The Dogs of Athens

Goddess War #0.1

by Kendare Blake

"The Dogs of Athens" by Kendare Blake is a dark story set before the events of the Goddess Wars series for young adults during the twilight of the gods. Greek goddess Artemis and her immortal companions have returned to modern-day Athens where a chance reunion with Actaeon, the mortal hero who fell prey to Artemis' fatal wrath thousands of years ago, turns violent once again.At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Genres: Mythology, Short Stories, Fantasy, Young Adult, Greek Mythology, Urban Fantasy, Novella

19 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 9, 2015

About the author

So, I write books. The Anna Dressed in Blood duo is horror, The Goddess War trilogy is mythology, and Three Dark Crowns is fantasy, because the world don't move to the beat of just one drum. What might be right for you, may not be right for some. Love to read, too. Fiction, philosophy, good books, bad books, because you take the good you take the bad you take them both and there you have a stack of books and stuff. I mean, you've got to be adventurous. There's more to life that what you're living, so take a chance and face the wind.

There's more coming soon like ALL THESE BODIES and a new fantasy series, so don't waste another minute on your cryin. We're nowhere near the end.

My likes include animals, food, and nostalgia. I mean, whatever happened to predictability? The milkman, the paperboy, the evening TV? Used to be everywhere you look, there's a heart, a hand to hold on to.

Anyway, I love to hear from readers so drop me a line here or at my website and we'll talk about friends to know, and ways to grow, and how if you threw a party you would see that the biggest gift would be from me and the card attached would say, thank you for being a friend.

We can also talk about all the sitcom theme songs in this bio. Sha la la la.

Reviews

[Prabhjot Kaur · Rating 2 out of 5]

In Athens, stray dogs run free.

Goddess Artemis is back in present day Athens looking for the other gods. She is accompanied by her pack of dogs. Whilst she's looking, searching, her dogs are hungry and they haven't had a hunt for a while so they hunt or eat whatever they can.

“The pack needs a purpose, Goddess. We aren’t neutered terriers content to steal meat skewers from the market. We need to take down game. We need to shred.”

This was a bland yet dark story. Things made a bit more sense towards the end but I was confused for the most part. Writing and the characters had no depth.

2 stars

[S. ≽^•⩊•^≼ I'm not here yet · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mortals are funny things. It’s unpleasant, how the children roll their eyes. How ashamed they are of their mother’s weight. It’s unpleasant, but it isn’t damning. Not when mortals can do so much worse.

[Reggie_Love · Rating 1 out of 5]

Apparently the author simply read the first line of Artemis' wikipedia info before creating this character. She was so much more than the Goddess of War. In the story (which was super short, and yet I couldn't even finish it because it was so inaccurate!), Artemis judges a tourist simply because the woman is fat, and then harms her for shoving her dog. Don't get me wrong, messing with a puppy is fraked up. BUT, Artemis is also the Goddess of what we now call "Women's Issues" and I'm pretty sure as such she wouldn't find being fat as being disgusting, and she wouldn't harm someone with children. Get your shit together. Artemis is one of my favourite goddesses because of that amazing balance of war and virginity. THAT is an interesting combination. When you choose to simply focus on the war and make her a fuck-face, you are neither doing the myth justice OR your imagination.

[Federica · Rating 3 out of 5]

A really nice short story, enjoyable in the first part, but it takes a dark twist in the last lines, when the reader can understand what is going to happen to Artemis. Honestly, I would have preferred to know something more about the part when she was running away from her pack, or the moment when she was killed by them rather then this, but I enjoyed it anyway.

[carol. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stood well on its own. I thought it captured the sense of a goddess feeling a little mortal.

http://www.tor.com/2015/09/09/the-dog...

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Artemis is one of my favorite from the Greek gods and I loved that Kendare Blake gave us this little glimpse into how this sickness is affecting her. Watching how her hounds started succumbing to the sickness was heartbreaking. They were her constant companions and I felt her loss when the shift happened. I also liked how this tied into the first book with Cassandras vision of a girl running through the forest. I just hope that Artemis is able to get out of this jam and join our heroes in the books.

[Carina Olsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved reading this short story. It is set before the Antigoddess trilogy. And it is from the point of view of Artemis, Goddess of Hunt. And oh my gosh, I adored reading from her. But then I remember how she ends in Antigoddess, and that breaks my heart. I wanted to read more about her. She seemed amazing.

