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Pantheon #8
Age of Legends
The Defenders of the Land
As Britain struggles under a burgeoning fascist government, Prime Minister Derek Drake plays the man of the people, while simultaneously purging the country of “undesirables.”
When bike courier and subversive graffiti artist Ajia Snell runs into trouble with the authorities, she finds herself recruited by living incarnations of Britain’s ancient legends, from Oberon, King of the Faeries to Robin Hood.
As Drake tightens his grip on the country’s soul, only Ajia and her new allies can stop him…
As Britain struggles under a burgeoning fascist government, Prime Minister Derek Drake plays the man of the people, while simultaneously purging the country of “undesirables.”
When bike courier and subversive graffiti artist Ajia Snell runs into trouble with the authorities, she finds herself recruited by living incarnations of Britain’s ancient legends, from Oberon, King of the Faeries to Robin Hood.
As Drake tightens his grip on the country’s soul, only Ajia and her new allies can stop him…
416 pages, Paperback
First published November 26, 2019
19 people are currently reading
221 people want to read
About the author
James Lovegrove
152 books657 followersJames Lovegrove is the author of several acclaimed novels and books for children.
James was born on Christmas Eve 1965 and, having dabbled in writing at school, first took to it seriously while at university. A short story of his won a college competition. The prize was £15, and it had cost £18 to get the story professionally typed. This taught him a hard but necessary lesson in the harsh economic realities of a literary career.
Straight after graduating from Oxford with a degree in English Literature, James set himself the goal of getting a novel written and sold within two years. In the event, it took two months. The Hope was completed in six weeks and accepted by Macmillan a fortnight later. The seed for the idea for the novel — a world in microcosm on an ocean liner — was planted during a cross-Channel ferry journey.
James blew his modest advance for The Hope on a round-the-world trip which took him to, among other places, Thailand. His experiences there, particularly what he witnessed of the sex industry in Bangkok, provided much of the inspiration for The Foreigners.
Escardy Gap was co-written with Pete Crowther over a period of a year and a half, the two authors playing a game of creative tag, each completing a section in turn and leaving the other to carry the story on. The result has proved a cult favourite, and was voted by readers of SFX one of the top fifty SF/Fantasy novels of all time.
Days, a satire on consumerism, was shortlisted for the 1998 Arthur C. Clarke Award (losing to Mary Doria Russell’s The Sparrow). The book’s genesis most probably lies in the many visits James used to make as a child to the Oxford Street department store owned by his grandfather. It was written over a period of nine months while James was living in the north-west suburbs of Chicago.
Subsequent works have all been published to great acclaim. These include Untied Kingdom, Worldstorm, Provender Gleed, The Age Of Ra and the back-to-back double-novella Gig. James has also written for children. Wings, a short novel for reluctant readers, was short-listed for several awards, while his fantasy series for teens, The Clouded World, written under the pseudonym Jay Amory, has been translated into 7 other languages so far. A five-book series for reluctant readers, The 5 Lords Of Pain, is appearing at two-monthly intervals throughout 2010.
He also reviews fiction for the Financial Times, specialising in the Young Adult, children’s, science fiction, fantasy, horror and graphic novel genres.
Currently James resides in Eastbourne on the Sussex Coast, having moved there in August 2007 with his wife Lou, sons Monty and Theo, and cat Ozzy. He has a terrific view of the sea from his study window, which he doesn’t sit staring out at all day when he should be working. Honest.
James was born on Christmas Eve 1965 and, having dabbled in writing at school, first took to it seriously while at university. A short story of his won a college competition. The prize was £15, and it had cost £18 to get the story professionally typed. This taught him a hard but necessary lesson in the harsh economic realities of a literary career.
Straight after graduating from Oxford with a degree in English Literature, James set himself the goal of getting a novel written and sold within two years. In the event, it took two months. The Hope was completed in six weeks and accepted by Macmillan a fortnight later. The seed for the idea for the novel — a world in microcosm on an ocean liner — was planted during a cross-Channel ferry journey.
James blew his modest advance for The Hope on a round-the-world trip which took him to, among other places, Thailand. His experiences there, particularly what he witnessed of the sex industry in Bangkok, provided much of the inspiration for The Foreigners.
