Customer Reviews

Age of Zeus

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Science fiction or fantasy readers looking for a serious book should keep looking elsewhere: The Age of Zeus isn't a meticulous reinterpretation of age-old myths or some sort of stirring, philosophical treatise on modern society. Instead, this is a wild, action-packed adventure - essentially an excuse to blow up AD&D monsters with power armor.

And before we get too far: there's absolutely nothing wrong with that.

The Age of Zeus is ridiculous, campy fun, and should be celebrated for it. The premise is delightfully simple. The Olympian gods have come back and are reigning over the modern world. There's global peace (yay), but it isn't particularly fun (boo). The gods (and their monsters) are pretty casual with the lives of the common people, and whilst the Hydra chews on retirees in Florida, resentment grows.

Fortunately, a band of heroes have arisen: twelve people ("Titans") that are particularly miffed with the Olympians. They're given POWER ARMOR and set to work. This set-up takes about 10 pages. The next 500 pages are spent in set-piece battles in which the Titans assassinate one monster after another. If you've ever wanted to know what happens when you attack Gorgons with shotguns, this is your chance...

There are a few plot-twists - betrayals, a love story, the mandatory "quitting" sequence - and a lot of monologuing. There's absolutely nothing in this - from a plot standpoint - that is in any way surprising. Nor, as far as character development, is there anything to write home about. Everyone is vaguely interesting, but they all speak in carefully-crafted witticisms that prevent any sort of real dialogue from occurring.

The Age of Zeus is fun, explosive and endlessly entertaining. It is a fantasy in the sense that it is a daydream let loose on paper. Very readable and very enjoyable, but make sure to take it for what it is.

Ten years ago the Olympians appeared. They are living incarnations of the Ancient Greek gods. Using their powers and monstrous creatures straight out of mythology, the Olympians went about saving the world by enslaving it. The divine guardians now rule the world by force. Any who speak out against them die. This is often followed by the Pantheon dishing out harsh discipline. (For example, Hong Kong no longer exists.) Resistance has proved futile. All of humankind now bows to those on Mount Olympus. Those who dare to disagree with anything, wisely keeps silent.

Samantha "Sam" Akehurst is a former detective sergeant with the London Metropolitan police force. Sam responds to an invitation for a chance to join a small group of rebels armed with high-tech battlesuits and weapons. Calling themselves the Titans, this group is going to war against the all-mighty gods.

***** FIVE STARS! A brilliant combination of modern warfare and Greek mythology. Though the synopsis has the sound of Fantasy, believe me when I say this is Science Fiction. One must read the entire story to fully understand my meaning. Author James Lovegrove's writing style is intense. His plot is creative, impressive, and could almost be called noble - no matter which side of the battle line the reader may mentally stand on. Lovegrove is on his way to greatness. *****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

This book has very few set-up points, and drops you into the action immediately. Note that this book is not for the squeamish, as confrontations with the monsters/gods are depicted in a very graphic manner. The action is intense, fast, and brutal. If you like military sci-fi, this is the book for you. Granted, this book does not do anything amazing or try anything that hasn't been done before, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. It's a long read, but worth it. The only complaint that I have is that some of the dialogue goes on for too long, making it unrealistic.

It was a great book. It was action packed from beginning to end. I could not put the book down.

When I read Sci-Fi/Fantasy books I try to turn off my logic and enjoy the story. This book however slapped me in the face with illogical and completly fantastical situations. You can do a lot in this type of book as long as the setting is right but the time period this book is set in doesn't match the technology it is using. The big reveal actually made me stop reading it for a while as I was so disgusted with it that I couldn't continue.

It had promise and a few interesting concepts but they were overpowered by the other nonsense in the book.

I bought this because the basic premise sounded interesting. But this book isn't really 'science fiction' at all, it's pure fantasy. There isn't any science, or even any research at all behind the book at all. From the ".45mm" ammunition, the "hydrocarbon fuel cell" (the author doesn't realize that hydrocarbons are the same thing as...gas) to the magical nanotech that makes the armor suits do everything, it is clear that the author didn't bother to actually research anything but rather just wrote a bunch of nonsense onto paper.

This isn't the only fault, the characters and dialogue are awful stereotypes demonstrating a complete lack of imagination. The Australian character is the worst, every sentence ends with 'Septic' "G'day" or "crickee", it's like Crocodile Dundee on paper. Then you have the impossibly proper British billionaire who of course has limitless funds to pay for all of this crap...

I would avoid this one...I'd like my money back.

If you want to know what happens if you take a machine gun and blow up the Minotaur this is your book of honor.

If you want to know what happens if you take a machine gun and blow up the Minotaur this is your book of honor.

If you want to know what happens if you take a machine gun and blow up the Minotaur this is your book of honor.

An interesting tale of Greek Gods who appear in the modern world. The premise is original, if somewhat reminiscent of Dan Simmons' Ilium/Olympus series.
Lovegrove's take on the effect of all-powerful beings participating in politics rings true. Once revealed, the origin of the gods is a disappointment and might have made a better yarn if it had remained a mystery.
Still, the story was enjoyable and moved along quickly. The book would have earned three (or perhaps four) stars, if not for the final confrontation between Cronus and Zeus which I found to be disgusting, repellent, and disturbing. Perhaps other readers will feel differently, but whether or not there is precedent in Greek mythology, the author's description of the end of that confrontation was disturbing and offensive to me. A less disgusting finale would have made for a much more enjoyable reading experience.