Review: Chaotic mix of mythology, automatons and action
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 05 7, 2012
Pantheons is a coming of age story about an unlikely hero with a speech impediment... it's also about gods and goddesses of different Pantheons all over the world... oh it's also about war, murder, action, adventure and romance with an automaton. If it seems like the author poured a whole lot of plot and details into this story it's because he did.  For those of you who aren't that familiar with mythology from different civilizations, especially Greek, be prepared to flip back and forth trying to remember which gods go where.  For those of you, like me, who adore mythology then be prepared to enjoy a great story where different Pantheons collide.  Oh and did I mention they're all teenagers?After the Last War, one where there was much blood and slaughter, the Powers-that-Be cursed all the gods and goddesses to live in mortal teenage bodies.  This sucks, but they can still use their powers, they can just die too.  Kaliber Academy is where these godlings (so to speak) have come together.  This is where our hero Isaiah comes in.  A rich snot (turns out it's his dad who he has vowed to kill... long story) belittled his street gang and Isaiah wants revenge.  He follows the rich kid into the Academy and is met by the principal who ends up offering his little gang the option of enrollment.  The story gets kicked off from there when Isaiah saves a gold and silver girl who ends up being an automaton who was created to solely love one of the smith gods.  There's a tournament, coming of age, powers, jealous godlings, pissed off goddesses, and something everyone wants... the Dominion.Dabel has written a detailed and intricate story. His hero isn't a typical hero and has a speech impediment; he can't pronounce the letter `s'.  This causes some of the other kids to call him `retard', so while yes it's realistic, if this word greatly bothers you then you might not want to pick up this book.  The different Pantheons of gods and goddesses can get confusing at times, and at the end of the book during the Tournament, there are multiple POVs and it can get a bit chaotic.  For a debut novel Dabel has done well, and I would definitely buy the second book in the series when it comes out.  You find yourself wanting to know how much more Isaiah will grow and discover about himself.