This story is about Artemis and her pack in Athens. She is looking for other gods, but she doesn't find any. Which is just heartbreaking. Especially knowing that they are all dying somewhere. Sigh. I loved getting to know Artemis a bit more. She's awesome. And I liked her talking dogs a lot too. Exciting.

I won't say too much about this story. Just that it is so exciting. And dark. Very dark. I adored it. But yesss. So short. Which is just so sad. Hmph. Yet it was short and perfect. I just wish there had been more. I wish to read more about Artemis. I want to read about how she dies in Antigoddess, from her point of view. It would be heartbreaking. Yet amazing. This is short, yet I got to know her a bit. And I adored her. And I got to know her dogs too. And they are changing. Becoming wild. Dangerous. It was creepy. And so interesting. Just wish it had been even longer. Kendare writes such amazing stories. Now I will not say more about this one. Just, it was incredible. And I think you must all read this short story. Loved it lots. Like I knew I would :)

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This review was first posted on my blog, Carina's Books, here: http://carinabooks.blogspot.no/2015/0...

[zoe ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book: Antigoddess
Author: Kendare Blake
Source: http://www.tor.com/2015/09/09/the-dog...

I've always wanted to know more about Artemis, ever since the first book. The resulting outcome is a very sad, quite well written short story. The devastation of Artemis throughout the book is palpable, she know's whats going to happen to her and we get to see her experience unknown feelings of regret. I feel that her death was the most gloomy death of the lot (apart from Hermes of course).

[Joanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very short story from the world of Antigoddess. Extremely vivid slice of that world from the perspective of Artemis, which was fresh and intriguing. More, please!

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

I LOVED this novella! I thought it was a great addition to the Antigoddess series, with just enough tension and intrigue to play into the whole vibe of the series well.

[Paulo Vinicius Figueiredo dos Santos · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mesmo para uma deusa imortal imutável, a imutabilidade não existe. Nossos sentimentos mudam através dos séculos. Um deus enxerga o tempo por uma perspectiva diferente. Séculos se passam, estações chegam e se vão. Aqueles ao nosso redor também sofrem com essas mudanças. Elas podem ser lentas e sutis e quando nos damos conta, elas estão ali. Mudando cada fio de nosso caráter. Kendare Blake nos coloca na pela da deusa da caça Artemis e de seus cães caçadores. E de como o mundo contemporâneo mudou os velhos valores que levavam os deuses adiante.

Artemis vaga pelas ruínas dos templos dos antigos deuses em Atenas. Ela busca ainda sinais dos seus irmãos Apolo, Orfeu ou qualquer um que lhe seja familiar. Mas, tudo o que ela vê são turistas e mais turistas profanando os templos com suas máquinas fotográficas. Ela vê um jovem rapaz que ela jura ser parecido com o pequeno Actaeon. Mas, não passa de uma ilusão provocada por uma semelhança física. Nós vemos uma deusa da caça sombria e solitária, sem ter campos para caçar e somente com a companhia de seus cães. Mesmo seu coração imortal, alheio aos problemas dos humanos, parece ter mudado. Determinadas noções se infiltraram em seu seio, provocando na deusa mais sentimentos do que o normal.

Seus cães de caça são sencientes. Do grupo de cães de caça, Daphne é a mais próxima de Artemis. Mesmo assim, Artemis não percebeu o quanto o coração de Daphne mudou. Cães vivem segundo sua natureza. Eles caçam. E nesse mundo contemporâneo a caça se tornou escassa. Os seres humanos ocuparam todos os continentes e mataram a maior parte da caça que parecia livre. A conclusão que a matilha chegou após algum tempo é meio óbvia. Mesmo para seres imortais, a caça é importante demais. A sensação de perseguir uma presa, de criar uma armadilha, de persegui-la. É algo instintivo que acende as garras dos caçadores.

The Dogs of Athens é o prequel de uma série da autora, mas pode ser lido tranquilamente. É uma história poderosa com frases de efeito e um final arrebatador. Passei a curtir muito a narrativa da Kendare Blake. É uma autora que conseguiu chamar a minha atenção.

[Ruxandra Grrr · Rating 2 out of 5]

I haven't read the series, I found this short story on the Tor.com website, under their original fiction. And I recorded myself reading this as part of a recent ongoing project of reading short stories to my long-distance partner. He used to live in Athens, so this story gets automatic points for that and for some of the evocative descriptions of the city. Didn't find Artemis very compelling and as a long time fan of Greek myths, this didn't seem super fresh.

