My rating: 5 out of 5 stars
For months rumors have reached King Odysseus of Ithaca that the natural order is falling apart and now it has finally reach his home. Taking a ship to Delphi, Odysseus finds the shrine abandoned and the Pythia alone unable to focus her abilities. Killing an owl—which offered itself to be sacrificed—to enhance the vapors’ qualities, Odysseus and the Seer learn that the celebrated Judgment of Paris did not end with Paris giving the golden apple to Aphrodite but Athene. When given his reward, Paris realizes he wasn’t given all the wisdom Athene had and forces the goddess to give it all to him. The result is Paris challenging the gods and winning, transforming all who challenged him into beasts but unable to keep the cosmos functioning due to his ever growing madness. Odysseus travels to Olympus by way of the Underworld, asking Persephone’s permission to Hades’ chariot, horses, and helm. But as he is about to strike Paris, the madman stops him only to find out later that he didn’t see Odysseus real plan which results in his defeat and the restoration of the gods. I have hung on to Legends: Tales from the Eternal Archives for almost 20 years because of this reinterpretation of Greek legend. This is one of my favorite short stories and if there are any flaws in it, I overlook them because I love this story so much.
No comments:
Post a Comment