Release date Sept, 2018
A dark fantasy thriller by award-winning author, L. D. Colter. Get ready to dive head-first into a 1950s Greece where conjoined queens rule a nation perched above an underworld filled with demi-gods and monsters, and a mortal man holds the key to the fate of the gods.
The first time Ty died he was five, the second time he was seven. He’s always believed his third death will be the final one, and now he may find out.
Greece, 1958. More than twenty years after his near-death experiences and the visions of terrifying gods that came with them, Ty leads a quiet life working as a locksmith. When a client persuades him to play in an ancient game of throwing bones his peaceful existence is shattered and Ty quickly finds himself deeply in debt, his life hanging in the balance once more. Forced to descend to the eerie mid-world of Erebus to repay his debt, his fate is soon entwined with sleeping gods, the factions that seek to control them, and an enemy powerful enough to destroy them all.
Assessment:
Plot: Familiar tropes throughout the book are either used with distinction or overturned. The webs of multiple alliances and enemies are complex enough to be interesting without becoming confusing to readers.
Prose: Colter crafts a nearly-flawless blend of action, description, dialogue, and internal monologue, suffusing each with vivid color and not relying too heavily on any one form of composition. This writing style infuses reality and believability into the fantastic elements.
Originality: There are clever twists throughout the novel. It’s also a welcome change that whatever element makes Ty, the lone mortal, special, it’s not immediately obvious to readers and he exhibits multiple flaws and failings, rather than him bringing a power or mortal technology into Erebus.
Character Development: Every character in the novel possessed a realistic trajectory and backstory. Ty and Naia, in particular, both have moments of weakness, courage, fear, and determination against terrible odds, adding depth to the novel and making a solid climax more believable.
Date Submitted: August 14, 2018
While Gods Sleep whisks readers along on one mortal man’s reluctant journey through the Greek underworld. The stakes start high and only get higher.
The story is heroic in scope, while at the same time grounded in the familiar troubles of one man’s life. As Ty is drawn further into Erebus, we feel every conflicted moment as his fight slowly shifts from self preservation to doing what is right. By the end of the story, we are cheering him on as the only man who can save two worlds in peril—even at the risk of his own life. While Gods Sleep is dark, rich fantasy that treats ancient lore with a modern twist.
"The pleasures of Greek mythology mixed with the dark undercurrents of contemporary fantasy."