Escardy Gap was co-written with Pete Crowther over a period of a year and a half, the two authors playing a game of creative tag, each completing a section in turn and leaving the other to carry the story on. The result has proved a cult favourite, and was voted by readers of SFX one of the top fifty SF/Fantasy novels of all time.
Days, a satire on consumerism, was shortlisted for the 1998 Arthur C. Clarke Award (losing to Mary Doria Russell’s The Sparrow). The book’s genesis most probably lies in the many visits James used to make as a child to the Oxford Street department store owned by his grandfather. It was written over a period of nine months while James was living in the north-west suburbs of Chicago.
Subsequent works have all been published to great acclaim. These include Untied Kingdom, Worldstorm, Provender Gleed, The Age Of Ra and the back-to-back double-novella Gig. James has also written for children. Wings, a short novel for reluctant readers, was short-listed for several awards, while his fantasy series for teens, The Clouded World, written under the pseudonym Jay Amory, has been translated into 7 other languages so far. A five-book series for reluctant readers, The 5 Lords Of Pain, is appearing at two-monthly intervals throughout 2010.
He also reviews fiction for the Financial Times, specialising in the Young Adult, children’s, science fiction, fantasy, horror and graphic novel genres.
Currently James resides in Eastbourne on the Sussex Coast, having moved there in August 2007 with his wife Lou, sons Monty and Theo, and cat Ozzy. He has a terrific view of the sea from his study window, which he doesn’t sit staring out at all day when he should be working. Honest.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
December 5, 2019
The novel starts with a scene in which parakeets in London are being systematically culled. They are alien, you see. They don’t belong in Britain. At least not in a Britain run by Prime Minister David Drake, head of the Resurrection Party, out to restore the country to “proper” British values and rid it of all undesirables. This last category, of course, includes anyone not born in the UK. Ajia Snell’s mother has been deported “back” to India – a country she had never visited. Bicycle courier Ajia’s father was white British, and therefore she is tolerated. Just. Her dusky skin tends to attract suspicion in certain quarters though. When out on her self-imposed mission to paint graffiti criticising Drake, she is spotted by cops and shot while trying to escape them. This leads to her capture, imprisonment and beating. Her heart stops.
It is of no consequence. The police can do anything they like in this law-and–ordered world. Two cops are delegated to dispose of the body. While they are dumping her in a sewer she wakes up, frightening them off.
Resting on a park bench, she is saved from a further beating at the hands of a vagrant by a man calling himself Smith. He calls her “good fellow” and tells her she is one of a new kind, people who did indeed die but have somehow come back to life with special attributes, attributes drawn from British mythological figures and folk tales. She is Puck, aka Robin Goodfellow, and has the ability to move at incredible speed. Smith is able to rework broken metal and shattered glass into new objects.
Nominative determinism is a central feature of the reincarnations in this book, who are known collectively as eidolons. Their leader is called Auberon LeRoy. A man called Fletcher is extremely handy with a bow and arrow, Daisy Hawthorn has power over growing things, Wee Paul Klein can diminish in size, Neve Winterton has the ability to freeze and unfreeze things. In order to save the soul of Britain they and their like are set to do battle against the armoured cars and Humvees of Drake’s security force the Paladins.
Interspersed with the story of Ajia Snell (both of whose names mean speed) we are given the experiences of Drake, his wife Harriet, and Security Chief Major Dominic Wynne. In their telling I found these scenes to be reminiscent of the fiction of Harry Turtledove. Before entering politics Drake had been a successful businessman and collector of religious artefacts. He believes himself to be a devout Christian (in his youth a hard row to hoe, in his opinion) but his actions belie any tenets of that faith beyond those of the Old Testament fundamentalist types who seem able to ignore totally any (all?) of the compassionate things that their Messiah is reported to have said and encouraged. Drake’s prize possession is the Holy Grail. Returning to Britain after purchasing it abroad, his helicopter had crashed, with Drake the sole survivor. It is kept under lock and key in a secure building in the grounds of his family home. Not only does he talk to it, it talks back to him in the voice of his companion on that trip, Emrys Sage.
