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Discord's Apple

by Carrie Vaughn (Goodreads Author)

3.51 of 5 stars 3.51 · rating details · 1,509 ratings · 339 reviews

When Evie Walker goes home to spend time with her dying father, she discovers that his creaky old house in Hope’s Fort, Colorado, is not the only legacy she stands to inherit. Hidden behind the old basement door is a secret and magical storeroom, a place where wondrous treasures from myth and legend are kept safe until they are needed again. The magic of the storeroom prev...more

Hardcover, 299 pages

Published July 6th 2010 by Tor Books (first published January 1st 2010)

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Feb 01, 2012 Mike (the Paladin) rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, urban-fantasy

This is one I'd call a "potentially good book". We've talked about it before, a good idea with poor execution.

Let me say here that these are my impressions and feelings about this book. Some may like it more than I but all I can do here is give you my take and recommendation....or lack thereof.

The book disappointed me. As I started it I like the idea behind it and it started to draw me into the story. But, as I read the book slowly slid down "my own scale" from a 4 to a 3 and then a 2... by the...more This is one I'd call a "potentially good book". We've talked about it before, a good idea with poor execution.

Let me say here that these are my impressions and feelings about this book. Some may like it more than I but all I can do here is give you my take and recommendation....or lack thereof.

The book disappointed me. As I started it I like the idea behind it and it started to draw me into the story. But, as I read the book slowly slid down "my own scale" from a 4 to a 3 and then a 2... by the end I really didn't care to finish it. It simply lost my interest. So, I'll discuss a couple of gripes below a spoiler warning, but if you want to get just my "in general take" and avoid any information about the book's story line, here it is, disappointing and 2 stars.

************************* Some Spoilers Below Line ****************

(view spoiler)
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11 likes · like · see review

Aug 07, 2012 Wealhtheow rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, queer-characters

After her mother's murder, Evie Walker left her small hometown and began writing comics. Her stories about a US military ops team are very popular, particularly since they feed into the culture of paranoia and armament that the US has become in the wake of repeated terrorist attacks. But when her father is dying of cancer, Evie returns to the home she left, and finds it is far larger than she remembers. Because underneath her house lies the Storeroom, the repository of mythic items from all ages...more After her mother's murder, Evie Walker left her small hometown and began writing comics. Her stories about a US military ops team are very popular, particularly since they feed into the culture of paranoia and armament that the US has become in the wake of repeated terrorist attacks. But when her father is dying of cancer, Evie returns to the home she left, and finds it is far larger than she remembers. Because underneath her house lies the Storeroom, the repository of mythic items from all ages and places. From the Golden Fleece to Cinderella's slipper, it's all in a Midwestern cellar guarded by a dying old man. Now Evie is the Storeroom's keeper, and she must protect it from the greed of all manner of monsters, fairies and gods. Her only ally is Sinon, the Greek soldier who convinced the Trojans to open their gates to the horse. For his lies, he was cursed with eternal life. After generations spent wandering the earth, his only goal is death--but in the meantime, he's willing to help Evie.

This book has too many ideas, and doesn't expand on any of them for long enough. (view spoiler) Evie and Sinon's love affair ramps up ludicrously swiftly. Most annoying of all, however, were the sections of Evie's comic book script. Characters tell her its brilliant, and she was awarded a medal for it, but the script itself is terrible. Not only is it clunky and obvious, but the script takes up a huge portion of the book that would be better served by getting more of Sinon's tale, or anecdotes about how other mythic items got into the Storeroom.

Discord's Apple is disorganized and unpolished, obviously a beginner's attempt at a book. But I'd rather read a book with a lot of poorly-executed ideas than a book of cliches, so I'm glad I read this one.(less)

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Oct 14, 2010 Stephanie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy, read-in-2010

Evie Walker is a writer, a graphic novelist, living in L.A. in a world where militias run the cities of the U.S. and the world is on the brink of nuclear destruction. When she receives word that her dad, Frank, is sick, she climbs in her car and races off to Colorado to take care of her last surviving parent. Her mom was killed in a terrorist attack at the Pike Place Market in Seattle five years earlier and Evie is terrified of losing her dad.

Upon arriving at Franks's home, previously the home o...more

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Jul 22, 2010 Heather Tisdale rated it 3 of 5 stars

Discord's Apple uses the story of Troy as a basses for a modern day tale. As the magic of old leaves the world artifacts from the gods and heroes end up in one place, a storeroom that is watched over by the same family throughout the centuries. The story brings in bits from different fairy tales, but the overall focus is on the Greek Pantheon and Hera's quest to finally gain possession of the apple of discord, despite the fact that it does not belong to her. Evie must protect the storeroom with...more

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Jun 19, 2011 Merrie Haskell added it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I really enjoyed this, in spite of a) having an extremely serious misconception as to what this book was about (I thought it was a YA retelling of Troy! I hear some people read the backs of books, and I guess this is why! *tongue firmly in cheek*) and b) not usually being a huge fan of this kind of book, "this kind" meaning where old gods turn up in the modern world and start creating havoc.

The gist of the story is that Evie is the heir to the Storeroom, where all the magical artifacts of myth...more

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Apr 03, 2013 Book Chick City rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

Reviewed by Laura for Book Chick City.

This book wasn't quite what I expected it to be at all. I love Carrie Vaughn's Kitty Norville series, but this was very different. It took a little while to get going, as it felt very disjointed at first. You begin with Evie the main protagonist's story, then the second chapter is about the fall of Troy which totally threw me. And the book continues like this with alternating stories. Evie, more about Troy and the Greek Gods, some other stories which it took...more Reviewed by Laura for Book Chick City.

