ForeWord Review of Modern Disciples Volume 1
I while ago I sent a copy of MDv1 to Foreword/Clarion reviews. Here is what they thought:
ForeWord Clarion Review
FANTASY
Modern Disciples: Volume 1
Ian Anderson
Outskirts Press
978-1-4327-7270-3
Three Stars (out of Five)
In Modern Disciples (Volume I), Ian Anderson conceives a brilliant concept: invite the reader to
drop into the hallowed halls of the pantheon of gods—Odin, Zeus, Brahma, Horus, Quetzalcoatl,
Amaterasu. But all is not well in the realm of the otherworld. There is nothing but trouble, in
fact, namely that their sworn enemies—the Titans, a race of giants—have populated the earth
with spawn in order to spread chaos and eventually avenge imprisonment by the gods. The gods
decide to produce children with the mortals and orchestrate the banding together of mortals—
disciples—to combat the efforts of the Titans’ spawn that are poised to wreak havoc on earth.
Back on earth the stage is set for Ryan Hunter, a lover of mythology and aspiring bounty
hunter. One day he finds himself “tapped,” that is, awakened by his divine mother, Artemis, the
goddess of the moon, the hunt, and fertility. Later, Ryan encounters a mysterious woman who
takes him on a life-changing hunt. On the way Ryan is joined by other disciples who eventually
team up on a mission to the Everglades to destroy the monstrous Nemean alligator possessing
Titan energy. Bestowed with supernatural abilities, including his magical bow and a sidekick
scorpion, Ryan and his team (each member embued with their respective divine patrons’ special
powers) are led into dangerous clashes with the Titans and their evil spawn.
Next, the disciples encounter strange mortals in a small town called Citrus Grove, not unlike
fictional Stepford where there are no children and the women are completely submissive to their
husbands. Ryan and his mates discover that these seemingly idyllic people are actually controlled
by menacing dark forces plotting to destroy anything that stands in their way. The team succeeds
in uncovering intrigue after intrigue, with the suspense building and building until the team
confronts terrifying creatures, including satyrs, maenads, vampires, werewolves, and a powerful
creature with which Ryan may have met his match.
A colorful panoply of mythological characters makes Modern Disciples an edifying and
entertaining read. Well-researched mythological lore, humor, adept character development, and
well-thought out plotting keeps the pages turning. What’s more, this moving tale avoids the
simplistic trope associated with adventures of comic book superheroes. Instead, mere mortals
will experience the rare pleasure of shooting an arrow from a magical bow and having their
“ichor” tapped by a god. Perhaps, as the story suggests, the gods are real after all and mythology
turns out to be true. Readers will doubtless find themselves anxiously waiting to continue their
mythological journey when volume two comes out in print.
The author is a scholar of mythology and has a degree in creative writing and journalism
from Ashland University in Ashland, Ohio.
Gary Klinga
ForeWord Clarion Review
FANTASY
Modern Disciples: Volume 1
Ian Anderson
Outskirts Press
978-1-4327-7270-3
Three Stars (out of Five)
In Modern Disciples (Volume I), Ian Anderson conceives a brilliant concept: invite the reader to
drop into the hallowed halls of the pantheon of gods—Odin, Zeus, Brahma, Horus, Quetzalcoatl,
Amaterasu. But all is not well in the realm of the otherworld. There is nothing but trouble, in
fact, namely that their sworn enemies—the Titans, a race of giants—have populated the earth
with spawn in order to spread chaos and eventually avenge imprisonment by the gods. The gods
decide to produce children with the mortals and orchestrate the banding together of mortals—
disciples—to combat the efforts of the Titans’ spawn that are poised to wreak havoc on earth.
Back on earth the stage is set for Ryan Hunter, a lover of mythology and aspiring bounty
hunter. One day he finds himself “tapped,” that is, awakened by his divine mother, Artemis, the
goddess of the moon, the hunt, and fertility. Later, Ryan encounters a mysterious woman who
takes him on a life-changing hunt. On the way Ryan is joined by other disciples who eventually
team up on a mission to the Everglades to destroy the monstrous Nemean alligator possessing
Titan energy. Bestowed with supernatural abilities, including his magical bow and a sidekick
scorpion, Ryan and his team (each member embued with their respective divine patrons’ special
powers) are led into dangerous clashes with the Titans and their evil spawn.
Next, the disciples encounter strange mortals in a small town called Citrus Grove, not unlike
fictional Stepford where there are no children and the women are completely submissive to their
husbands. Ryan and his mates discover that these seemingly idyllic people are actually controlled
by menacing dark forces plotting to destroy anything that stands in their way. The team succeeds
in uncovering intrigue after intrigue, with the suspense building and building until the team
confronts terrifying creatures, including satyrs, maenads, vampires, werewolves, and a powerful
creature with which Ryan may have met his match.
A colorful panoply of mythological characters makes Modern Disciples an edifying and
entertaining read. Well-researched mythological lore, humor, adept character development, and
well-thought out plotting keeps the pages turning. What’s more, this moving tale avoids the
simplistic trope associated with adventures of comic book superheroes. Instead, mere mortals
will experience the rare pleasure of shooting an arrow from a magical bow and having their
“ichor” tapped by a god. Perhaps, as the story suggests, the gods are real after all and mythology
turns out to be true. Readers will doubtless find themselves anxiously waiting to continue their
mythological journey when volume two comes out in print.
The author is a scholar of mythology and has a degree in creative writing and journalism
from Ashland University in Ashland, Ohio.
Gary Klinga
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