I note there is no mention of the Monarchy in this depiction of a Britain under Fascist rule. An odd omission. Perhaps we are meant to assume it’s been abolished. The implication is that it has been sidelined and of no relevance, certainly no kind of brake on anything.
I suspect Lovegrove intended his tale as a warning of how close the UK is to a future of this sort. Its appeal I suppose lies in the invocation of mythic British heroes and the prospect of the fascist state’s overthrow. However, the treatment suggests that we need to depend on the supernatural to rescue us from such a fate. If that’s the case we’re more lost than I had feared. It’s also depressing that in order to overcome it those heroes have to resort to methods almost indistinguishable from their persecutors. I suppose that was ever the way though.
It is of no consequence. The police can do anything they like in this law-and–ordered world. Two cops are delegated to dispose of the body. While they are dumping her in a sewer she wakes up, frightening them off.
Resting on a park bench, she is saved from a further beating at the hands of a vagrant by a man calling himself Smith. He calls her “good fellow” and tells her she is one of a new kind, people who did indeed die but have somehow come back to life with special attributes, attributes drawn from British mythological figures and folk tales. She is Puck, aka Robin Goodfellow, and has the ability to move at incredible speed. Smith is able to rework broken metal and shattered glass into new objects.
Nominative determinism is a central feature of the reincarnations in this book, who are known collectively as eidolons. Their leader is called Auberon LeRoy. A man called Fletcher is extremely handy with a bow and arrow, Daisy Hawthorn has power over growing things, Wee Paul Klein can diminish in size, Neve Winterton has the ability to freeze and unfreeze things. In order to save the soul of Britain they and their like are set to do battle against the armoured cars and Humvees of Drake’s security force the Paladins.
Interspersed with the story of Ajia Snell (both of whose names mean speed) we are given the experiences of Drake, his wife Harriet, and Security Chief Major Dominic Wynne. In their telling I found these scenes to be reminiscent of the fiction of Harry Turtledove. Before entering politics Drake had been a successful businessman and collector of religious artefacts. He believes himself to be a devout Christian (in his youth a hard row to hoe, in his opinion) but his actions belie any tenets of that faith beyond those of the Old Testament fundamentalist types who seem able to ignore totally any (all?) of the compassionate things that their Messiah is reported to have said and encouraged. Drake’s prize possession is the Holy Grail. Returning to Britain after purchasing it abroad, his helicopter had crashed, with Drake the sole survivor. It is kept under lock and key in a secure building in the grounds of his family home. Not only does he talk to it, it talks back to him in the voice of his companion on that trip, Emrys Sage.
I note there is no mention of the Monarchy in this depiction of a Britain under Fascist rule. An odd omission. Perhaps we are meant to assume it’s been abolished. The implication is that it has been sidelined and of no relevance, certainly no kind of brake on anything.
I suspect Lovegrove intended his tale as a warning of how close the UK is to a future of this sort. Its appeal I suppose lies in the invocation of mythic British heroes and the prospect of the fascist state’s overthrow. However, the treatment suggests that we need to depend on the supernatural to rescue us from such a fate. If that’s the case we’re more lost than I had feared. It’s also depressing that in order to overcome it those heroes have to resort to methods almost indistinguishable from their persecutors. I suppose that was ever the way though.
December 21, 2019
I go, I go; look how I go.
- Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream
This was an interesting addition to Mr. Lovegrove's Pantheon Series. Instead of Gods and deities coming to life and inflicting their whims on the world, this time around the folklore and myths of the British Isles and Ireland have been summoned by an ancient Christian Artifact of immense power. These beings and "fair folk" have chosen to inhabit the bodies of those who have been released from their mortal coil and bestow not only a second shot at life, but also certain inherent and abnormal abilities. The question is why are these reincarnated beings here and why now?
It does not help that Great Britain's current state has a lot to be desired and the current Prime Minister might be a little too focused on what his ideal Great Britain should be like to the exclusion of the rest of the world.
There were a lot of grammatical errors and the ending of the book was rushed. I would have preferred maybe dividing the book into two larger parts, specifically one focusing on before Snell's arrest by the Paladins and the second focusing on the coup. I would also like a sequel to the story following Snell's adventure as Puck abroad. The main characters' development and backstories are well done and the imagery used to describe their abilities taking effect was great.