This book wasn't quite what I expected it to be at all. I love Carrie Vaughn's Kitty Norville series, but this was very different. It took a little while to get going, as it felt very disjointed at first. You begin with Evie the main protagonist's story, then the second chapter is about the fall of Troy which totally threw me. And the book continues like this with alternating stories. Evie, more about Troy and the Greek Gods, some other stories which it took me a while to twig were of Evie's ancestors. Then, to top it off, Evie was also writing a comic book and we get inserts of the comic story written into the narrative too. Because of this it takes a while to get into the swing of things. I found the sections on Evie's comic book quite distracting, and found myself skipping over them and then worried that I would miss something of importance and made myself go back and re-read them.

I find the Greek Gods fascinating, and also the main concept of this book was fabulously unique. Evie's family are responsible for caring for the storeroom. A room where magical artefacts that the rest of the world believe to be fictitious. This is a responsibility that has been passed on from generation to generation.

As Evie returns home to care for her dying father, she knows nothing of the storeroom's existence, and becomes puzzled by the strange visitors that keep turning up at the house.

The story is set somewhere in the near future, with the world on brink of all out war. But the details of this is never fully explained, which is a shame as I would have liked more and to understand how the world had got there and the full implications. There are references to rationing and check points, but they were only references.

The book instead focuses on the storeroom and the mythology behind it, bringing into the story a collection of fascinating characters interested in getting their hands on its contents. With the world on the brink of an apocalypse some of the characters intent on preventing it, others hastening it.

The problem with this book is that it tried to achieve too much, there was a lot going on which meant the author did not have time to fully explain all of the concepts. On Carrie Vaughn's website this is listed as a stand-alone novel and not the beginning of a series, but it felt like if some of the story had been given more time to breathe, perhaps across two or three books then it would have been more satisfying. As a stand-alone I would of also liked a little more time spent on the ending.

VERDICT:

Despite its problems, I did still enjoy this book and if you're a fan of stories with reference to Greek mythology then I also think you will like it too. Evie is a great character, and I totally fell for Alex and the two of them really make the book work. It was also fun, and the author's sense of humour became apparent at certain points when a couple of hero mythological characters popped in I couldn't help but smile.(less)

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Oct 19, 2011 Liz rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads, own

First and foremost: amazing concept. Totally original, and I'm surprised I haven't seen another book with it already. It's genius! I was really excited to get the ARC from goodreads.

A very fast read for me - two days total, though I probably could have whipped through it in a day if I hadn't had to go to work. It's an easy read, and I love the alternating chapters. I was a little confused within the first couple of chapters, but once I figured out the pattern, it was incredibly enjoyable.

I thin...more

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Nov 15, 2011 Stephen rated it 2 of 5 stars

Discord's Apple is a solidly written book. The protagonist is well characterized and has an interesting background. I found the near-future sliding-into-chaos setting very interesting. The storeroom which is central to the book's plot is also a nice idea and worth writing about.

Despite all of that, the book didn't seem to come together quite right. I never found myself drawn into the story; the events of the book felt more like a play than an accounting of real events in another time/place. Most...more

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Dec 10, 2012 StrangeBedfellows rated it 5 of 5 stars

I knew from her "Kitty Norville" series that Carrie Vaughn is a talented writer. Still, within the first few pages of "Discord's Apple" it became clear that she is, in fact, a consummate storyteller. This book is wildly imaginative, compelling, and clever; truly, it's one of the best stories I've ever read.

Vaughn revisits several beloved tales and myths, juxtaposing them a grim, conflict-torn modern reality. There are actually multiple, connected stories here, all overlapping each other in a fl...more

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Apr 23, 2013 Kayla rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: adult, borrowed-from-friend, fantasy, fiction, mythology, not-sure-about, read-in-2013, wanted-to-like

I was really excited to start reading this book because I loved the concept so much! There is an untold amount of mythology involved in this book from the Trojan War, to Greek gods, to fairy tales, and King Arthur! I didn't know that so much would be involved when I started reading and that immediately addicted me to the story. Carrie Vaughn has a fantastic storytelling style that seems perfectly fit to the legends and old tales that she incorporated into her novel. Yet I feel like it was really...more I was really excited to start reading this book because I loved the concept so much! There is an untold amount of mythology involved in this book from the Trojan War, to Greek gods, to fairy tales, and King Arthur! I didn't know that so much would be involved when I started reading and that immediately addicted me to the story. Carrie Vaughn has a fantastic storytelling style that seems perfectly fit to the legends and old tales that she incorporated into her novel. Yet I feel like it was really missing something, despite all of the corresponding elements that I usually love to see in books.

While there were several great ideas presented in the book, it started to jumble together as the reader is brought through the modern day, as well as individual tales about Evie's ancestors and how they dealt with the storeroom, and the story of Sinon's past. It felt like there were several different book ideas conflicting throughout the majority of the book because it was just too much to take in all at once and these great, wonderful ideas Vaughn presents rarely have the chance to reach their full potential because they are fighting against other plotlines to gain enough focus to be seen through to the end.

That was something that really bothered me. Not even the modern-day lines seemed to go anywhere and the ending didn't help that at all. I went and looked to see if there was a sequel to this or any kind of companion in the works but, no, this is it and I wasn't satisfied with it. I'd recommend reading this just for the beautiful writing and the stories; it's enough to spark the imagination and be thought of fondly, but with the confusingly large set of characters that go largely unexplored and the potential that is wasted, this would-be favorite of mine has been turned into a simply okay novel, nothing more.

