By Madoc Paine
Published November 2018 (Kindle edition)
Olympian Godfather - the greatest mob story ever told - is the first in a series of pulp epics by Madoc Paine.
Zeus is god-father of a divine crime family known as the Olympians, who live in a bronze palace atop Mount Olympos. From there they control all the divine protection business in Greater Greece.
The story is narrated by Argos Panoptës, a footsoldier bought out by Zeus when the Olympians defeated the Titans and took over their turf many centuries ago.
On the basis of his first-hand knowledge of the Olympians, Argos Panoptës relates a previously unknown story about Zeus's fear that a palace revolution is about to happen, to replace him as the Greek god-father. It seems one of his many sons is plotting - but which one? And who else might be involved?
Herë, Zeus's sister and also his wife, resents her husband's philandering, and has always craved more power as queen of heaven. Athena, the goddess of war, civilisation, education, industry, crafts and multi-tasking, increasingly despises male power and would like to see changes amongst the deities. Aphroditë, goddess of love, has always appeared peaceable, but is she quite what she seems? And is it significant that the sneaky and devious Eris, goddess of discord, has recently returned to Olympos?
The plot thickens when a new god arrives at the bronze palace for the first time in a thousand years - an ex-mortal called Julius Caesar. But Zeus didn't apotheosise him, so who did? And does this have anything to do with the impending plot to overthrow the father-god?
Zeus summons his most loyal lieutenant, Hermës, the trickster-god and patron of thieves, who's employed by the god-father as his head of public relations. And Hermës, together with Iris, the Olympians' fleet-footed communications-goddess - sets out to investigate.
Is the supposed plot just a figment of the god-father's imagination? Or might there be war on Mount Olympos for the first time since the Titanomachy?
Also: watch out for Trojan Godfather, the prequel to the greatest mob story ever told.
Buy Olympian Godfather for Kindle.
Note: Olympian Godfather was originally published in 2014 as The Father-God.