Woman of Destiny: A Mythological Fantasy Novella

Rebels of Olympus #1

by Michele Amitrani

Not all gifts are meant to be opened.

In the workshop of the blacksmith god Hephaestus, the first woman comes to life. The Olympians name her Pandora, ‘All-Gifted,’ since each of them has endowed her with a gift: beauty, poise, self-possession and cunning, among others.

Zeus gives her two gifts: a burning desire to learn—and a jar she is ordered never to open.

Pandora is fostered by gods but raised to live among men. When she marries the Titan Epimetheus—brother of the gods’ worst enemy, Prometheus—her fate appears to be sealed.

Although her life with Epimetheus is full of happiness, Pandora is besieged by nightmares carrying omens of dark things to come: destruction, famine, death and the end of the young race of mankind.

With the fate of humanity at stake, will Pandora surrender to the destiny that haunts her, or challenge her nature and become what no god ever imagined she could be?

Genres: Mythology, Retellings, Short Stories, Fantasy, Greek Mythology, Amazon

75 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 28, 2021

About the author

ENG

I am an independent author living in Rome, the Eternal City. I grew up writing of falling empires, space battles, mortal betrayals, monumental decisions, and everything in between.

I write dark fantasy, mythological fantasy, fairytale retellings and lots of other cool stuff.

I spend my days traveling through time and space and, more often than not, writing about impossible but necessary worlds.

When I’m not busy chasing dragons or mastering the Force, you can find me at MicheleAmitrani.com or hanging out on Facebook at /MicheleAmitraniAuthor.

ITA

Sono un autore indipendente con una grande passione per i viaggi senza meta, i cieli stellati, il body building, i fuochi d’artificio, le notti di mezza estate e quello strano suono che fanno le conchiglie vuote se le si avvicina all’orecchio.

Flirto da tempo con diversi generi letterari, ma sono ufficialmente sposato con fantasy e fantascienza (intrattengo una relazione segreta con la saggistica di stampo politico-internazionale, ma non ditelo alle signore fantasy e fantascienza!).

Condivido anche risorse su come produrre, pubblicare e pubblicizzare indipendentemente sul mio sito www.CrediNellaTuaStoria.com e sul mio canale YouTube.

Quando non sono impegnato a inseguire draghi o a padroneggiare la Forza, divoro libri su Goodreads (GoodreadsAuthor) e gironzolo su Facebook (/AmitraniMichele).

Reviews

[Rosh ~catching up slowly~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

What new ways can I search to tell you the magic of Michele Amitrani’s writing? I’m a huge fan, so all you will find here is a ton of gushing praise for his latest retelling. This time, he brings to us the story of the much-maligned Pandora.

You might have heard the tale of Pandora’s Box. When Pandora, the wife of the Titan Epimetheus, opened the jar gifted to her by Zeus in spite of the All-Father’s express warning against it, she brought into the human world every possible evil. The only saving grace was that she also released hope to the world. This story is the Greek myth explanation for why there is evil in the world.

Whenever I’ve read this tale in the past, each rendition portrayed Pandora as a gullible woman who couldn’t control her curiosity and with her actions, changed the destiny of humankind. But this book is different; it springs from the Amitrani imagination, remember? What makes his retellings special to me is that he presents the supposedly divine in a very human manner. Rather than focussing only on the ego and power of the Gods, he sketches them with mortal emotions, thereby layering their characters with various sentiments and vulnerabilities. What also helps is that he narrates the tales from a previously unseen perspective. Be it his retelling of Persephone or Medusa or Prometheus or Calliope, every work of his made me question what I knew about these legendary characters before and view them in a whole new way. This work is no exception. Far from being portrayed as naïve or impulsive, Pandora comes across as a disturbed but strong character who does her best to resist her fate. You won’t be able to stop yourself from rooting for her.

While you don’t need to know the original myths to read Amitrani’s work, having some familiarity with them will certainly help you appreciate his retellings a lot more because there are so many subtle flourishes (not necessarily connected to the main characters) he inserts in his stories that might escape your notice otherwise. For instance, in this story, he makes a passing reference to how Hephaestus (Zeus’ son and Pandora’s creator) drags one leg while walking. The reason isn’t revealed, and you’ll not understand why he is limping unless you know the story of how Zeus punished Hephaestus off Mount Olympus in one of his rages. Knowing this isn’t important to Pandora’s tale, but it adds a greater authenticity and charm to the story. Such intricate detailing is what makes me appreciate the author’s work even more.

In short, this story is as amazing as all his other Greek myth retellings. My favourite of his works so far has been “Bringer of Fire”, which is ironically about Pandora’s brother-in-law, the Titan Prometheus. But I think this book will share the top rank now onwards as my favourite Michele Amitrani work.



I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author at my request and these are my honest thoughts about it. Thank you very much for this opportunity to read and review your work, Michele Amitrani. 😊


***********************
Join me on the Facebook group, Readers Forever! , for more reviews, book-related discussions and fun.

[Thibault Busschots · Rating 4 out of 5]

A mythological retelling of Pandora’s box. Pandora is created by the gods and we look through her eyes as she gets introduced to the world around her, meets gods and is bestowed gifts by them. But not all gifts are meant to be opened.


It’s well written, engaging and simply a fun and interesting story with a strong main character. Because it is so short though, there’s not much plot to speak of. Still, a very nice and fast read.

[Andria Potter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Historical Greek retelling of Pandora, excellently done, I just wish it was longer. 5 ⭐

[Megan Rivera · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an excellent book.

