Poseidon's Children (The Legacy of the Gods) [Kindle Edition]

Michael West (Author), Amanda DeBord (Editor), Matthew Perry (Illustrator)

Book Description

Man no longer worships the old gods; forgotten and forsaken, they have become nothing more than myth and legend. But all that is about to change. After the ruins of a vast, ancient civilization are discovered on the ocean floor, Coast Guard officers find a series of derelict ships drifting in the current--high-priced yachts and leaking fishing boats, all ransacked, splattered in blood, their crews missing and presumed dead.

And that's just the beginning.

Vacationing artist Larry Neuhaus has just witnessed a gruesome shark attack, a young couple torn apart right before his eyes ... at least, he thinks it was a shark. And when one of these victims turns out to be the only son of Roger Hays, the most powerful man in the country, things go from bad to worse. Now, to stop the carnage,Larry and his new-found friends must work together to unravel a mystery as old as time, and face an enemy as dark as the ocean depths.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Poseidon's Children is some of Michael West's best writing and storytelling!" ~Maurice Broaddus, author of King Maker

Product Details

• File Size: 731 KB
• Print Length: 332 pages
• Publisher: Seventh Star Press; First edition (March 16, 2012)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B007LAGUO2
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #326,790 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Review From Eva's Sanctuary April 2, 2012

By Eva J. Coppersmith

Format:Kindle Edition

Ruins of a lost civilization are found on the ocean floor. Shortly thereafter, the coast guard finds ships apparently left abandoned splattered in blood., with their crew and passengers assumed dead.
Larry Neuhaus is an artist who is on vacation with his lover. The hope is that Larry will get back to his painting once again. He is recovering from a mental breakdown after his former lover killed herself. Larry blames himself. One night while standing on his balcony, he thinks he sees a woman attacked by a shark. Is it his mind playing tricks on him or is it the real deal? It turns out she is not alone. Her young lover turns up dead also and is none other the son of Roger Hays. Roger is hell bent on finding the killer of his son and will stop at nothing until he exacts his revenge. He just may open a Pandora's Box in the process.
Larry and his new friends must join forces to unravel a mystery and fight a battle that is as old as time. This is the first book in the urban fantasy series, Legacy of the Gods. It is a phenomenal read that had me riveted from the start. It is a mixture of horror, fantasy and myth that takes you on a roller coaster ride from the depths of the ocean to above the ground. The story is extremely well developed and takes you smoothly from one scene to the next. The description of the characters is so well defined that you can see them in your mind while you are reading about them. I find this to be a rare talent. Most authors are descriptive; but not all can paint an actual picture of what you should see. I am a cover person and I love this one. It is right on with the story. I also have to mention that the book contains a couple of pictures that absolutely make the story. My only complaint is the book ended and now I have to wait for the next one to be published.... If you are into a good fantasy read with some touches of horror, you will love this book. If you are just looking for a good read, I highly recommend this one.
I wish to thank Seventh Star Press for providing me with a copy for reading and reviewing purposes. I was not required to write a positive review. I was not compensated in anyway except for receiving the book to review. Read more ›

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic reading! March 15, 2012

By N. Howard

Format:Paperback

Michael West has done it again!
This is an intricate story, with lots of action; characters that become friends (even some of the bad guys!); and many surprises along the way. The story is told from several of the character's viewpoints, giving the reader a well-rounded view of the action, and creating empathy for all involved.

Set on a romantic New England island, there's no disappointment in the love story, either. There's plenty of horror, humor, mystery, fantasy, and camaraderie. Michael West blends it all perfectly, creating a very believable world of monsters that live among us.

This book is a great read, and left me with many images that will play in my mind for years to come. I love this story, and I can't wait to read more of it in the next book.

Check out the book's trailer:
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12 of 14 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Put on your Hip Waders because `Poseidon's Children' an Urban Fantasy Carnavale! April 12, 2012

By CabinGoddess

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I remember when I read my first Hemingway. Sitting in my grandfathers study snuggled under my great grandmother's knitted blanket with a small 60 watt bulb illuminating the treasured book from his shelves. His study smelled like leather and typewriter ribbon, I will never forget that. When I smell these things or snuggle under that blanket, which I still have, I go back to that time in that chair with that Old Man. Memories are heavily tied to scent, taste, feeling... and for me words. I was so emotionally invested in the Fisherman and I stayed up all night till the tale was done.

