George O'Connor
FirstSecond
March 2013
The Earth-Shaker. Father of Horses. Lord of the Ocean. One of three powerful sons of Kronos, Poseidon, along with his brothers Hades and Zeus (and their siblings) have freed the mortal world of the rule of the Titans. They take over their realms and usher in an age of peace...such as it is. Poseidon is deep and dark, calm and chaotic, just like the ocean that he dwells in. His children, like the cyclops, the pegasus, and his mortal children are often monstrous and destructive...reflecting the darker nature of their father, wreck havoc on the world above, causing conflict between Poseidon and the other gods. And at times...putting the three powerful brothers at war with each other.
Unlike the other books in this series, O’Connor has Poseidon tell his own story. From the defeat of the Titans to his children to his time in Kronos’s stomach, O’Connor allows Poseidon to explain why he acts the way he does, which creates for a unique storytelling experience. And while it is an epic story, it sometimes strays from being the story of Poseidon and instead becomes the story of the Minotaur or Theseus (children of Poseidon.) And while O’Connor does this because there isn’t a lot of information on Poseidon, it just doesn’t read as a complete story like the books on Zeus and Hades.
I really like the artwork in this book. It has such great use of color and shadow in the depictions of the world, especially the underworld. Instead of depicting it all flames and fire (which seems to be something some artists like these days) it’s more of a darker, almost hopeless place...much like it’s described as in the original myths. It might be a bit creepy for really young readers, but middle schoolers and above will enjoy it. I enjoyed most of the character design, although at times Poseidon’s mustache bugged me...it made him seem like a dastardly villain vs. being a god.
Overall this is a great series and this is the perfect companion for people that have been enjoying the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan and want to know more about the Greek/Roman gods and how they work. Even better is that at the end of the book is nice a little feature that talks bout the different characters, who they are, and other details to help you learn more about the Greek world. Even better, from a librarian perspective, they have a bibliography! A list of websites and recommended reading list to go to get more information. I can’t wait to read the next volume in the series!
ARC provided by Gina at FirstSecond
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