‘Ganymede’ (Abducted By The God’s: Book One of the Fantastic Immortals Series) by Wendy Rathbone #LGBT #Review #Fantasy #Myth

Wendy reviews ‘Ganymede’ (Abducted By The God’s: Book One of The Fantastic Immortals Series) by Wendy Rahtbone. Published by Eye Scry November 28,2017, 184 pages.

Sold by his father. Abducted against his will.
My name is Ganymede, and I have been betrayed.

Every boy my age dreams of leaving home to embark on a noble adventure, but never does any boy imagine it happening as it did to me. On the evening of my 18th naming day, when I expected no more than a chalice of wine and a few drunken flirtations to tempt my innocence, I was instead sold by my father to the god, Zeus – not because of anything particular I had ever done or said, but solely because I am considered beautiful among mortals, and my father found more value in a few gold coins than in the well-being of his youngest son.

To be honest, I never believed in the gods, but my lack of belief held no power in Olympus or on Earth. Now under Zeus’s influence, I am kept drunk on ambrosia in the sun-lit halls of the immortals, alternately amazed and horrified at the power these beings hold over others, and how darkly they influence the progress of humanity itself. How very much I want to hate Zeus for kidnapping me, and yet he shows me mostly kindness, even on that fateful night when we shared a bed for the first time. Kindness, yes, but also a godly and unyielding refusal to take no for an answer… probably because he could read my ambrosia-fevered curiosity as much as my naive, inexperienced terror. He owns me, after all, just as he owns everything else, so perhaps it never occurred to him that a captive and a slave might not make the best of lovers.

Throughout my time at Olympus – who’s to say how long I’ve been here, for time on Olympus is not the same as that on Earth – the only thing that gives me hope comes to me in dreams and visions. His name is Sable and he is a magnificent shape-shifter in the form of a giant raven. When he first spoke to me in my mind it was with a resonance unlike any I had ever known – his mind and mine sounding a single note together, a song without words, a promise of freedom, a glimpse of some distant but very real possibility of this thing we humans call Love. But now he is silent. Perhaps I dreamed his voice. Perhaps I have finally lost my mind…

Buy links:   Amazon

Where to add:   Goodreads

Why I read this book: This book was a recommendation by a Facebook friend and was the first time I have read this author. It won’t be the last.

This is the first book in the ‘Fantastic Immortals’ series. I really can’t say enough about this book. I was instantly captured by the story. A brilliant blending of myth and fantasy, weaving and breathing new life into age-old stories. A new world with new concepts and seductive prose that’s like fantastical poetry. There are familiar characters of course, like Ganymede, Zeus and Eros, yet they’re remade beautifully in this authors world. Okay, have I gushed enough yet? Does it make you want to revisit the Gods in this new setting? Do it! You won’t be sorry.

This story is done from Ganymede’s POV. He was sold to Zeus by his father on his birthday and like the myth, carried away to Olympus. However, not by an Eagle, but a Raven who turns out to be so much more than a mere conveyance. I could feel Ganymede’s pain of being ripped away from all that was familiar, the betrayal he felt at being sold by his father for some horses and gold, his homesickness. I definitely connected with him right from the beginning. It was an emotional journey watching him learn how to live in this new world with Gods and beings that his imagination couldn’t invent. He’s young so he’s still able to see this as an adventure. He was supposed to simply be a beautiful cup-bearer but Zeus was so taken by his beauty that he became much more. I felt for him while he struggled to accept his position and begin to thrive in his new environment. And could understand his confused feelings for his captors. He was a very well written character.

Zeus was harder for me to understand. Yet, I did after getting past his arrogance to find that he may be a God, but was also a creature of his environment. He just had an entirely different take on life since he was immortal. He may have almost anything he desired, but he was kind in his way and could be quite gentle. I can’t wait for his story. I hope to learn more about what made him the way he is. It was a tease to see just bits of how his mind works.

Eros… I can’t wait for his story either! This God is deep and some think that he is one of the first. His calm demeanor, wisdom and vast knowledge are only hinted at while he teaches Ganymede about living on Olympus and being immortal. I sense a sadness that he doesn’t show and I think it may have something to do with his history with Zeus.

There’s one more being that needs to be mentioned…Sable, the Raven. He’s the conveyance that brought Ganymede to Mt. Olympus, yet he is so much more. He becomes Ganymede’s companion and protector. While Ganymede has issues with Sable being one of his abductors, he is who Ganymede trusts most of all. This being is silent and secretive; he’s always present and shares tiny parts of himself with Ganymede (who guards these secrets). You have to read the book to learn more about this character who will intrigue and (in my case) delight.

In this authors world, the characters are driven by passion of all kinds. They make love frequently and in many different ways. Sometimes just to pass the time or as a game and other times their loving is taken to a spiritual level. I love the authors interesting perspective on immortality as well. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and am anxiously awaiting Zeus’ story which comes out soon as well as Eros who I think is coming out sometime this year as well.

I love to write. I have this thing about words and how they are used to describe beauty, love, and all the things that open us up inside to our true self, our power. Words do that for me. They make me happy. The new moon smiling, the sadness of a fallen feather at dusk, predatory eyes gazing through smoke.

Currently, I write all male/male romances. For the past few years it has been my first love, and is my focus.

The reason I write romance these days is because the overwhelming power of falling in love (which has been proven to heal even cancer) is a game-changer. It makes sad people instantly happy. It makes bleak reality look sun-warmed and friendly again. But it can also be a feeling of total agony, which is why I always give my characters a happy ending.

I have written in all genres: scifi, fantasy, horror, paranormal, contemporary, erotica, romance. Also, my poetry has won awards, publishing contracts, and was recently nominated for a Pushcart Prize. A fiction story of mine won Writers of the Future. My fantasy/horror fiction and poetry has received honorable mentions from esteemed editor Ellen Datlow in “Years Best Fantasy and Horror”. I am a hybrid writer, publishing both indie (under my press name Eye Scry Designs) and with publishers including “The Android and the Thief” with Dreamspinner Press in 2017.

All my books are available on Kindle and CreateSpace.