You know what books I am talking about, the ones you read which stay with you, like my Hemingway moment. That have grabbed you in some way with some `hook', dragging you along for the ride. The ones that a month, a year or even five later you see something, or read something which brings you back to that moment in the book, where you are, what you are doing, what you are eating... Some of you have a handful, some of you, like me, have different handfuls that I cycle through because books are part of a central core of my being. Poseidon's Children and the rest of the Legacy of Gods series may possibly come to be one of those books. Let's talk about why, this definitely will not be a normal review, perhaps more of a discussion on passion and why I feel passionate and so excited about talking about Michael West's latest experience in words.

Earlier this week I asked Michael West why Urban Fantasy? I tend to not read reviews or synopsis' because every time I do I get thrown completely off and at times I go off on a tangent because these labels that are forced upon authors in order to sell the book at times screws the pooch.... Now Urban Fantasy does not screw the pooch with this, however I cannot put Poseidon's Children specifically in this category nor can I label it as Cthulhuian mythos, or Horror, or thriller, or fantasy, or science fiction, or... this is a book that I had a very hard time nailing down. If I had to I would say Urban Carnivale! but they do not have that subgenre... yet. Michael may just be the first

First off to understand where I am coming from you need to understand the term or phenomena of Carnivale, at least in how I am using it. In its root 'carnevale' is derived from the two words meaning, `carne', `meat' (food) or `flesh' (sex). It has been much discussed in the sociological circles as an actual phenomena dating back in many different cultures thousands of years. During these times the world, society is tumultuous with most social hierarchies being inverted with satire and a farce, even mockery. Reversals of relations between man and beast, men and women, fathers and sons.. and in this book definitely mothers and daughters. If you have read this, you know exactly where I am headed. If you have not read it, think about the fantastical aspects of a Carnivale! The cotton candy, the chaos, the thrills, chills and the Freak Show! Michael presents you one with this amazing read.

I literally did a fist pump and giggled when I read the opening scene The series starts off set on a small New England island off the mainland of New Hampshire. One of those little tourist traps with quaint shops, quirky hotel clerks, clueless tourist and rich mainlanders that summer on the shores. One of these rich mainlanders is a man called Roger Hays and Roger had a son, one that as the book opened up was treading water in the surf coaxing his neurotic girlfriend, who is afraid of open water, out to have a little tryst int he sea. Just like our skinny dipper from Jaws soon finds out, this will be the last risqué thing these two lovers do... ever...

"...Susan Rogers had been right to fear the water. There were monsters lurking just below its churning surface. Now, they pulled her down into the dark depths; things with black and orange stripes, things with claws, with fangs like sharpened steak knives, and, unfortunately for her, they were not inclined to swallow her whole..."( location 163)

Here is where it gets tricky, I want to tell you all about it, I want to stand in front of my webcam and give you jazz hands and giggle as I recount a scene.. but I can't! Yesterday I started blathering on and on about the story to my fiance until he raised his hand up and said, "Stop, wait... sea monsters, Atlantis, a town full of sea monsters, a lost god, a weapon... wait.. a mobster? WTH where is Bruce Campbell!" I laughed so hard because I had been saying all along that all that was missing was a horde of zombies, Bruce Campbell and a chainsaw.

Now before you roll your eyes and dismiss this, you have gotten this far in the review in so give it a bit more. Simply put, it was brilliantly woven. I giggled continually when I saw the correspondences. It is not just the story that is "Urban Carnivale", the writing style, the cleverly woven plot devices everything fits overlayed into this frantic masterpiece. Oh and the love scenes! *fanning myself* all of them, including the ones that were a bit harder to read, (involving one of the bad guys!)

Since this is the start of the series his cast/character list is large. The protagonists consist of numbers which would fill at least a starting line up for a baseball team! Perhaps Colonial Bay Creatures?? umm no.. anyway. One thing people have discussed is because of this some of the characters did not get "fluffed" enough (could not resist). I started reading this knowing it was the first in a series. Many times when this is the case the first half of a book is nothing but setting up the world, "fluffing" out the depths of the characters so by the time you get to the meat of the piece you are almost finished! It didn't even occur to me while I was reading because I was swept along with the tentacles of each story arc. The characters that needed filling, were filled and those that were not will obviously be more developed later so this was not an issue for me.