[Korinne Tande · Rating 5 out of 5]

First, I am a big fan of Michele Amitrani and his retellings of Greek mythology. I have read several and am never disappointed. I regret not having these to read during my college literature courses! Amitrani demonstrates great skill in offering a unique spin on the familiar tales we know and love. And, who hasn't heard of Pandora's Box! The story weaves the challenges of being a wife and mother while dealing with several formidable Greek Gods, including Zeus, Hermes, Prometheus, and others. One of the statements in the book made me sit back and ponder its meaning, especially in light of today's world. Amitrani wrote, "Becoming pleasing was like becoming invisible. It was my best chance of survival." This was a statement by Pandora, and I could not help but compare that to women I know who have been in abusive relationships. Hmmmm. Again, a great story and well worth reading. I am a big fan.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

What another great installment of retold Greek mythology! Without giving too much of the story away (which is built up in a marvelous manner), I love how Amitrani took what I "thought" I knew of Greek mythology and twisted it just a bit. Pandora's story is told in a way where she is not the scapegoat but is still the cause of the jar being opened. Hopefully that will whet your appetite to get ahold of a copy to read it for yourself! Definitely recommend.

I received an ARC; this is my honest review.

[Adena Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anyone who has read the Greek classics knows the story of Pandora. Talk about a negative view of women! This author, who has a knack for combining different legends to create memorable yet classical retellings, added a dash of the Book of Genesis to the legend to give us a far more positive view of the first Greek woman, even though the curse still happens. But that is all part of the plan. This author continues to impress with this story. I am looking forward to the next retelling he writes.

I received an ARC from the author and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Juliana Cotrin Sobreiro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Michele did it again! He presents us, this time, the story of Pandora by her point of view! It shows us her feelings and struggles from the moment she's created and left with the gods, to the moment she feels tortured between opening or not the gift she was given by Zeus! I sure recommend this ebook to all those people who enjoys mythology! It is easy to read, a page-turner and has a good flow!

I've received an ARC of this ebooks from the author and all the opinions in this review are my own and freely given.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

A retelling of the Pandora myth
A retelling of the Greek story of Pandora. Another of the Author’s legends and myths remastered in an imaginative way, Amitrani tells a good story making these myths very approachable. Pandora is made to be the first human woman and while all the gods teach her something, Zeus bestowed upon Pandora two gifts; curiosity and a jar he bade her not open... hello, he made her curious, what did he think was going to happen... or was that his plan all along. Find out in this short and easy read and learn all the vital bits of the Pandora mythology.

[Matthew W Seniff · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is book one of Rebels of Olympus series. Again the author has presented an old tale in a fresh and beautiful story. This is the tale of a gift from the gods concealing a trick for mankind. I really enjoyed reading this book and found it difficult to stop reading. There is a beauty and wonder to this author’s writing. That alone is recommendation enough but the connection that most people have to the story from childhood reading makes it special. I recommend this book with no reservations.


I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Anya Josephs · Rating 4 out of 5]

These short works were such fun to read! They're retellings of ancient Greek myths, which is a favorite category of fantasy for me. They definitely brought life to some interesting characters that have mostly been neglected in the study of Ancient Greece. My only critique is that they are VERY fast-paced, and I wanted to learn more about how the characters developed over the course of their story. These could definitely have been full-length novels, and I felt a tiny bit shortchanged that they were only novella length!

[LeafPages · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the writing and the plot. I thought it really put me in the characters head and showed me a new perspective to the story of Pandora. The only thing I’d say is that it was way too short but overall an enjoyable quick read.

[Mary Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another Creative Retelling

This retelling of the story of Pandora was highly creative and engaging. Michele Amitrani has a great gift in taking Greek myths and expanding the story while maintaining the core of the original. Love reading his works!

[Sabrina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the story from Pandora's view, from the moment of her making to the aftermath of the jar opening.

[Ilaria *Lo scaffale libroso* · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una bella rivisitazione del mito di Pandora.

Fin dalle prime pagine la scrittura di Michele è molto accattivante e porta il lettore a divorare la storia pagina dopo pagina.

Mi è piaciuto molto il modo in cui viene fatto evolvere il personaggio di Pandora: mandata tra gli uomini sulla Terra non conosce nulla di quel mondo ma impara presto a osservare, comprendere e districarsi in una realtà totalmente differente da quella a lei conosciuta fino a quel momento.

Lettura breve ma davvero molto piacevole. Consigliatissimo per gli amanti della mitologia!

[Sammy BookWyrm · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an advance review copy of this book and this is my honest review.

The story follows Pandora as she gains knowledge from the gods and lives among men.
Pandora has a jar and she has promised not to open it. But what happens when the jar opens?

I really enjoyed reading this book and I love Greek Myths and Legends.
I like the flow of the story and I like the characters in this book.

[A' · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another sweet vision of an old Greek myth, with Pandora being created as a blight upon MANkind in response to Prometheus giving them fire. She is given a sealed jar by Zeus and told not to open it, AND he gifts her with curiosity.....we know what happens there. But this is a telling of her beginnings with the gods on Mt. Olympus.
* I was given an advanced copy for an honest [always] review *

[Alessandro Amitrani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another wonderful mythological tale from Michele. This time is about Pandora, narrated as always in a particular way that tells us the story from her side. I love the characters in these novels from Michele, especially the women which often appears are evil or awkward in the original story, but have their own personality in these novels.

[Shannen🌸 · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are gonna be a lot of updates because I found the full series on my kobo and thought it was a book of short stories. Not a serie put in one book… oops