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Athena

Grey-eyed Goddess
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Feb 04, 2018dnk rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Greek myths and I go way back. Of all of the goddesses, Athena has always been my favorite. Aside from being the goddess of war, strategy, wisdom and crafts, she also has a fascinating origin story. After her father Zeus swallows her mother Metis (Prudence), Athena (Wisdom) springs fully grown from her father's head. The classic retellings of the story leave Metis to the side once Athena emerges into the world. However, in this retelling Athena continues to be haunted by the memory of a loving mother. It's a nice touch to address the questions modern readers would ask, particularly younger ones. This story picks up after the first book Zeus: King of the Gods (Olympians) in which Zeus has established the supremacy of the Olympians. It has the same style that balances the dark tone of the stories with the humor inherent in some of them. We see not only Athena's origins but also the story of the two Pallases, Medusa, Perseus and, of course, Arachne. O'Connor almost achieves the impossible to make us fully sympathize with a larger-than-life character. Almost, because the story of Arachne really doesn't leave much room for sympathy, but we won't hold that against O'Connor.