Overall, I thought that this book was a nice and enjoyable read.
I do have a question though, if you could be reincarnated as one of these folklore creatures or beings, which would you be and why?
This was an interesting addition to Mr. Lovegrove's Pantheon Series. Instead of Gods and deities coming to life and inflicting their whims on the world, this time around the folklore and myths of the British Isles and Ireland have been summoned by an ancient Christian Artifact of immense power. These beings and "fair folk" have chosen to inhabit the bodies of those who have been released from their mortal coil and bestow not only a second shot at life, but also certain inherent and abnormal abilities. The question is why are these reincarnated beings here and why now?
It does not help that Great Britain's current state has a lot to be desired and the current Prime Minister might be a little too focused on what his ideal Great Britain should be like to the exclusion of the rest of the world.
There were a lot of grammatical errors and the ending of the book was rushed. I would have preferred maybe dividing the book into two larger parts, specifically one focusing on before Snell's arrest by the Paladins and the second focusing on the coup. I would also like a sequel to the story following Snell's adventure as Puck abroad. The main characters' development and backstories are well done and the imagery used to describe their abilities taking effect was great.
Overall, I thought that this book was a nice and enjoyable read.
I do have a question though, if you could be reincarnated as one of these folklore creatures or beings, which would you be and why?
April 23, 2020
While I thoroughly enjoyed the author's earlier book "Age of Odin," which I highly recommend, I feel he kind of jumped the shark with this one. It started off well enough, but soon turned weird...and stayed that way. And as someone who's written weird, that's saying something. I wonder if the idea for the story came about after a pint too many during a viewing of "Monty Python and the Holy Grail." But the execution came off a bit rushed, from a lot of heavy-handed exposition, to awkward action descriptions, to too much telling, to an unsatisfying resolution. Given the author's penchant for pulling the ancient out of time and plopping it into the modern era, which I do find fascinating don't get me wrong, he seemed to be reaching on this one.
Still, I'll give Lovegrove credit for tackling the immigration debate--and a quick Google search revealed that immigration has been as hot a topic in Britain as it's been on the American side of the Pond. And he does seem to know his own history, particularly the real-life Arthur's role in resisting the invading Anglo-Saxons in the fifth century.
I have a copy of his "Age of Ra" and I'll probably read that, and possibly pick up "Age of Zeus," two of his earlier books, and I do hope "Age of Legends" was the trip-up that even the best author occasionally produces.
Still, I'll give Lovegrove credit for tackling the immigration debate--and a quick Google search revealed that immigration has been as hot a topic in Britain as it's been on the American side of the Pond. And he does seem to know his own history, particularly the real-life Arthur's role in resisting the invading Anglo-Saxons in the fifth century.
I have a copy of his "Age of Ra" and I'll probably read that, and possibly pick up "Age of Zeus," two of his earlier books, and I do hope "Age of Legends" was the trip-up that even the best author occasionally produces.
March 21, 2020
Lovegrove's Pantheon series has seen the gods of old returned to a modern world, heroes of myth and legend resurrected, and re-imagined the world when myth and reality collide. Age of Legends is the finale to the series and serves as a shining example of the godpunk sub-genre. While many of Lovegrove's stories follow a similar pattern, the wide depth and breadth of ancient mythology makes for incredible stories and these figures are thrust into our daily lives. In Age of Legends, the United Kingdom is under the control of power hungry despot which sees the country diminishing bit by bit under his thumb. As a consequence or as a response, depending on who you ask, figures of Britain ancient folklore and legend have returned to life to stand against this tyrant. These figures include Robin Hood, the fairy king Oberon, the Green Man, Jack Frost, and many others. For this is Britain's most desperate hour and the her Legends are all that stand in the way.
September 7, 2021
Enjoyable light read
Standard recipe for this author.
Pro: Primary character is likable and you bond with her. Battle scenes are cool and realistic.
Con: I felt a little flat not learning what/ where/ who is the source of all of this power at the end of the book.
Scary how prescient this book may be in the loss of freedoms associated with Covid. The power garnered by the few unelected people and elected people making decisions in Australia, New Zealand and the US shows you how quickly what we hold dear is taken from us in the name of good. Love the fact there have recently been so many books that correlate well with current events but written prior to this moment.
