Michael James
This is local authors Michael James’s first book The Triple Goddess is a fantasy extravaganza that mixes magic, legend, love and humour into a utopian/dystopian future world. We are introduced to a seemingly ordinary world of cosy domestic bliss of boy meets boy and holidays in Italy when some strange coincidences make profound changes to the lives or the main protagonist, and almost everyone else in the book. It’s fair to say that there’s some serious narrative tempo going on in this book, we slowly learn about the plans of an Omnipotent trio of ancient Goddesses, displeased with the Eon of Men and the disasters unfolding all over their most cherished of planets –Earth. This Triple Goddess’s and their many curious manifestations decide, after a delightful tea party floating over the Himalayas, to take action and made some serious changes to the earth, to its societies, power structures and geophysical fabric.
The short chapters and introductions of familiar characters from mythology, religion and popular culture reminded me of Ursula Le Guinn, & there’s a Dune like feel to some of the more transformative parts of the book. The plot explores sexual abuse, suffering, greed, religious extremists of all creeds and cruelty in some detail, but serving up retribution to protagonists and offering up salve and safety to the harmed. It’s a page turner and as the book progresses the author stamps hard on the narrative gas and it thumps into high gear, tearing through an-ever nearing global apocalypse which plays compulsive background to the domestic developments of the chosen few, the original couple and a group of friends, children and animals that are protected by the Goddesses as they gather around themselves to prepare for what comes after the end.
Paperback £8.99
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