I really hope to read more by Vaughn, though, just because of her beautiful writing style, and I hope that perhaps in her other novels her ideas come through more completely and in a more satisfying manner.(less)

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Apr 10, 2013 Anna Walls rated it 5 of 5 stars

With the world, and certainly the United States falling apart under the horrendous pressure of war, cartoonist Evie Walker strives to keep the candle of hope lit with her Eagle Eye Commandos storyline, but it all falls apart when she learns that her father is sick. Using all of her fuel rations, she heads half way across the country to be by his side. But food and fuel rationing and checkpoints are not the only thing she finds in the near ghost town she calls home, nor is her grandparents' house...more

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Mar 30, 2012 Heather rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

This was definitely one of those 3.5 kinds of books. There was a lot I liked about it, but it just wasn't quite enough to bump it up to 4. The story itself rocks, featuring a family who are guardians of a "Storeroom" where artifacts from mythology, legends, and folklore are stored--think, glass slippers, Excalibur, and of course, the golden apple. The narrative focuses on two individuals--Evie, a comic book author who is about to become the heir of the storeroom, Sinon,the Greek friend of Odysse...more

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May 18, 2011 Ratkin rated it 3 of 5 stars

I really wanted to like this book. Honest, I did. Didn't happen, though.

I'm a big (and long-standing) fan of Ms. Vaughn's Kitty Norville series, so I grabbed a copy of "Discord's Apple" the first time I saw it. The synopsis on the back cover was extremely promising, and the book became an instant purchase. Yes, it spent a little time on the To Be Read pile (I had gone crazy at a few Borders store-closing sales), but I worked my way to it pretty quickly.

Thumbnail of the plot: Evie Walker is going...more I really wanted to like this book. Honest, I did. Didn't happen, though.

I'm a big (and long-standing) fan of Ms. Vaughn's Kitty Norville series, so I grabbed a copy of "Discord's Apple" the first time I saw it. The synopsis on the back cover was extremely promising, and the book became an instant purchase. Yes, it spent a little time on the To Be Read pile (I had gone crazy at a few Borders store-closing sales), but I worked my way to it pretty quickly.

Thumbnail of the plot: Evie Walker is going home to be with her suddenly terminally ill widower father, back in Hope's Fort, Colorado. Once there, she discovers that something that had escaped her attention thoughout her life: her family members are the guardians of a secret storeroom filled with the treasures of myth and legend, including items such as glass slippers, Excalibur, possessions of the gods, and the titular Discord's Apple. On her father's passing, she will be the new guardian.

I started losing enthusiasm pretty early on. I'm not fond of post-apocalypse stores, and this one comes close. The U.S. in this story has been through very hard times. There are ration books, police check-points, militias, and Homeland Security everywhere. It's also made clear that this is a world-wide situation, as well. Evie is the co-creator of a comic book series, and she and her artist partner spend a lot of time re-writing and re-drawing the issue to respond to world events like the destruction of the Kremlin. Not exactly post-apocalypse, but getting close.

While the plot and the characters in it are all first-rate, to me the book suffers from a case of "too." Too many flashbacks. Too many many diversions from a straight-line plot. Too many artistic embellishments.

There's a really good story, here. The central plot, when you de-"too" it, is well thought out and enjoyable. Evie is an interesting and intelligent character, and her supporting cast are equally well drawn.

To me, this is a case where less would have been a lot more. (less)

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May 03, 2011 Chris rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: troy, arthur-king-of-the-britions, dog-and-canines-fiction, fantasy-legends-and-sagas

Good idea, but it just doesn't work.

I like Carrie Vaughn, but I don't like this book. At times, this book is trying to weave together too many plot threads - immortals, gods, Arthur, Troy, end-of-the-world, comic books, and a secret room. It's just too much and nothing really seems to gel. The characters are shadows. Even the comic book plot, which is supposed to stand in for Evie's development and be homage to an old sci-fi show from the 1980s. (Honestly, it wasn't that bad of a show, but Jessi...more

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May 01, 2011 Ea Solinas rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, favorites, science-fiction-fantasy

Greek gods, faeries, Arthurian legends, the Trojan war, and the possible end of the world... all centering on a store-room in a small Colorado town. Carrie Vaughn shatters the urban fantasy mold in a BIG way. "Discord's Apple" is quite possibly her best book yet -- a brilliant, clever fantasy story that flips effortlessly through the centuries and across the world.

After finding out that her father is dying of cancer, Evie Walker returns to Hope Springs to care for him. Despite her best efforts,...more Greek gods, faeries, Arthurian legends, the Trojan war, and the possible end of the world... all centering on a store-room in a small Colorado town. Carrie Vaughn shatters the urban fantasy mold in a BIG way. "Discord's Apple" is quite possibly her best book yet -- a brilliant, clever fantasy story that flips effortlessly through the centuries and across the world.

After finding out that her father is dying of cancer, Evie Walker returns to Hope Springs to care for him. Despite her best efforts, he doesn't seem to want to live. But she soon notices that weird things are happening -- a strange woman arrives and asks for a pair of glass slippers, and an old man requests a sword for "the lad." And then there's Alex, a strange immortal man who wants to die.

Just so you know, it's revealed pretty quickly that Alex was a friend of the legendary Odysseus who was enslaved and made immortal by the god Apollo. It's a pretty interesting backstory.

Evie soon realizes that the storeroom under her house is filled with mythical and magical items -- the golden fleece, the sword Excalibur, and quite a few other things. And unfortunately, the goddess Hera and her allies are determined to break into the Storeroom and take its power -- and if she succeeds, the world as we know it will end...

Carrie Vaughn has been around for some years with her werewolf-centric urban fantasies, and more recently with a book about dragons. But as far as I'm concerned, "Discord's Apple" is where she goes from being AN urban fantasy author to one of THE urban fantasy authors -- it takes her writing skills onto a whole new level.

Part of this is Vaughn's strong writing -- has a strong, smooth style with lots of vivid descriptions and some brilliant magical battles. She's as comfortable writing about modern-day Colorado as she is about Stonehenge or the fall of Troy, and she fleshes out Alex/Sinon's character along the way by giving glimpses of the cruel, luxurious life he led after Apollo enslaved him.

Another high point is that Vaughn just combines different myths SO WELL. The fairy godmother was a bit much, but her seamless intertwining of Greek myth, Arthurian legend and modern fantasy is simply breathtaking. And she weaves in some glimpses of past Walkers who guarded the Storeroom, giving a true feeling of historical depth to the story.

And Evie is a thoroughly likable heroine -- a no-nonsense graphic novelist whose entire worldview gets popped on its head when she discovers that myths and legends are (mostly) real. Alex comes across as a little nuts at times, but he has the right mixture of warmth, mystery and strength to make an excellent love interest. And there are countless striking side-characters -- Merlin, Odysseus, the cruel and beautiful Apollo, and Robin.

Carrie Vaughn has turned out some excellent fantasy in the past, but "Discord's Apple" is undoubtedly the best, richest book she's written yet. And I'm dying to see what her future books will be like.
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Apr 16, 2011 S.N.Arly Arly rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy-and-science-ficiton

This is merely an okay book, which is a shame because the story itself had such potential and the author can do much better. Instead of Vaughn's usual more polished work, this feels like a first draft, one that didn't go through a rewrite. It's a short book and I read it in an evening. I would recommend against buying it in hardcover, though for die hard Vaughn fans, it may be worth checking out of the library.

The book ties together the threads of four stories: The Storeroom's history, Evie the...more

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Mar 31, 2011 Whatchyareading added it

Shelves: adult, christine, paranormal, grown-up-thursday

Carrie Vaughn, how did you manage to write such an entertaining and creative book?

Seriously, I was captivated from the beginning. The world is ours, but not. It seemed to be closer to WWIII than we currently are. There were some other differences, but it resembled enough of our world that I’m going with parallel universe rather than alternative reality to describe it.

Evie’s introduction to the Storeroom and the mythology surrounding it wasn’t enough for me. I wanted a detailed list of everything...more Carrie Vaughn, how did you manage to write such an entertaining and creative book?

Seriously, I was captivated from the beginning. The world is ours, but not. It seemed to be closer to WWIII than we currently are. There were some other differences, but it resembled enough of our world that I’m going with parallel universe rather than alternative reality to describe it.

Evie’s introduction to the Storeroom and the mythology surrounding it wasn’t enough for me. I wanted a detailed list of everything in there, plus how each item came to be there and how it was used prior. But of course, that wasn’t provided. *sigh* Maybe if I happen to meet Carrie Vaughn one day, I’ll ask her if she maybe has a detailed list lying around. *crosses fingers*

The flashbacks were a bit confusing at first. The first time the Trojan War popped up, I had to flip to the book’s blurb again to see if I had missed something. (I hadn’t.) But apparently Carrie Vaughn knows exactly what I’m interested in because there was a LOT of Greek Mythology involved in the story. And I’ve always been fascinated with Greek Mythology. I’ve read Homer’s The Odyssey and The Iliad several times, each. I own a book about Greek Mythology. I love it.

It was almost like this book was tailored just for me because it had almost everything I love: mythology, comic books, an enigmatic hunky good guy, mystery, a second enigmatic hunky good guy, the perfect villain, and a twist at the end. The only thing that was missing was hot and heavy adult time.

Now, there is something I should warn readers about. There’s mention of male-on-male action, some of it’s forced, some not. Nothing graphic is described and it’s glossed over quite a bit, but there are two kisses that I remember happening. I just wanted to mention it in case you’re someone who doesn’t like reading about that sort of thing.

Overall, I loved the book. I wanted more when it ended. I want this to become a series of books and I want that detailed list, dang it! But most of all, I wanted more on Alex.

So I ask you again, Carrie Vaughn. How did you manage to write such an entertaining and creative book? (And will we ever see Evie and Alex again?)

Reviewed on WhatchYAreading on February 24, 2011.(less)

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Mar 26, 2011 ***Dave Hill rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: lovers of myth and/or romance novels

Shelves: text

I enjoy Carrie Vaughn's "Kitty" books as some of the better urban fantasy books out there. I had a lot of high expectations for "Discord's Apple," with it's promises of an odd basement full of mythical items. Ultimately, those expectations weren't fully meant. "Discord's Apple" is entertaining, even interesting in places, but doesn't quite hold together.

In some ways, the protagonist, Evie, just comes across to much as a fluttery female romance lead -- pushed about by events, controlled by grater...more

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Jan 06, 2011 Rosalia rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, based-on-mythology, fairy-tales, dystopias

This book brought together several genres that I didn't necessarily think would come together nicely. The world is ending, every country is at war with each other but Evie is more concerned with going home to see her father who is dying. Once she arrives she starts learning about the store room in her father's house. It's filled with magical items from every world mythology and fairy tale. It is now Evie's turn to become the caretaker. Meanwhile Hera is trying to take advantage and get Discord's...more This book brought together several genres that I didn't necessarily think would come together nicely. The world is ending, every country is at war with each other but Evie is more concerned with going home to see her father who is dying. Once she arrives she starts learning about the store room in her father's house. It's filled with magical items from every world mythology and fairy tale. It is now Evie's turn to become the caretaker. Meanwhile Hera is trying to take advantage and get Discord's apple so that she can use the world's strife to make the world the way she wants it. Weaved into this story there are short tales of how Evie's family acquired some of the items in the store room and Alex's story. Alex has been alive since the Trojan war and the reader learns how he became immortal and what his time was like after the war. There is also another story being told. Evie is a graphic novel writer and you also get the story that she is writing about a military team.

All of the stories, including the stories within the stories are beautifully written. Normally I'm not a big fan of the story within a story because it can be difficult to keep them straight but it was always very clear which story was being told. The world building in this book is wonderful and I really loved all of the characters. I felt invested in how things were going to end with them. My favorite character was probably Alex, at first his story annoyed me because I wanted to know what was going on with Evie. However as she got more and more wrapped up in her sadness and panic about dealing with the store room his story became the more interesting one. I was especially intrigued by his meeting with Oddyseus after forty years. I also liked the fact that Alex was tied to the storerooms beginnings, and I liked how parts of the end were tied to Evie's graphic novel and the beginning of the Trojan war (won't explain how cause that would be a big spoiler).

The part where the world actually ends is skipped. I appreciated that because it would have made the book drag on too long, but I kind of wonder if it would be interesting to learn how Hera was able to reshape the world with the apple. I think it might have been a good topic for another book, except then Hera would have to be the heroine and I'm not sure that she is likable enough to be a main character.
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Dec 30, 2010 Karissa rated it 4 of 5 stars

I got a copy of this book through Librarything's early Reviewer program. I love Vaughn's Kitty Norville series and also enjoyed her young adult book "Voices of Dragons". This book was an enjoyable read, but very different from other things that she has written.

This book follows the story of Evie and Sinon the Liar. Evie's story is set in an alternate future, close to modern day. She returns home to help care for her father who is dying of cancer. While there she discovers that the storage room i...more I got a copy of this book through Librarything's early Reviewer program. I love Vaughn's Kitty Norville series and also enjoyed her young adult book "Voices of Dragons". This book was an enjoyable read, but very different from other things that she has written.

This book follows the story of Evie and Sinon the Liar. Evie's story is set in an alternate future, close to modern day. She returns home to help care for her father who is dying of cancer. While there she discovers that the storage room in the basement is a magical place, it is a place that stores magical items for people until the people need them again. Evie's story alternates with Sinon's story which starts out during the Trojan War. Sinon's the guy who convinces the Trojans to bring the Trojan horse into Troy. Sinon is captured by the god Apollo and forced into slavery for him; basically sentenced to immortality. As political catastrophes envelope the globe Evie will need the help of Sinon and many famous others to try and keep the Goddess Hera from plunging the world into further chaos.

This work was different that Vaugh's previous works. It is a much more complex story, with a complex world and uses a more mature writing style. It is very creative and intriguing but because of the complexity of the world the characterization is a bit weaker than in previous novels. Partly this is because the story line switches between so many viewpoints: between Evie and Sinon, and then sometimes to Hera or others.

What is amazing is how Vaughn blends Greek mythology, with Arthurian mythology along with other classic fairy tales to create a novel that is both compelling and all-encompassing. She manages to connect all of these stories, histories, and myths to one place with Evie's magic storage area.

The story is very engaging and easy to read. I enjoyed it a lot. Readers should beware though that this takes a little more effort to read than the Kitty novels because it is more complex. More time is spent on a complex story than on fleshing out individual characters. That is the only thing I found a bit disappointing; I never really felt drawn to or really cared about the characters all that much.

Overall it was a very good book. Very interesting and creative with an incredibly interesting world. I loved the blending of different stories and myths into one history. Characterization was not as strong as her previous book because more time was spent on developing a believable and complex story. I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading her next book Steel.(less)

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Oct 19, 2010 drey rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010-reads, fantasy

I love Carrie Vaughn's Kitty Norville series. So how could Discord's Apple be anything but good?

In a future where the superpowers are at each others' throats and annihilation is more likely than peace, Evie Walker is returning to Hope's Fort because her father is dying. Once there, the world as she knows it starts to fall apart, as the secret of her family's legacy is revealed. Passed from father to oldest child, Evie is beginning to receive her inheritance--the storeroom, with its cache of age...more

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Sep 19, 2010 Yael rated it 3 of 5 stars

In an America of the near future where national security is everyone's overwhelming preoccupation, for excellent reason, and, in spite of stringent government regulation of every aspect of life, there is little safety anywhere to be found, Evie Walker, a young artist in Los Angeles, learns that her father is dying. She heads for Hopes Fort, Colorado, where she grew up and where her father, a widower, still lives, little expecting that her life is about to change in ways she never dreamed it coul...more In an America of the near future where national security is everyone's overwhelming preoccupation, for excellent reason, and, in spite of stringent government regulation of every aspect of life, there is little safety anywhere to be found, Evie Walker, a young artist in Los Angeles, learns that her father is dying. She heads for Hopes Fort, Colorado, where she grew up and where her father, a widower, still lives, little expecting that her life is about to change in ways she never dreamed it could in her wildest fantasies.

Behind the basement door in her father's home is a storeroom which contains unbelievable treasures, treasures which Evie had never known existed there. In fact, they were treasures which she had supposed had only existed in fairy-tales and quaint myths woven by ancient peoples who had been utterly ignorant of reality. She is astonished to learn that they are, however, not only real, but of wondrous power -- and attended by equally great dangers. Evie's parents had been the most recent of a long, long line of people entrusted with the care and safekeeping of those treasures. But her mother had died several years before, the victim of a terrorist bombing at the Pike Place Market in Seattle, and now her father was dying of inoperable cancer, and her inheritance will include a good deal more than just her childhood home: she will, like her parents before her, become the guardian of the contents of that basement storeroom -- and the one who must decide whether to share them with those who, from time to time, come to the door of the house, asking for something stored there.

The least of it are the glass slippers for which an old woman comes, whom the slippers seemed to know was coming for them, somehow calling out to Evie when she came down the basement steps that they were the things the old woman wanted. She is stunned to find she couldn't not have retrieved them and given them to her. There is also the strange golden fleece, the matched golden and silver quivers full of arrows, the gleaming golden apple bearing the legend "Kallisti." Who will come for them -- and when?

With the help of her father, a mysterious stranger named Alex, a magnificent Irish wolfhound named Mab, and two unexpected heroes straight out of centuries-old legends, Evie must guard the storeroom against ancient, malevolent forces, and somehow guard both the past and the future even as the present itself falls apart. At stake is the fate of the Earth and the prevention of the Apocalypse. Is one young, very mortal woman up to the task?

This novel left me unsatisfied, partly due to the fact that for many years I have been studying and practicing Magick, Qaballah, and other esoteric disciplines all of which involve becoming as familiar as possible with the myths, legends, religions, and histories of many cultures. As a result, in brief, I found the theories of Magick, Gods, and human interactions with the divine a little too simplistic, as well as wide of the mark, both esoterically and historically. In a word, slick, as in tailored for maximum marketing effect. If the novel had been aimed predominantly at young adults, I could understand it; but its intended audience is a general one, adults as well as adolescents, and as a result, at least as far as this adult is concerned, it is unsatisfying.

Perhaps I'm being unfair. The plot is tight, the characters well-realized, the dialogue engaging, the story interesting, and the novel is one that will in some ways have strong appeal to those used to today's graphic novels, science fiction novels and movies, and action-adventure entertainment. My specialties have sensitized me to certain things that most aren't concerned with, and that has probably skewed my appreciation of this novel. Still, I will give it only three stars out of five, for its dependency far more on commercial considerations than on historical or esoteric reality.(less)

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Aug 23, 2010 Mihir rated it 4 of 5 stars

Discord's Apple is my introduction to Carrie Vaughn & I was apprehensive at the amount of polarized reviews this book had. I tried it because of its Greek mythological aspect as I'm a sucker for it. DA begins a near distant future wherein much of the world is in state of organized chaos. Evie Walker is a comic book writer who is scripting a series about a military team whose actions mirror those in the real world. Also distinguishing about her background is the fact that President also know...more

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Aug 18, 2010 Celia Powell rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, mythological, dystopian

Evie Walker is the heir to the Storeroom in her family home, which holds (as we discover) magical artifacts - like Arthur's sword, Pandora's box, and Discord's apple - the apple labelled "To the Fairest" that started the Trojan War. And now it seems like the end of the world is coming, and Hera wants the apple back.

Discord's Apple jumps around a fair bit - we get snippets of Evie's family's past (as being the keeper of the Storeroom moves from generation to generation); bits of the Trojan war th...more

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Aug 11, 2010 Ashleigh Cartmill rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jul 08, 2010 Nan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: nook

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. As this book opens, it's clearly dystopian. It's set in the near future, and it's a future that I don't want to live in. The Kremlin has been destroyed by a Cessna loaded with gasoline. Homeland Security organized neighborhood militias, which in turn led to rivalries and combat. (There are open hostilities between neighboring cities in California.)

On her way home to nurse her father in Hope's Fort, Colorado, Evie Walker is stopped at a check point where she has to provide a permit for the extra...more As this book opens, it's clearly dystopian. It's set in the near future, and it's a future that I don't want to live in. The Kremlin has been destroyed by a Cessna loaded with gasoline. Homeland Security organized neighborhood militias, which in turn led to rivalries and combat. (There are open hostilities between neighboring cities in California.)

On her way home to nurse her father in Hope's Fort, Colorado, Evie Walker is stopped at a check point where she has to provide a permit for the extra tanks of gasoline in her car. Clearly, something has gone wrong, and society is on the verge of collapse.

But Evie barely notices this stuff anymore. She doesn't mind the checkpoint. Her mother was killed in a terrorist attack, so she sees this infringement of her liberty as necessary. As readers, I think we're supposed to be horrified. Freedom of movement from state to state--and from town to town--is one of the hallmarks of a free society. To lose that--to surrender to periodic mandatory searches--is to lose part of our identity as American citizens.

But that's beside the point (or only secondary to the plot . . .). Evie's father is dying of prostate cancer, and when she gets home, she learns about the legacy he's leaving her. He's been the Keeper of the Storeroom, where magical artifacts from throughout the world are kept until they're needed again. And, with his death, Evie will become the next Keeper.

During her father's watch, it was rare for someone to come for an item, but in the last five years, he's had a steady stream of visitors. Magic is entering the world again, and this should be very, very scary. Occasionally, someone has come to claim an item that he or she has no right to, and the Keeper must say no. Evie learns this when Hera comes to collect Discord's Apple--the Apple that started the Trojan War. Hera has been trying to get it for three thousand years, and she wants it badly.

I found this book compelling, but it was also disturbing. I didn't like the end--which I'm about to discuss. If you don't want to read about it . . . stop now.

. . .

. . .

. . .

OK. I was disturbed the fact that, throughout the book, they try so hard to prevent Hera from getting the Apple--and then they give it to her. Evie and her father both recognize that the world has reached a point of no return, and it's time to "reset." However, neither of them sees what that reset means. Evie's father dies. And Evie is magically transported (apparently to a future where things have calmed down, and it's time to store away Discord again). There is a price for their actions--for Hera's, Evie's, and her father's. We see it tangentially through Bruce and his attempt to Escape from LA. While Evie and Alex will have to live in this new world, they didn't see the cost of its creation, and that bothers me, stops me from giving it five stars.

I don't want to see a sequel to this book. It had a great ending. I just wanted a little more in the book I was given. (less)

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Jan 06, 2012 Alice rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012, audio, urban-fantasy, fairy-tale, fantasy

I've been hearing good things about Carrie Vaughn for years, but this is the first book of hers I've picked up. Her concepts intrigue me, but I've always wondered if the writing lives up to my expectations. A lot of high-concept authors fizzle on the delivery.

The book is about a comic book writer named Evie Walker, who returns home because her father is sick, perhaps dying. As if that isn't enough to deal with, she is the heir to a family legacy of storing and protecting artifacts of legend and...more I've been hearing good things about Carrie Vaughn for years, but this is the first book of hers I've picked up. Her concepts intrigue me, but I've always wondered if the writing lives up to my expectations. A lot of high-concept authors fizzle on the delivery.

The book is about a comic book writer named Evie Walker, who returns home because her father is sick, perhaps dying. As if that isn't enough to deal with, she is the heir to a family legacy of storing and protecting artifacts of legend and stories, and failure to do a job she doesn't understand may bring about the end of the world.

I felt Evie's strain, and I was right there with her. Evie, despite her emotional distancing, is a very sympathetic main character. We feel her confusion and sense of being in over her head.

Unfortunately, in order to achieve that effect, people are more cryptic than they need to be in the beginning of the book. Also, I had a harder time empathizing with other characters. We're given few looks into the main love interest's thoughts, and most of them are from 3000 years before (and involve a bit too much rape and coerced sex for my liking). The glimpses we get into Hera, the villainess of the piece, contradict later behavior. And there was far too little of Bruce's perspective (he's her illustrator and close friend, apparently), so that his sections near the end lacked the sense of danger I think they were supposed to have. Most of the alternative perspectives seemed there to slow the plot down to let the reader get some air.

I don't say this often, but I think the book could've benefited from being padded out more. I would've liked to have heard more about this world where gods exist as powerful, immortal magicians, and the people who populate it.

Overall, I was satisfied the story, and impressed with the world-building. Vaughn has the pacing down for a compelling read that pulls the reader along. She also has a good grasp of mythology, and did an excellent job of weaving in characters from old stories while remaining true to the myths.

I don't know what took me so long to get around to reading something by Carrie Vaughn, but I will be picking up another of her books in the near future.(less)

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Aug 22, 2011 Beth Diven rated it 2 of 5 stars

Seemed like an interesting premise from an author who provides consistently enjoyable work. It's an easy read but I'm rather disappointed with the direction Ms. Vaughn decided to take the story. The premise of the Storeroom for ancient artifacts has great potential, but I'm not buying into her bringing in characters from Greek mythology and the Fall of Troy. It's following 2 characters: Evie who is our main protagonist who is looking for answers about the Storeroom; and Alex/Sinon a Greek who fo...more Seemed like an interesting premise from an author who provides consistently enjoyable work. It's an easy read but I'm rather disappointed with the direction Ms. Vaughn decided to take the story. The premise of the Storeroom for ancient artifacts has great potential, but I'm not buying into her bringing in characters from Greek mythology and the Fall of Troy. It's following 2 characters: Evie who is our main protagonist who is looking for answers about the Storeroom; and Alex/Sinon a Greek who fought in the Trojan war and has been cursed with eternal life and is looking for death. There are also flashbacks to the Storeroom in the past with its previous guardians.

I love Greek mythology but Troy has been over done and I'm not particularly interested in that storyline. The history of the storeroom has great potential, but those glimpses are too short and leave one feeling unsatisfied. I would have loved to hear more of the challenges the family of caretakers faced. It would have been a compelling way to draw Evie into her destiny as the next caretaker. Instead she approached her destiny as a caretake as a petulant child.

Ms. Vaughn could have written a very satisfying tale cutting out the Greek/Troy line and focusing on the history of the Storeroom as tales told to Evie by her father as he prepares her to take his place as it's guardian. Yes, we need a villian and a challenge to the storeroom for Evie to overcome and thus step into her role as the guardian. However, a Greek Goddess as the villianess who wants a storeroom treasure to remake the world - seriously? Ms. Vaughn has created a post-WWIII world for Evie to live in that's full of unrest. I think a better villian could have been found that would connect better to Evie's world and would also draw readers into Evie's world.

I did enjoy the brief Arthurian legend cameo, which Ms. Vaughn used lightly and well within the context of this story.

All in all, not a horrible book but definitely not great. (less)

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Aug 15, 2010 Sylvia Sybil rated it 3 of 5 stars

This apocalyptic novel is set mainly in modern times, with the story of Evie Walker and the coming nuclear war. It also goes back to the time of the Trojan War to tell the story of Sinon the Liar, who convinced the Trojans to bring the Grecian Horse into their city and shortly afterward dropped off the pages of history. And it traces Evie's ancestors back to their roots. The three storylines come together at the end in an unexpected and explosive finale.

For some reason I had it in my head that t...more This apocalyptic novel is set mainly in modern times, with the story of Evie Walker and the coming nuclear war. It also goes back to the time of the Trojan War to tell the story of Sinon the Liar, who convinced the Trojans to bring the Grecian Horse into their city and shortly afterward dropped off the pages of history. And it traces Evie's ancestors back to their roots. The three storylines come together at the end in an unexpected and explosive finale.

For some reason I had it in my head that this was a Young Adult when I picked it up, but now I don't think so. There are several rapes over the course of the novel, some mentioned as casually as torture, others explored more graphically. And there are some very adult themes that the characters struggle with, and conclusions they come to that I'm not sure a parent would want their teen reading.

In a lot of ways this is Evie's coming-of-age, despite her being a twentysomething career writer. She uses her comic about a female soldier to work through her own issues and hopefully inspire the next generation of little girls. At the same time, she has to accept the reality of her father's cancer and steadily approaching death. And she has to prepare herself to become the eldest of her line and inherit a legacy passed down from her ancestors.

The Storeroom bothered me, as I thought it should have magical artifacts from around the globe. It had plenty of Greek, some European and at least one Native American, but overall it lacked variety. Given what the characters say about magic and the purpose of the Storeroom, I felt there should have been more.

The story didn't grab me at first. It's slow to start and I didn't see the purpose in the disparate storylines, meaning my attention was yanked from character to character seemingly pointlessly. By about the midpoint I started to understand what was going on. It's obviously plotted out well, as background details later take on greater significance. The ending is fantastic and thought-provoking. This is a C+ story just shy of a B.(less)

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Sep 23, 2010 Nancy O'Toole rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: library, paranormal

Evie Walker thought she'd never return to Hopes Fort, the town where she grew up. Then she learns her father is dying from cancer, and returns to watch over him during his final days. Evie discovers a strange room in the basement filled with magic apples, glass shoes, and mythical swords. People begin to visit the house to pick up certain objects, and as if by magic, Evie always seems to know the items they need to obtain. But there are less benign individuals that want access to what's in the s...more Evie Walker thought she'd never return to Hopes Fort, the town where she grew up. Then she learns her father is dying from cancer, and returns to watch over him during his final days. Evie discovers a strange room in the basement filled with magic apples, glass shoes, and mythical swords. People begin to visit the house to pick up certain objects, and as if by magic, Evie always seems to know the items they need to obtain. But there are less benign individuals that want access to what's in the storeroom, including the immortal and dangerous goddess Hera.

Discord's Apple is the second of two stand alone novels published by Carrie Vaughn in 2010. The first was the young adult novel Voices of Dragons (which isn't really stand alone as Vaughn plans on writing a sequel). One thing I found interesting is how similar and different my reading experiences were with each book. With Voices of Dragons, I didn't like it right away, but as I continued to submerge myself into the story, I found I rather enjoyed it. With Discord's Apple, I began the book really enjoying the story, but as I got to the end, I began to like it considerably less

There's plenty to enjoy about Discord's Apple. In a genre (urban fantasy) filled with super powered spell casters, ferocious werewolves, and dangerous vampires, it was kind of refreshing to have such a normal protagonist in Evie Walker. Evie is a normal human with little thoughts about destiny. The reader should easily be able to relate to her real-world concerns over the health of a loved one, and keeping her career afloat. I also liked a lot of the concepts behind Discord's Apple. During the novel, Evie faces many familiar faces from Greek Mythology, and folklore. I found it a lot of fun to try to pick out who a certain character was before it was mentioned. I also liked the setting. Evie's world is a lot like ours, although the superpowers that control the world (Russia, China, Unites States) are constantly on the brink of war, creating an atmosphere of paranoia larger that during The Cold War. I thought this was a really original setting for an urban fantasy novel.

Despite all that I enjoyed about this novel, I have to admit that it has it's shortcomings, some that bothered me more than others. Most of these seem to stem from the fact that Discord's Apple appears to be a larger story than can be properly contained in a book of less than 300 pages. The romance between Evie and Alex falls completely flat. This didn't bother me as much as the fact that many of the characters (especially Hera's helpers) felt like they needed just a little more fleshing out. The biggest problem in the novel is the ending, as the story just doesn't resolve itself in a satisfying way. For a book where the characters are trying to prevent something as big the end of the world, it felt surprisingly anti-climatic, and some of the developments seemed a little random. The result is a novel that can at times feel like a poor man's American Gods.

After I finished Discord's Apple I found myself feeling very confused. On one hand, there was so much that I enjoyed about the characters, and the setting. One the other hand, I felt as if the book did not come together in a satisfying way. If I were to look at the book as a whole, I would say that I probably liked it, but I'm not sure if I'd recommend it to others.(less)

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About Carrie Vaughn

Vaughn was born into a military family and has lived all over the U.S. She received a BA from Occidental College, after which she went on to work too many jobs to count until she went back to school to receive her MA from University of Colorado at Boulder. She currently lives in Boulder, CO.

More about Carrie Vaughn...

Books by Carrie Vaughn

Kitty and the Midnight Hour (Kitty Norville, #1)

Kitty and the Silver Bullet (Kitty Norville, #4)

Kitty Goes to Washington (Kitty Norville, #2)

Kitty Takes a Holiday (Kitty Norville, #3)

Kitty's House of Horrors (Kitty Norville, #7)

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Quotes from Discord's Apple

“Have you thought about going insane?" It would seem like a reasonable thing to do, given his circumstances.

"Did once. Got boring, so I snapped out of it.” — 5 people liked it

“I've learned something: What many of us cal destiny is really our own instinct. We know what is right, but we don't
want to admit it, especially if what is right will lead to our own death. We call it destiny so we don't have to accept responsibility for making those decisions. Human instinct is stronger than anyone will admit.” — 1 person liked it

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