The Gorgon Bride by Galen Surlak-Ramsey
Publisher: Tiny Fox Press
Genre: Fantasy, Contemporary
Length: Full Length (324 pgs)
Rated:
Review by Poppy

THE GODS ARE FUNNY.

Except when you piss them off.

Then they suck.

They really, really suck.

(Really).

Alexander Weiss discovers this tidbit when he inadvertently insults Athena, Goddess of Wisdom, and she casts him away on a forgotten isle filled with statues.

Some of them are regenerating psychological needs, such as the need for attention from the environment, the need to free viagra online renew oneself, to remain up-to-date, to discover, and to be tempted or seduced. Earlier there was no proper cure to the levitra buy levitra issue of erection. The pills are available in different doses like 25mg, 50mg and 100mg. viagra uk no prescription unica-web.com Even a simple OTC drug like NyQuil Cold & Sinus (a decongestant) may reduce blood flow to the optic nerve viagra purchase no prescription of the eye, causing sudden vision loss. Being marooned is bad enough, but the fact that the island is also the home of Euryale, elder sister to Medusa, makes the situation a touch worse. The only thing keeping Alex from being petrified is the fact that Euryale has taken a liking to the blundering mortal.

For now.

What follows next is a wild, adventurous tale filled with heroes, gods, monsters, love, and war that is nothing short of legendary.

Whenever Greek gods get involved in anything, the result is typically chaotic and messy. This story is no exception.

The story starts with Alex being squashed (and mostly killed) by a whale (who was originally a Gorgon…it’s a long story). Thus begins an eventful and occasionally confusing tale of love and adventure. In order to save himself (sort of), Alex agrees to find a husband for the sister of the Gorgon who crushed him, Euryale, who’s actually a pretty decent woman, aside from those pesky snakes and eyes that turn a person to stone. In no time at all, Alex is smitten and the feelings are returned by Euryale two-fold.

But they were set up by Athena, and her sister Aphrodite is ticked off. After all, just who is the goddess of love, for crying out loud? And so Alex and Euryale find themselves pawns in a real life game of chess between Ares, Aphrodite and Athena (with a little help from others like Hermes and Hephaestus, amongst others).

I’m a Greek mythology geek. I studied it in school, I’ve loved other fiction works that include it, was thrilled when it became more mainstream via Rick Riordan, so was more than happy to grab this book for review. The author certainly understands how remarkably petty and arrogant Greek gods can be, especially when they tamper in the mortal world. He really humanized some immortals, like Kharon, who is fooled once by Alex and has a bit of a sense of humor about it. Sort of. He knows how to hold a grudge, too.

I did have some issue with how quickly Euryale and Alex fell in love, and have to admit that the story was confusing for awhile because so much was happening and we hopped between Athena and Ares, Alex and various gods and demi-gods, Ares and Aphrodite, etc. I might not have kept reading if I’d not accepted this for review since I was left scratching my head a bit and had to go back and re-read parts to make sure I was understanding the plot.  All of that was necessary to set things up and once it gelled, it was just a fun read. The author has a great sense of humor (the blurb absolutely sold me) and made the story incredibly irreverent and amusing.

The ending wraps up Alex and Euryale’s story, but it does introduce the next story inside the epilogue and I’m glad Jessica will get her own story. She’s the catalyst to much of the conflict in The Gorgon Bride but it really wasn’t her fault, and the author managed to make her a very sympathetic character.

Like humor that just a little sideways? Enjoy Greek myths? Looking for a book that’s just pure entertainment? You should absolutely try The Gorgon Bride. I’m glad I did.