lives in New England.

Reviews

[Píaras Cíonnaoíth · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thrilling and unique page turner...

The Winnowing by Patrick Garner is a well-crafted combination of modern-day thriller and romance infused with Greek mythology and sci-fi. The author spins an intriguing and compelling fantasy that will easily captivate the reader from the first page to the last.

I liked the story, character development, and dialogue. There were plenty of plot twists that I didn’t see coming and that added to the book’s mystique. When I stopped reading to work, I found myself wondering what happened in the book, and replaying parts of the story in my head to see if I could figure more out. It has been a while since I enjoyed a book this much.

If you are looking for a well-written and captivating fantasy yarn with amazing characters and a gripping plot then The Winnowing will not leave you disappointed. Highly recommended for a more mature audience due to the graphic sexual content.

[Jamie Bee · Rating 1 out of 5]

I hardly know what to make of this book. It takes place in contemporary times, and the Greek goddesses known as The Fates, who rule over the time of life and death, are reanimating. The goddesses do not like the idea that scientists are tampering with those subjects, infringing upon their domain.

A man named Jack is the narrator, and he is intimately involved in these women's lives, sometimes creepily so. In fact, there are definitely many cringe-worthy moments in this book. Jack as the narrator often tells rather than shows and makes comments that display more knowledge than he would have had if he was simply talking about the moment. I am more accustomed to books that live in the moment of what is being told or shown; I find this kind of high-level omniscience distancing as a reader.

This book has gotten really high reviews from others and glowing praise within the comments. I just don’t see it. We each have our own tastes, of course, but I did not find this book appealing in the least.

I did receive a free copy of the book, but this did not affect my review.

Read my other reviews at https://www.readingfanaticreviews.com

[Shani · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've always enjoyed books where you learn something. I wasn't aware too much about Gods and Goddess' in the past. If you flip to the back of the book, there is a glossary that explains the ones mentioned in the book. I had heard of some of them like Poseidon of course and Aphrodite. But I hadn't heard of Gaia or Nyx, and their roles were fascinating too and I do believe I'll be looking up more information on them as well.

I found that the mix of the fantasy world mixed with those in the "real world" was refreshing and well done. It's not always easy to meld those together and the author was able to write them in a way that made you forget that the characters were part of that fantasy. When they are fed up with the way people are being used and mistreated they come forth to take on the task of trying to correct but take over the issues. In the middle of all of that, there is a mixture of love, education and complete what the heck moments. Nothing is true as it seems in this fascinating book. Well written, fantastic and creative. It has a little bit of something for everyone!

[Valery · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Winnowing: A Tale of Seduction, Deception, Goddesses & Love by Patrick C. Garner has a unique premise and one which entertains right from the beginning pages. This is a book with a fantastic group of characters, most importantly the mythological creatures who have come back to live in modern-day times. The goddesses of myth are both whimsical and alluring, helping to create a masterful story that is compelling and infused with sometimes naughty romance. Jack the protagonist is the everyman character with plenty of flaws, making him seem all the more relatable. This is definitely a page-turner as the author weaves the tale, with superb character development, fantasy, and dialogue. Truly creative, the author has mastered his premise with wildly fantastical examinations of what we perceive as reality. Highly recommend it for an intriguing and delightful read.

[Susan B · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The Winnowing: Greek Gods in the Modern World,” is the promising first book in “The Naxos Quartet”. This first book is full of suspense and intrigue. As soon as we follow the storyline, these two elements get deeper, what we think is in a certain way, it is the other way around since new elements get incorporated along the chapters and keep the story flowing naturally. All this keeps the reader entertained until the very last minute.
I was really delighted to read this book and I enjoyed exploring Greek mythology while enjoying the sweetness of science fiction and romance. As soon as the plotline progresses, this story gets more interesting and this is thanks to the author’s superb writing skill. Loved this tale!

[Mia C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Winnowing by Garner is the first book in The Naxos Quartet series and a very good reading from many points of view. Firstly, the narrative style of the author is really captivating and engaging. There’s a lot happening in just a few pages and I couldn’t stop reading. I was hooked on most of the book. Secondly, the addition of well created descriptions added a lot to the story. I could picture many scenes in my mind like watching a movie. And last, but not least, the development of the characters was really good. We could see who they are and a bit of their background story. The mixture of humans and Greek Gods is something I really liked. All in all, it is a novel I will certainly recommend reading!

[Dani Savante · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The Winnowing: Greek Gods in the Modern World” is the start of a very promising contemporary fiction series called “The Naxos Quartet” written by Patrick Garner.
This story incorporates notions of Greek mythology and ancient gods, and develops a theory that I found very interesting. It had never occurred to me that mythological stories and characters could become our contemporaries, and that they could influence our lives and change what we know about them.
I recommend it because in addition to being very entertaining and easy to read, it made me reflect on new things. It is an important starting point to ask new questions, I truly think it is something very enriching.

[Geoeng51 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable and Entertaining

A fanciful and thoughtful construction of a modern tale of gods and goddesses, unfolding in the mind of a mortal man who in the end comprehends much more. The story is nuanced and the characters at first mysterious and then complex. I loved it all and found it hard to put the book down.

[Alfredo R · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good ancient & modern novel

“The Winnowing: Greek Gods in the Modern World” is the first book from the series The Naxos Quartet by Patrick Garner. This compelling novel mixes ancient Greek Gods with today’s world and its many problems. It sounds like a mixture difficult to imagine, but the author does a great job in creating this fictional novel.

I believe the plot has its ups and downs: sometimes, I felt deeply intrigued and at some points I got a bit bored.

I felt the book could be cut short. As regards the ending, it was good but not surprising. What I liked the most, without doubts, was the well made main character. Three stars!