When you open this up, expect to smile, to cover your mouth in horror, to catch yourself needed to grab a breath, taking a couple of hot showers, checking before you dive into a pool from now on... and appreciating the fact that most beaches are PROBABLY safe.. probably .. Thrills, chills.. train wrecks you cannot stop watching (in a good way)... and remember they may not need to need to worry about being able to take a big deep breath before diving in, but you will! I cannot recommend this book more it will redefine the genre, or become the beginning of a new one. I think I will go tag it with `Urban Carnavale' now!

I have been taunting everyone for weeks since the teaser about tentacles and Cthulhuian dreams and words of horror that will thrill you! With this incredible book, I have found another treasured memory placeholder. I will always have "a moment" when I read anything that tugs... pulls and twists at my memory. I will probably smile fondly each time I make my crab cakes! But I had not read the book yet. I have now, and Poseidon's Children will always have this `hook' in the flesh of my subconscious. Read more ›

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars What if Jaws had opposable thumbs? March 15, 2012

By Wag The Fox

Format:Paperback

Maybe it's just me, but I don't read many books involving sea creatures, let alone mythical ones. One of those little oversights from my reading habits I suppose, so this novel was going to be a departure for me, at least in that regard. When I first read about this new urban fantasy from Seventh Star, I wondered if the "urban" actually meant Atlantis. I don't know if I could read an entire novel set underwater with mermen swimming about, so I was relieved that a lion's share of this book takes place above sea level.

Colonial Bay is one of those quaint seaside towns along the New England coastline. The island on which it sits is a nice little tourist trap just off New Hampshire's shores, but things turn bloody after a supposed shark attack and a young couple goes missing. Sound a bit like Jaws? Well, maybe if Jaws had a baby with Jason Vorhees, because what artist Larry Neuhaus saw from his balcony didn't look entirely like a shark--it looked more like a man.

Meanwhile, off the coast of Portugal, scientist and explorer, Carol Miyagi has discovered what she believes is Atlantis, relics of a long-lost city shrouded for centuries in a giant cavern beneath volcanic rock. The place is a veritable paradise for anyone in her field, but her claim on the spot is threatened as her team is running out of funding from their billionaire benefactor, and she doesn't want to risk having to leave the place unattended searching for more backers in case another team swooped in and takes the spoils. The billionaire in question, Roger Hays, however, is distracted from his business dealings because his son is one-half of that couple who went missing in Colonial Bay.... As the assorted players converge on Colonial Bay, each for their own reasons, the violence escalates and it becomes clear that the town holds more than one secret, including a connection to that lost city, and there are forces at work attempting to let those secrets out.

Where most urban fantasy novels I've read focus on the viewpoint of a single lead character, with a deeply personal narrative most of the time, Michael West has created a story that is as much event driven as it is character driven, with several characters offering viewpoints for the action and mystery to play out. Michael doesn't hold back on the gruesomeness, either. The introductory scene involving the "shark" attack gives a pretty clear idea that there will be more horrific elements than what readers might expect from conventional urban fantasy. What comes as no surprise, however, is the richly laid out history of the underwater progeny that are making their presence known. And by the time you reach the third act, all bets are off, and you wonder just where the story is going to lead in the next book.

The ensemble cast, while engaging most of the time and offering several viewpoints, got mish-mashed for me at times. Just as I was settled into one character's take on events, the focus would switch. It didn't happen enough to really detract from the story, but it was a distraction for me at times. A couple standout characters for me really hit their stride towards the end of the novel, namely Earl Preston and Horror Show, a Coast Guard officer and hitman for Roger Hays respectively. Their interactions as the descendents of the underwater city come out of their shells--pun intended--and Roger Hays true intentions come to bear added a great bit of unlikely chemistry. Aside from them, I had trouble rallying behind the good guys, and really found the so-called villains to be the scene stealers.

It's a good start to a series that offers a broad scope, but I have the feeling it will be the second book where the series really hits its stride. Poseidon's Children is a strong blend of sci-fi, fantasy, and horror, and it seems like it's about time some Atlantian-style source material got the spotlight. Read more ›

More About the Author

Michael West is a member of the Horror Writers Association and Indiana Horror Writers, where he serves as President. A graduate of Indiana University, West earned a degree in Telecommunications and Film Theory, and since that time, he has written a multitude of short stories, articles, and reviews for various on-line and print publications. He lives and works in the Indianapolis area with his wife, their two children, their bird, Rodan, their turtle, Gamera, and their dog, King Seesar.

His children are convinced that spirits move through the woods near their home.

West's short story "Goodnight," originally published in WICKED KARNIVAL #6, was named "Best Horror Short Story of 2005" in the P&E Readers Poll.