Review: Sweeping Adventure Across Earth And Hell
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 10 17, 2013
Wow, talk about a book that ranges all over the place! From the mountain of Olympus and all the way down to hell and back, this book carries you on a whirlwind of adventure through the best bits of ancient mythology. The beauty of this book really lies in its impeccable pacing. There's never a part where the action slows down; you're kept on the edge of your seat the entire time, and at the end you'll still be reeling from the excitement. I'm reading through all of the books in this series, but I think I'll be coming back for a second round once I make it through all of them. It's just great, entertaining storytelling.My favorite thing about A Not So Barren World is its intricate weaving of mythology and science fiction. I'm a sucker for both, and I've found very few mythology based thrillers that can really suck you into their world and make you believe what's happening. With the recent explosion of mythology films and novels (ever since the remake of Clash of the Titans), it seems like everybody and their second nephew is churning out some drivel or another to cash in on the fad. Well, not this book. This takes the idea in a completely new direction that's not only thrilling—it's fresh. Reading this book is like the first ray of sunlight on your face after weeks spent stumbling around in the dark of a musty cave. It brings an entire world of new ideas to the table, ideas that I would love to see explored in more of Patrick's upcoming novels.Not only is this book a combination of genres, it's also a delightful merging of various mythologies. Starting on the Greek Olympus and moving into a battle with Lucifer from Christianity is a stroke of genius, and there are plenty of other nuggets of mythology dropped in along the way to keep you on your toes. I think next time I read it I'll need to have Wikipedia open beside me to look up some of the references made in the story. There's just so much depth here that you can tell the author has a deep love of mythology. It's really just an added perk that he's also such an incredible storyteller with very respectable writing skills.Overall, I give this book five stars and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to my friends and family. There's so much involved in bringing a story of this magnitude to life, and you get the feeling the author has put a lot of time and attention into making that happen. My impression as I started was that I was in good hands, so I just laid back and enjoyed the ride. And I'm glad I did. Give it a try; you won't be disappointed.