Reminds me of the old adage:
The road to hell is paved with good intentions.
I would still rate his first 3 books as my favorite of those I have read from him. The Parthenon idea is pretty cool.
Standard recipe for this author.
Pro: Primary character is likable and you bond with her. Battle scenes are cool and realistic.
Con: I felt a little flat not learning what/ where/ who is the source of all of this power at the end of the book.
Scary how prescient this book may be in the loss of freedoms associated with Covid. The power garnered by the few unelected people and elected people making decisions in Australia, New Zealand and the US shows you how quickly what we hold dear is taken from us in the name of good. Love the fact there have recently been so many books that correlate well with current events but written prior to this moment.
Reminds me of the old adage:
The road to hell is paved with good intentions.
I would still rate his first 3 books as my favorite of those I have read from him. The Parthenon idea is pretty cool.
June 23, 2022
The underlying concept of this book, folkloric characters coming back to save a 'broken Britain' was very interesting and the first half of this book was great. The story moved along very well and was an enjoyable page turner. Up to a point.
Once the ideas were developed, you met all the main characters and the folkloric characters decided to fight back, it felt like the rest of the book was just there to end the story. I know that is what endings are for, but it felt like the author had a nice idea for a book, introduced that very well but then just wrote filler to make the book complete.
By the time the 'little phouka' came it showed the laziness. That character was an archetypal deus ex machina, and, pair that with the increasing spelling and grammar mistakes towards the end, I think that proved my point.
First half 5*s second half 1*
Once the ideas were developed, you met all the main characters and the folkloric characters decided to fight back, it felt like the rest of the book was just there to end the story. I know that is what endings are for, but it felt like the author had a nice idea for a book, introduced that very well but then just wrote filler to make the book complete.
By the time the 'little phouka' came it showed the laziness. That character was an archetypal deus ex machina, and, pair that with the increasing spelling and grammar mistakes towards the end, I think that proved my point.
First half 5*s second half 1*
March 2, 2020
I really liked the series. Age of Legends also has a nice enough and captivating story.
But, and there are a few and big buts in here to make 90ies rappers blush!
First off, it's thinly veiled political shit.
The author goes full SJW and works down a checklist of what has to be included: homosexuality check, transgender roles check, dialogue between females check, and so on and so boring.
Also it's very inconsistent in it's bullshitty SJWism: The main character starts womansplaining about the usage of "having balls", but uses "dickhead" herself on the very next page. WHat is that about, James? Huh?
Then, in the last third of the book not a page goes by without a major typo or grammatical mistake. It really hurts my brain and disrupts the reading flow.
But, and there are a few and big buts in here to make 90ies rappers blush!
First off, it's thinly veiled political shit.
The author goes full SJW and works down a checklist of what has to be included: homosexuality check, transgender roles check, dialogue between females check, and so on and so boring.
Also it's very inconsistent in it's bullshitty SJWism: The main character starts womansplaining about the usage of "having balls", but uses "dickhead" herself on the very next page. WHat is that about, James? Huh?
Then, in the last third of the book not a page goes by without a major typo or grammatical mistake. It really hurts my brain and disrupts the reading flow.
June 22, 2022
Age of Legends follows the theme and tone of the rest of the Pantheon series. The action is intense, the characters are dynamic, and the pacing is fast which makes for a quick but genuinely enjoyable read. The tone would frequently shift from upbeat urban fantasy to sudden grim and gorey fates, villains with devious plans for rebellious young women, and magically assisted butchering of your foes on a dime. After, of course, things would return to the unraveling of the cast's backstories, their arcs, and the furthering of their goals and desires which was always beliveable and endeared them to me followed by intense battles with monsters of folklore and flesh. All in all I found this book wildly entertaining, griping, at times a bit too horny, but overall very good.
December 18, 2024
A good, fun story. I wish there was a bit more detail, but overall it was good. I'd recommend it to anyone who likes myths and action movies.
August 23, 2021
Read This !
It is a great read. Very imaginative. Well worth the reading. A little on the Dark Side, but, A good story none the less.
It is a great read. Very imaginative. Well worth the reading. A little on the Dark Side, but, A good story none the less.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews