What a thrilling read ATHENA'S CHAMPION was. Odysseus has long been a favorite hero of mine and when I saw this book and read the blurb did I just knew that I had to read the book. The book is action filled and I love how David Hair and Cath May right from the start make Odysseus life miserable. Well, that sounds bad, but just think about his little trip home from Troy that lasted a little longer than expected. Odysseus discovery about his heritage at the beginning of the book and all the obstacles, later on, will just show that he's on a road to more obstacles in the future...

I really liked this new take on Odysseus life. How he learns more about the world and about the Gods. Not to mention all he learns about himself. I like how the myth of Prometheus is added to the story and the struggle between the Gods for power. Poor Odysseus is but a pawn in the hands of Athena, but he proves quickly that he is very cunning.

As a big fan of fantasy and historical fiction, this book a real winner for me. David Hair and Cath Mayo have written a great book that makes me eager to get the next book in the series. I was a bit worried that the book would end up with a cliffhanger, but I found the ending satisfying. Which is not to say I won't continue with the series!

This is definitely a book to read if you like Greek mythology and/or historical fiction about gods and heroes.

Regrettably, I wasn't able to complete this particular piece due to its complexity, which exceeded my mental bandwidth at the time. Consequently, I discontinued it from the initial chapters. However, what deterred me from returning to it was primarily the style of narration. The exaggerated dramatic tone, especially challenging for someone accustomed to higher-speed listening, required multiple rewinds for comprehension. I believe a more fluid narration, possibly delivered by a female voice, would have significantly improved its accessibility, making it easier to engage with and comprehend throughout.

As the novel opens, Prince Odysseus of Ithaca has come to go through an event that will mark him as the true heir of his country. Instead, family secrets are revealed that have him outcast and chased by those who would kill him. Odysseus is short of stature but is known for his logical thinking. He is saved from one who would kill him by the goddess Athena and agrees to become her theios or champion. That gives him more strength, faster healing and faster moves but comes with obligations to serve her as she asks.

This is the early story of Odysseus' life. He is brought into the war that is raging between the gods as Zeus tries to become the sole ruler. He meets other heroes such as Theseus who he dislikes and forms a rivalry with. The novel details the kidnapping of Persephone and the journey to Hades to retrieve her where Odysseus' skill in negotiating is a key factor.

This is the first novel in the Olympus Trilogy. It is not a straight retelling of the Illiad and the Odyssey but rather a reinterpretation of how the events of Odysseus' life make him into the hero he is known throughout history as. The gods are presented as having many mortal traits such as jealousy and rivalry and they desire a relationship with humans to further their goals. I listened to this novel and the narrator was perfect for this type of story. This book is recommended for readers of myth.

This book ruined my sleep schedule but it was 100% worth it!!! I stayed up till 4 in the morning reading this book because I could not put it down.

Athenas Champion (The Olympus Series Book 1) – Audiobook by David Hair, Cath Mayo

Length: 14 hours and 48 minutes
Narrator: Ben Onwukwe
Publisher: Saga Egmont Audio
Release Date: August 10, 2021

Fiction, General Fiction, Historical Fiction, Sci Fi, Fantasy, Mythology

Odysseus goes with his family to the Pythia to hear about his future. The Pythia’s statements change the entire course of his life. Now he is claimed to be a theioi to Athena. His role is a champion. When the gods and goddesses fight, they use others to do the dirty work. Athena wants Helen and has her team of theioi plan to kidnap her. Unfortunately, they are not the only ones after Helen. Theseus is working with the Trojans and they take her to Erebus. Hades is furious that all of them were in his realm without his approval.

The book is fast paced with a lot of action. The characters are developed, and it is written in the first-person point of view. I enjoyed this take on Odysseus since we only hear about the Odyssey. The narrator does an excellent job bringing the characters to life. I look forward to more of his adventures along with Bria, the shapeshifter. If you like mythology stories or action and adventure, you would enjoy reading this bone.

Athena’s Champion is the first in a trilogy.
This tells the story of Odysseus. He is shown as a leader and warrior who is the instrument of the Gods, before the battlefields of Troy.

An outcast from his home on Ithaca, Odysseus has to find his own place in the world while learning that his Gods and Goddesses exist. He finds himself favoured by the goddess, Athena.
The book was a little slow moving and as an audiobook I couldn’t skim bits in the way I might normally. It built the world and introduced the characters so it will be interesting to see what happens in the rest of the books,

The story of Odysseus but not like you know it. The first in a trilogy that was published a few years ago but is now available for the first time in audio format. After loving lots of mythology based novels recently I had high hopes for this but unfortunately it didn’t live up to expectations for me.

I enjoyed the story but found the audio narration difficult to stay engaged with. I feel that I would have enjoyed this way more to read than I did the audio. Nonetheless I’m very grateful for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this story. You're roped in immediately. If you're a fan of Madeline Miller and her work with "Song of Achilles" and "Circe," then "Athena's Champion" is right up your ally. Fans of Greek Mythology will enjoy this too even if you haven't read the other books. Any time there is mention of other Greek gods that we've become familiar with over the years of exposure, gives some excitement. Maybe that's just me? Always love when I know a reference. Feels like I'm in on the whole world.

Speaking of world - in my opinion, there isn't much world building. But maybe that's because when you start a book revolving around Greek mythology and the story being told in a "traditional" sense and not a retelling, I feel like you already know going into it the world and place that's already set.

Here for the characters. Here for the writing and would definitely recommend to others in the future.

I will add, I read this via an audiobook and really enjoyed the narrator. That being said though, usually I'm pretty good about multitasking when doing audiobooks. However with this one, i found that if I wasn't paying attention, I would have to go back some and pick up again from when my mind wondered too.

Athena's Champion by David Hair & Cath Mayo
Narrated by Ben Onwukwe
Publisher: Saga Egmont Audio
Publication Date: August 10, 2021
Genre: General Fiction (Adult) | Historical Fiction | Sci Fi & Fantasy

Athena's Champion by David Hair & Cath Mayo is the first book in the Olympus Trilogy.

I"m not sure if it was the story or the narration that I found to be bland, but this book did not work for me. I really wanted to love it and found myself struggling to finish it.

I'm so grateful to David Hair & Cath Mayo, Saga Egmont Audio, and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this ARC ebook in exchange for my honest review.

First off - Why did ancient civilians not understand that going to get a prophecy from the oracle is NEVER A GOOD THING. Come on people, learn that valuable lesson. Nothing good will ever come from knowing your fate.

Athena’s Champion is a prequel retelling of Odysseus’ past before we all knew and loved him as the famed person he would later become. It all starts after an oracle’s prophecy proclaims him as a champion of the goddess Athena, and as such, makes him a target for the discontented.

The storyline was a bit of a slow burn for me, but the narrator, Ben Onwukwe, was the perfect choice for this audiobook based off of his voice alone. I love both The Iliad and The Odyssey but it was nice to read something that is loosely based off of them but gives it a new take.

TW: rape

Thank you to Netgalley and Saga Egmont Audio for this advance listener copy in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a great depiction of the adventures of Odysseus. The story behind with our hero, Odysseus finding out that he is a bastard and King Laertes is not his true father. This leads to him falling from grace and seeking sanctuary with the Goddess Athena. We are then told the tale of Odysseus entering Hades realm in search of Theseus and the kidnapped Helen of Sparta. Along the way we meet various characters of Greek mythology including, Athena, Zeus, Hera, Hades, Persephone, Theseus, Bria the daemon, and Helen of Sparta, among others. It is an epic tale and is the first in the Olympus Trilogy, which are essentially prequels to the Odyssey, I believe. Great for fans of Circe, Song of Achilles or Ariadne, three of my favorite Greek mythology fantasy novels.

Great story with great writing. I will definitely be picking up the entire trilogy on my Kindle. That being said, I must now review the audio, as this book is actually three years old, but the audiobook is brand new, hence the ALC. I've listened to several audiobooks and have not found a narrator that I despised until now. This narrator was terrible. The only voice I thought was even close to appropriate was his rendition of Theseus. Other than that, it was so off. The Greek gods and goddesses sounded weak, despite the description of strength. Athena was whiny and Hades sounded weak. His voice for Bria was awful, but I guess all of his female voices were just awful. I will never listen to another book narrated by this same guy.

Great book overall. Four starts. But definitely skip the audiobook and get the physical or Kindle copy.

Thank you NetGalley and the Publisher for providing a free copy of the audiobook in exchange of a honest review.

Unfortunately, <i>Athena’s Champion</i> was not the book for me, but I think this is more an “it is me, not you” situation. And I believe it’s time to face it: I am not so fond of Greek mythology and therefore, of its retellings. While I am familiar with basic facts of Greek gods and goddesses along with its heroes and I know the general outline of The Odyssey and The Iliad, well…I’ve just never loved them nor felt passionate about it.

Therefore, why do I want to read retellings?

To be honest, <b>I don’t know</b>. Maybe it was just after reading Hair’s novel that I have finally realized this and hence, that would explain why other novels from the genre have failed to truly become favorites, going from the Percy Jackson series to other books such as Circe and The Song of Achilles. The stories are interesting, but they are not for me.

In Athena’s Champion we follow the life of Odysseus, years prior to the Trojan War and how he becomes involved from an early age with mortal and immortal kings and personalities. His life changes completely when an oracle reveals he is not who he thought he was and he is forced to leave home to escape his father’s wrath. He then meets a demon who serves Athena and who promises protection if he serves her. From there, Odysseus meets more gods and goddesses, fights mortal beings in order to rescue a very young Helene of Troy and must use his intelligence and tricks to survive very, very envious and jealous deities.

The story is action packed and there is always conflict –whether caused by Gods or by humans- where the main character is always trying to survive. Having said that, however, I could not really get immersed nor interested in the story –I disliked how mortal and immortal beings are presented on the same level, with deities being even worst that humans and how Odysseus simply fooled them. I would have liked a more classical retelling in terms of the separation between men and gods and perhaps a bit less action and more focus on some key characters. For, while I liked Odysseus and Bria’s dynamic, I believe a lot of time was spent on dialogues and conversations of Gods and Goddesses that were too much because from the beginning we already got a pretty good idea of how dislikable and fallible gods can also be. I also felt there was not a great depiction of Odysseus as a man and of all his relations –for example, he has a love interested but this was not really explored nor really significant to his life.

In any case, as said, I believe my lack of enjoyment of this book might stem from the fact that I am not that interested in the source material, and not because the story is bad. I am sure those who love Greek mythology and retellings might love this book as it is a different approach to other retellings and some dialogues are hilarious.

Finally, a note on the audiobook: the narrator was fine but at some parts his voice was too strong and he spoke too quickly which made it hard to follow. I disliked when he imitated accents –I mean, in the end we all assume all the characters are Greek and therefore are not native English speakers, so why emphasize the difference?

I initially read ‘Athena’s Champion’ by David Hair and Cath Mayo in 2018 and found it an engaging retelling of Greek mythology and was very pleased that it has now been released in an audiobook edition by Saga Egmont Audio. I received a review copy from the publishers via NetGalley. It is narrated by acclaimed British actor Ben Onwukwe.

In this first in the Olympus Trilogy the young Prince Odysseus has his world torn apart when the oracle at Pytho reveals a secret that leads to his being cast out from his family. He is offered sanctuary by the Goddess Athena and is swiftly drawn into a war between the Olympians. The novel also explores the tensions between kingdoms and the events that will lead to the Trojan War, including the Judgement of Paris.

I felt that this novel held up well to a second ‘reading’ or rather a listening. Still, I was grateful to have the ebook edition to hand for its glossary and to refer to the text as needed.

In terms of the narration, I always feel that first person narratives work well in an audio format as it is very much like listening to someone relate their story. Ben Onwukwe was just superb. His deep, rich voice was mature though this is fitting given that Odysseus is looking back on the events of his youth.

Definitely this was a great listening experience. I do hope that Saga Egmont Audio will produce the other books in the series.

This was a really excellent book. I'm always of two minds about reading fairy tale and mythology retellings. I love fairy tales and mythology more than just about anything, but since that was pretty much my passion, my college major, and now my job, I've read all of them from just about every culture throughout the world at least a dozen times.

And when it comes to Greek and Norse mythology, specifically, I pretty much have them all memorized. So I'm always excited about a retelling. Retellings are a way for authors to give me more of my favorite things but in a new way that I don't already have locked in my brain from numerous readings and study.

But at the same time, I'm always hesitant, as well, because you never know when someone is going to REALLY mess it up. So, I approach these books cautiously -- with anticipation and nervousness. I approached this one the same way.. I was intrigued really early on by the drama between Odysseus and Laertes (I won't give it away). Anyone who has ever studied Homer's works knows the reference to this drama, but I've never actually read anything where it was really explored. (That literature may exist; I've just never seen it myself.)

From there, the story just got better. The whole thing was set up very well, and the characters - even the auxiliary ones - were fairly well developed and the story was great from beginning to end.

As for the audio aspects of the book - they were just as good. In fact, I think listening to it in this format was probably better than reading it would have been because the narrator was phenomenal and really put me in timeline and the region of ancient Greece. He was an excellent narrator, and I wouldn't mind listening to other things he's narrated .

I can't say this is the BEST mythology retelling from recent years that I've ever read (The Song of Achilles holds that honor), but it was VERY good, and I can't wait to see what these authors have in store of Odysseus and all the other characters in future books. 4/5 - Would definitely recommend.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the early audiobook!

I will just presume that you have read, or heard of, the Odyssey. The wittiness of Odysseus has not changed, nor has his character - but the twists and the storytelling has.

The narrator was wonderful, the dialogue less so at times. Sometimes it was a weird mix of dialects, and crude at times.

Overall, I enjoyed the story, just the execution could have been better.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an AudioARC in exchange for an honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this reimagining of Odysseus' life before his massive journey in the Ilyiad and the Odyssey. I also enjoyed the interwoven plot of the starting of the Trojan war.
Odysseus becomes marked by Athena as her champion and hears a prophecy about himself that changes everything.
Things spiral pretty quickly and Odysseus finds himself in the middle of the Underworld which he may end up staying there forever, the plaything of Persephone...

This was a brilliant start to a trilogy, and I am very interested in picking up the next two in the series. The narrator for this edition had a wonderful booming voice and his articulation was emmaculate that just worked with the pacing of the novel. I was truly emersed especially on the fields of Elysium.

I would recommend this book for anyone who likes Greek Mythology, fast paced books but would caution anyone to look up content warnings as there are some upsetting things that happen which I would also say make this an adult book.

I received an eARC of this audiobook from Netgalley. All opinions are my own!

Odysseus is about to have his world torn to pieces and thrown upside down, but along the way, can he find not only allies but also his true self?

As someone who loves Greek mythology but has little patience for reading them in their original form, this book was just what I needed! It took such a classic story and turned it into something that I simply couldn't stop listening to. I found myself finally undaunted by Odysseus' story and even wanting more and more of it.

This story was definitely something that took Odysseus, a legend, and made him into a human being that could actually be related to. It took his story and turned it into something that could really reach the reader and give them something to connect to even in the modern-day. I greatly enjoyed being part of Odysseus' story and I cannot wait to see where this series goes!

If you are a fan of Greek mythology retellings, this book is definitely for you!

Deeper dive into Greek mythology

This book was filled with quite interesting lessons for me. I always considered myself quite well-versed in Greek mythology, but apparently I knew much less about Theseus than I thought. It seemed surprising to me to see him depicted so negatively - but it was actually very accurate it seems. His kidnapping and rape of Helen is not something that David Hair and Cath Mayo came up with, but if I knew about it, I must have forgotten.

What Hair and Mayo do do is give Odysseus a life before the context of the Trojan War. They latch on to what apparently also is an established variation of his myth, namely him being the son of Sisyphus and use that to create conflict between Laertes, who now is only the husband of Odysseus's mother, and the rest of the family.

Beside a number of well-known figures from Greek mythology (e.g. Athena, Hades, Persephone, Zeus, Helen) the authors also introduce a few original characters, key among whom is Bria, another character devoted to Athena, who is essential for the cliffhanger at the end of this book, the first in a trilogy.

One of the less successful aspects of the novel for me was the romantic connection between Cassandra of Troy (whose name is cleverly disguised at first) and Odysseus, and I also simply did not like Athena, who usually is one of my favorite characters from Greek mythology. Overall I did find this book lacking regarding emotional accessibility in quite a similar way as Madeline Miller's book about Circe and Patroclus.

Hair and Mayo allow themselves to tell a much more original story with many highly interesting additions. I like how they acknowledge the existence of Artemis in the context of the golden apple and how they create a lot of information on how divinity is organized.

This may not be a perfect novel but it is a great one for anyone who enjoys Greek mythology and is open-minded enough to deal with a retelling that throws things around a bit while still staying true to the original.

Synopsis
“Athena’s Champion” is the first book in the “Olympus Trilogy”. Inspired by Greek mythology, “Athena’s Champion” follows the legend of Prince Odysseus of Ithaca but adds to it some unexpected twists and turns. As Odysseus embarks on a journey to claim the throne of his island kingdom, he finds himself in the midst of secrets and machinations that will forever change the young Prince’s life.


Thoughts

💭I really liked the pace of this book, which turned it into a light and easy read. At times, however, I felt confused by the amount of information I was given (maybe because I was just listening to the audiobook? maybe if I was also following the story in print, this wouldn’t have happened?) Nonetheless, this didn’t make me lose interest in the story, in the least!

💭Ben Onwukwe narration was quite impressive. The narrator brought the characters to life, giving to each character a different voice, intonation, and accent. Also, I usually listen to audiobooks in 1.75x, however, in this book I didn’t speed up more than 1.25x. The narration was in good enough pace for me not to feel the need to speed it up more than that. To me, that is definitely a plus.

💭Overall, I quite enjoyed “Athena’s Champion”. It was a fun reading and I would recommend it to anyone who, like myself, enjoys epic retellings of Greek Myths 🏺🏛

Thank you to @netgalley, Saga Egmont, David Hair and Cath Mayo for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

It's the first time I hear a book. Found out it's not my thing. I had a hard time keeping track of the story. I had to pick up the book and read it myself at my pace to enjoy it.
I like that we see Odysseus as a young man and adds a mystical/fantasy/political twist to the story. The story also intertwines other mythological heroes, like Theseus - who teaches Odysseus how to fight and trains with him.
Great book and a new favorite!