Editorial Reviews
Publishers Weekly
★ 10/26/2015
In Brodsky’s impressive debut, the first installment of the Olympus Bound series, the Greek gods walk the streets of New York City, much faded since their glory days of millennia past. Artemis, now calling herself Selene DiSilva, is a vigilante investigating crimes against women; when she stumbles across the body of a Columbia professor who’s been ritually slaughtered, she’s drawn to dig deeper. Her inadvertent assistant in the matter is Theo Schultz, the victim’s ex-lover, whose expertise as a classics scholar enables him to deduce that someone is attempting to resurrect and revitalize the Eleusinian Mysteries cult of ancient Greece, only with a new, murderous edge. Selene has cause to fear that the person behind the cult is someone she knows: a fellow god looking to regain immortality. Brodsky injects a melancholy air into this thoughtful thriller, taking her inspiration from the bloody, often contradictory, and frequently tragic Greek myths. She makes a wholly believable case for legendary figures to change and grow over time while retaining the echoes of their former lives. She also plays with more modern mythology, employing New York’s own secret places and storied history to great effect. This intelligent, provocative fantasy breathes exciting new life into old, familiar tales. Agent: Jennifer Joel, ICM Partners. (Feb.)
From the Publisher
"The Immortals is a lively re-imagining of classical mythology with an engaging premise, a page-turning plot, and an eye for the arresting and uncanny in contemporary urban life."—Deborah Harkness, New York Times bestselling author of A Discovery of Witches"Brilliantly conceived and tautly plotted, The Immortals is a pulse thrumming, fascinating novel. Selene is a perfect heroine for our times."—Eliot Schrefer
"Imaginative and fast-paced, The Immortals is pulse-pounding entertainment."—Kevin O'Brian, New York Times bestselling author of No One Needs to Know
"Brodsky's writing has claws...They sink in with the first word and don't let go until you are finished with the book."—Darynda Jones, New York Times bestselling author
"Irresistible...a page-turner that deftly weaves action, romance, and a dash of intellectual heft into one seamless whole."—Dustin Thomason, New York Times bestselling author
"Painstakingly researched, intellectually complex, and deeply rooted in the history and mythology of Ancient Greece, THE IMMORTALS is a richly imaginative, multi-layered tale that stimulates the heart and the mind in equal measure."—Ian Caldwell, New York Times bestselling author
"Plays with more modern mythology, employing New York's own secret places and storied history to great effect. This intelligent, provocative fantasy breathes exciting new life into old, familiar tales."—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Library Journal
01/01/2016
Once the Greek goddess of the hunt, Artemis now walks New York's streets as Selene DiSilva. Her powers may be a shadow of what they were when she was worshipped by so many, but they are still enough to help her in her vigilante efforts to protect women. One night, Selene stumbles upon a crime scene that smacks of ritual murder—specifically Greek ritual. She investigates, with the initially unwanted help of classics professor Theo Schulz, the victim's former lover. The more they uncover, the more the former deity realizes that someone is trying to revive the cult of the Eleusinian Mysteries. Selene's probing brings her back in contact with some of her fellow gods and goddesses, and it's fascinating to see how well (or poorly) they have adapted to 21st-century living. VERDICT Debut novelist Brodsky has obviously researched her Greek mythology thoroughly, yet her prose shows no signs of a writer trying to prove how much she knows. This series launch is a wonderful choice for fans of Greek myths and urban fantasy readers looking for something different.—MM
Kirkus Reviews
2015-11-11
A debut novel that imagines a modern world where ancient Greek deities still find themselves entangled in human affairs. Selene DiSilva's calling is avenging the wrongs perpetrated on women by men. She's been doing it for thousands of years—ever since she lived in ancient Greece and was known by the name of Artemis. When a Columbia professor is found murdered in what appears to be a revival of ancient cult practices, Selene realizes she has a new challenge on her hands. And though she usually works alone, the murdered woman's colleague (and ex-lover) professor Theodore Schultz becomes her unlikely sidekick: Selene must draw on his knowledge of the ancient world to help solve the mystery of the ritual murder before the ceremony's 10-day window of time closes. This isn't the only race against time Selene faces. As the Greek gods fade from cultural memory, and the realms they stand for (hunting, the hearth) become obsolete, she must try to catch the killer before her powers—and her life—fade away. Brodsky is clearly having fun writing this novel; one can feel her relish on the page in imagining what Greek gods like Hades, the God of the Underworld, or Hermes, the messenger god, might be doing in the 21st century. Consequently, the novel's greatest strength is its detailed and engaging use of both widely known and more obscure elements of ancient Greek life and myth. However, lovers of ancient myth know that, despite the way mythological figures are often oversimplified to represent a few attributes—philandering, mighty Zeus, for example—these characters are usually more complicated than they seem on the surface. While Brodsky has fun with the cartoonish aspects of the gods' personalities, these broad strokes unfortunately extend to the novel's human characters, too, which create portraits that border on stereotype. A fun, if flawed, treatment of myth and mystery.
Read More
