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Astromythos: Book One
Explore a universe where white dwarfs, red giants, comets, moons, and black hole kings dwell as characters in a story, written and illustrated as an original epic poem.
Astromythos: Book One is a story of how the stars came to be, and their fight to save each other from destructive forces looking to rid the universe of its light.
In this original astral fantasy, the stars are portrayed with humanoid qualities. They live on nebula landscapes, where they've built castles, towers, and great medieval dwellings.
Inspired by Ancient Greek poetry, mythology, The Divine Comedy, and the Kalevala, Astromythos shines with its sprawling, stunning visuals. Expect a profound and powerful message of wisdom, strength, and courage with each myth.
Astromythos: Book One is a story of how the stars came to be, and their fight to save each other from destructive forces looking to rid the universe of its light.
In this original astral fantasy, the stars are portrayed with humanoid qualities. They live on nebula landscapes, where they've built castles, towers, and great medieval dwellings.
Inspired by Ancient Greek poetry, mythology, The Divine Comedy, and the Kalevala, Astromythos shines with its sprawling, stunning visuals. Expect a profound and powerful message of wisdom, strength, and courage with each myth.
201 pages, Hardcover
Published August 30, 2020
4 people are currently reading
29 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
August 18, 2021
The rich world building and intricate illustrations in this book drew me in and kept the pages turning. The epic poetry harkens back to the mythology of the past while being something completely new. When I received my book in the mail I couldn’t put it down as I was gripped by the masterful visual and written storytelling. I recommend this book to anyone that is a fan of fantasy, mythology, as well as fantastic artwork. I can’t wait to read part 2!
June 28, 2021
Words can hardly describe how incredible this book is. You will be immersed from the first illustration to the last word, and find yourself immediately craving book two. The epic poetry is a feat of literary genius that revives historical tradition in an engaging, modern way. Perfectly blending science, science fiction, and high fantasy, Astromythos creates a new genre: the astromythic. Sideriadis' artistic interpretation of personified stars is engaging, and the gorgeous illustrations are perfectly placed support the story and keep it accessible. The women of Astromythos are whole, unique and well written female characters. If I could give 10 stars out of 5, I would. I cannot wait to read more of this incredible series.
August 22, 2021
While reading this book my mind traveled to many incredibly fascinating and otherworldly places, where astrophysics meets myth and where the stars develop their personas with all their godly glory and their human imperfections. The book is an evocative epic poem of thousands of lines, that together with illustrations runs to about 200 pages. Each of the ten myths can stand on its own, but the entire text is an integrated story of captivating intensity.
This book is a modern rendering of the timeless epic style of Homer and Hesiod, and of the renaissance artistic explorations of ancient myths. The use of ancient Greek terms and metaphors rekindles our memories of what attracts us to the ancient myths and provide a familiar and pleasing tone to the stories. Moreover, the use of simple archaic English words adds vigor, meaning and timelessness to the myths.
The reader will savor the stories, the characters, and the splendor of the written text in this captivating long poem. This book is one of a kind, because Jon does not rely on the written word exclusively to please the reader. The poem is becoming more evocative and memorable by the inclusion of Jon’s priceless thematic illustrations. In this book visual art is fused with poetic art to produce a masterpiece.
Spectacular illustrations accompany each myth. The illustrations are works of recognized artistic quality and are wonderfully woven into the text. These illustrations are samples of Jon’s innovative style of original artwork that enrich many art collections. Indeed, the book itself is a piece of art worth sharing with friends and keeping in a place for others to see to kindle a pleasant discussion on poetry, and the arts.
This book is a modern rendering of the timeless epic style of Homer and Hesiod, and of the renaissance artistic explorations of ancient myths. The use of ancient Greek terms and metaphors rekindles our memories of what attracts us to the ancient myths and provide a familiar and pleasing tone to the stories. Moreover, the use of simple archaic English words adds vigor, meaning and timelessness to the myths.
The reader will savor the stories, the characters, and the splendor of the written text in this captivating long poem. This book is one of a kind, because Jon does not rely on the written word exclusively to please the reader. The poem is becoming more evocative and memorable by the inclusion of Jon’s priceless thematic illustrations. In this book visual art is fused with poetic art to produce a masterpiece.
Spectacular illustrations accompany each myth. The illustrations are works of recognized artistic quality and are wonderfully woven into the text. These illustrations are samples of Jon’s innovative style of original artwork that enrich many art collections. Indeed, the book itself is a piece of art worth sharing with friends and keeping in a place for others to see to kindle a pleasant discussion on poetry, and the arts.
March 1, 2023
What initially drew me in was the illustration -- Jon has crafted such beautiful and evocative artwork to support his writing; but don't let the pretty cover and art distract you. Jon has also written a wonderful mythological record based on space itself.
When I finally decided to stop gawking at the art and dig into the writing, it's oddly familiar. It's reminds me of a lot of mythology, particularly Norse, but it's by no means a simple copy job. Jon balances his narrative on a fascinating edge. It 'rhymes' with cultural mythologies. Its familiarity lulls you into a false sense of security. It feels like you may have read it before. But the stories never fail to deliver something just out of left field that keeps you hooked, flipping page after page.
On top of this is the juxtaposition of the illustration and the writing, they support each other immensely. The stories form an excellent mental picture of what's going on, but the illustrations lend themselves to framing your mind's perception. Lending itself to point you to stark contrasts between light and dark, like starlight pin-pricks in the void of the night sky. All beautifully illustrated in a moon-yellow on black field.
Long and short of it; if you enjoy mythology, fiction or not, you will likely enjoy Astromythos. The writing itself is simple enough that casual or young readers could appreciate the prose, though they may struggle with some of the metaphors and wordplay. Yet, its still complex enough that a high level reader can thoroughly enjoy it.
When I finally decided to stop gawking at the art and dig into the writing, it's oddly familiar. It's reminds me of a lot of mythology, particularly Norse, but it's by no means a simple copy job. Jon balances his narrative on a fascinating edge. It 'rhymes' with cultural mythologies. Its familiarity lulls you into a false sense of security. It feels like you may have read it before. But the stories never fail to deliver something just out of left field that keeps you hooked, flipping page after page.
On top of this is the juxtaposition of the illustration and the writing, they support each other immensely. The stories form an excellent mental picture of what's going on, but the illustrations lend themselves to framing your mind's perception. Lending itself to point you to stark contrasts between light and dark, like starlight pin-pricks in the void of the night sky. All beautifully illustrated in a moon-yellow on black field.
Long and short of it; if you enjoy mythology, fiction or not, you will likely enjoy Astromythos. The writing itself is simple enough that casual or young readers could appreciate the prose, though they may struggle with some of the metaphors and wordplay. Yet, its still complex enough that a high level reader can thoroughly enjoy it.
October 29, 2021
This book is a treat. I have been recommending it to everyone I know, and I would recommend it to you as well. Beautiful art, poetry and characters fill both your imagination and the pages of the book. Thank you Jon!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews