Rachel Alexander's Blog, page 432
March 3, 2016
Receiver of Many
Author: Rachel Alexander
Genre: Fantasy
Date of Publication: 23rd September 2015
Rating: 4/5
I’ve always been a fan of Greek mythology. Receiver of Many brings the mythology to the pages in a very accessible, readable way. The romance is a gateway but this book is about much more than just romance. It boasts a strong cast of supporting characters (both likable and not) as well as a fascinating world to delve into.
The two main characters, Persephone and Hades, are a great couple. Whilst I felt that I would like a little more fleshing out of Hades character (at times he felt like a sex-bot rather than a real boy - more on that later on) I liked Persephone’s journey from innocent girlhood into strong womanhood. Perhaps the depth of her experiences could have been more fully realized - but there’s a sequel coming which I’m sure will assuage any niggling doubts I have on that front.
This is an erotic novel so it would be silly talking about the main protagonists without mentioning the sex. I think Rachel Alexander writes love scenes beautifully. She is very good at getting all the necessary elements, without making me feel like she’s trying too hard. There’s love, lust, passion and tenderness…all of these qualities which are usually either or blend together nicely to create a fiery and yet character building whole. The only gripe I had was that there were perhaps a few too many of them…I think four or five really well placed love scenes would have had more impact than the plethora that ended up making into the book.
Supporting cast are interesting and diverse. I thought Demeter was a really interesting antagonist, and Alexander doesn’t shy away from humanizing the Goddess - even as Demeter time and again attempts to stand in the path of Persephone and Hades’ happiness. I would have like more action from her perhaps - she does a lot of crying and withholding but her doing only really starts to be hinted at towards the end of the book. Her love interest felt a little wishy-washy but I’d be on board for more development in the sequel.
Other characters that intrigued me included Merope, Thanatos and Hecate. I wouldn’t have minded if Alexander had traded one or two of those love scenes for some more interesting exploration of the characters mentioned above. I also think they could be pretty interesting plot elements - especially with upcoming events from Merope’s past coming into play, it seems, in the sequel.
Final piece of sequel bait - Kronos - has me very intrigued.
I’ll definitely be back for Destroyer of Light - Receiver of Many was an intelligent, fascinating book with some really hot, really romantic sex. What more can a girl ask for?
March 2, 2016
theia-mania-comics:
The Family Party 088.And here we see the...
The Family Party 088.
And here we see the scene from the flashback Persephone had in Destroyer of Light, page 15. (Hm, maybe I should redraw the first panel on page 50? Hades isn’t exactly sitting behind a storage jar there…)
I actually wrote down the first draft for this scene already back in 2012. But with the exception of those replies from the flashback, it looks very different now.
asphodelon:
Get an early peek at the Empress on Patreon!The...
Get an early peek at the Empress on Patreon!
The newest card featuring Demeter as the Empress has been posted on Patreon, accessible to all patrons. A high-res download of the artwork is also available to pledges of $3+.
Guess what my new phone background is!!
Go support @asphodelon’s Patreon. :)
Hades Polydegmon (A Destroyer of Light mini-mix)
Hades Aidoneus Chthonios Polydegmon. The Unseen One. Receiver of Many. Ruler of the other side and Lord of the Dead…
Receiver of Many - Rachel Alexander
For Hades, Lord of the Underworld. An instrumental mini-mix in four parts.
01. Dormant - Darren Korb
02. The Locus Priory - Satillo
03. An End Once and For All - Clint Mansell
04. Courage - Patrick O’Hearn
8Tracks (with it’s companion mix Persephone Praxidike) or Download
Destroyer of Light is now available for preorder! Go get it! I promise you’ll love it.
Cover art by @asphodelon
The marriage of Hades and Persephone blossoms and their...
The marriage of Hades and Persephone blossoms and their mysterious grove in the world below thrives…
…while the sunlit world withers.
Demeter holds out in Eleusis, pushing both mankind and the gods to frozen starvation in order to reclaim her daughter. The newly married rulers of the dead must reach an accord with Persephone’s mother to stay her deadly course— and come face to face with sacrifice, responsibility, and the balance of power among the gods.
Destroyer of Light concludes the erotic romance begun in Receiver of Many: a battle of wills among the gods is writ large across the dying earth, a cruel sorcerer-king faces his trial, and the King and Queen of the Underworld realize a destiny that the Fates alone could have foreseen.
Preorder Destroyer of Light, before March 20, 2016.
March 1, 2016
kata-chthonia:
The marriage of Hades and Persephone blossoms...
The marriage of Hades and Persephone blossoms and their mysterious grove in the world below thrives…
…while the sunlit world withers.
Demeter holds out in Eleusis, pushing both mankind and the gods to frozen starvation in order to reclaim her daughter. The newly married rulers of the dead must reach an accord with Persephone’s mother to stay her deadly course— and come face to face with sacrifice, responsibility, and the balance of power among the gods.
Destroyer of Light concludes the erotic romance begun in Receiver of Many: a battle of wills among the gods is writ large across the dying earth, a cruel sorcerer-king faces his trial, and the King and Queen of the Underworld realize a destiny that the Fates alone could have foreseen.Destroyer of Light, the sequel to Receiver of Many, debuts on March 20, 2016. Available for Preorder in Paperback and eBook
theadventureofhistorygirl:
Book Recommendation Time: This book...
Book Recommendation Time: This book is the sequel to Rachel Alexander’s “Receiver of Many”, a retelling of the Hades and Persephone story. Gorgeously written as erotica, it take the tale back to it’s earliest roots and explores a story very few people know. Her writing is lush, descriptive, and so well researched, and I can’t wait to read the conclusion.
Check out Receiver of Many on Amazon, and consider pre-ordering Destroyer of Light.
The marriage of Hades and Persephone blossoms and their...
The marriage of Hades and Persephone blossoms and their mysterious grove in the world below thrives…
…while the sunlit world withers.
Demeter holds out in Eleusis, pushing both mankind and the gods to frozen starvation in order to reclaim her daughter. The newly married rulers of the dead must reach an accord with Persephone’s mother to stay her deadly course— and come face to face with sacrifice, responsibility, and the balance of power among the gods.
Destroyer of Light concludes the erotic romance begun in Receiver of Many: a battle of wills among the gods is writ large across the dying earth, a cruel sorcerer-king faces his trial, and the King and Queen of the Underworld realize a destiny that the Fates alone could have foreseen.
Destroyer of Light, the sequel to Receiver of Many, debuts on March 20, 2016. Available for Preorder in Paperback and eBook
February 29, 2016
a-gnosis:
Here’s some more from Greek Myths and Mesopotamia:...
Here’s some more from Greek Myths and Mesopotamia: Parallels and Influence in the Homeric Hymns and Hesiod by Charles Penglase (btw, I’m not saying that I always agree with his interpretations, but I think it’s an interesting read):
One interpretation of the Homeric Hymn to Demeter is that it follows the concept of the initiation of a girl into female adulthood, specifically initiation by rape, in the sense of the violent sexual act. Penglase argues that this interpretation is not supported in the hymn or by the Mesopotamian stories, and that it misses the point of what is essentially a Greek religious work which has the purpose of celebrating the deities of Eleusis and the Eleusinian mystery cult in Attica.
When Persephone is reunited with her mother she is presented as the same figure as before the abduction. Though Hades has given her powers over the netherworld and the upperworld, and she now clearly is his wife, she is not presented as the awful netherworld queen portrayed by Homer in the Iliad and the Odyssey, but as the child of the mother goddess Demeter. It is also clear that no violent sexual act is involved. When Persephone tells her mother about her abduction she makes no allusion to such, nor is her attitude to Hades hostile. The author of the hymn makes no allusion to any such thing, either.
Actually, Penglase means that one possible interpretation of the scene when Hermes enters the presence of Hades and his wife sitting together in bed, is that the marriage has not been consummated:
And he found that lord within his house,
sitting in bed with his revered wife,
much reluctant because of longing for her mother.“However, if the other interpretation is correct, that the tableau of the two sitting in bed is meant to indicate that they are now completely married, there is in this scene still no indication of the sadistic tyrant and rapist that one would expect in the light of some studies. Indeed, the evidence indicates quite the opposite of violence. While Hades is indeed masterful, the relaxed and even compassionate nature of his demeanour is emphasized especially by lines 357-69. In addition, Persephone is certainly no maltreated or hostile victim here. The picture presented is rather that of a homesick girl, reluctant certainly but, as stated in the text, for the simple reason that she longs to see her mother, from whom she has been separated without warning (line 344). This accords with the thematic basis of Persephone’s role in the hymn and is also in concert with the Mesopotamian origins of this cultic story of the lost child of the mother goddess in the netherworld, which seems to be the primary foundation stone of the whole work and is borne out in every passage which has to do with Persephone.”
The pomegranate seed that Hades gives Persephone is, according to Penglase, probably meant as a love-charm to make her reciprocate his love and desire for her.