[Fay Tannerr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great short story by Kendare Blake in the Goddess War series!
This one is about Artemis and her immortal companions before the events of Antigoddess.
This was an interesting read and really intriguing. A great short story!

[Γιώτα Παπαδημακοπούλου · Rating 1 out of 5]

Δεν ξέρω αν φταίει η καταγωγή μου και τα ερεθίσματα που έχω εξαιτίας αυτής, αλλά είναι ξεκάθαρο πως η Blake, ακόμα και σε κάτι short stories όπως το συγκεκριμένο, δεν έχει εμβαθύνει αρκετά στον χαρακτήρα της Άρτεμις, ώστε να τον προσεγγίσει με τον κατάλληλο τρόπο.

[Tyler · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this but honestly I could have done without the fatphobia in the beginning, it was unnecessary.

[Stefanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

)Spoiler for the second book) This story makes Artemis' death in the books so much sadder now that you know it was her own dogs that killed her.

[Hanneleele · Rating 4 out of 5]

Selle palavaga sobisid hästi Ateena ja selle tänavakoerad ning kadunud jumalad.

[Kaka_shi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exciting start to a series

[Louisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great short story, loved getting to meet these characters, can't wait to get to know them!

[Lexie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely perfect, as everything about the Goddess War is. An absolute chilling moment, knowing what goes down in Antigoddess.

Still my all-time-favourite series.

[luiloth · Rating 5 out of 5]

https://www.tor.com/2015/09/09/the-do...

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actually 2.5 stars.

I liked the short with Athena and the Vampires better but I'm definitely interested in reading the full Goddess Wars series.

[Chrysa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This piqued my interest. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series. The description of Athens is pretty accurate and most importantly from a locals point of view it was vivid as it could be.

[Becs · Rating 3 out of 5]

Set in the same world as The Goddess Wars series, this features Artemis and her pack of dogs as they search for more Gods in Athens.

Fans of this series will love the extra insight into Artemis, especially those who know her eventual story, whilst new readers of this series will get an insight into the weird and wonderful world Blake has created.

This story is relatively slow, especially for a short story, and only really takes off towards the end. This is disappointing for fans I suppose because there's not a lot of new information leaked, but for new readers it's ideal to get you used to the world building and figure out if this series might be for you.

Artemis is a cool character and I thought the dark twist to her pack and her overall story was brilliant. It's great to read something a little more dark and twisty. It definitely hooked me, I just wish it had happened a bit sooner in the story so we could have more details and back story.

A good teaser with talking dogs, Gods in Athens and some unexpected turns. Just a bit of a slow burner for a Novella.

[Toby · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this was my first read by Kendare Blake. Needless to say, it won't be my last. :)

Although it was definitely dark, The Dogs of Athens was enjoyable. It was interesting to see how Blake turned the story around - from Artemis thinking about how lives of mortal must suck (aren't my skills with verbiage and summary amazing? haha), because of the limited time they have on earth, to realizing that the life of a goddess can have moments of mortality.

I know I'm missing out on some backstory since, as aforementioned, I haven't read other books (yet) by Kendare Blake. But this short story/novelette definitely makes me want to pick up something by Blake, sooner rather than later.

[Nikki · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Dogs of Athens was a solid read and well-written. It had the graphic and unexpected nature that I have come to expect from Blake's writing and I was not disappointed. I did not read the summary prior to reading the short and was surprised that the story took such a violent turn with Artemis' dogs. However, to be fair, I am not very knowledgeable when it comes to Artemis and Blake does have a flair for the graphic. Overall I enjoyed it and it made me look forward to the last in the trilogy all the more.

[Vicky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though it is a prequel, it should be read after finishing the first book, because it hints at events happening in the series. Since I am waiting for Ungodly, the story was nice for getting back into the series.

The story explains what happened to Artemis in the series, which was really interesting. I always wondered by whom she was being hunted (I think it says "wild beasts" but being hunted down by your own pack is brutal I also liked getting to know Artemis a little better through the story.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a short story, not a novel, but as always no matter what the length Kendare Blake delivers the goods. This is an adjunct to the Antigoddess series. The goddess Artemis goes to Athens, looking for other gods. With her is her pack of dogs--or are they dogs? At any rate, things are not what they seem. The last sentence of this story literally made me shiver. I still get goose bumps thinking about it. A marvelous story. I hope she adds to this series.

[Marco · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the second short story set in the world of the Goddess War series I read without having read the main stories. I would recommend against it: I have the clear impression that I would enjoyed this novella more if I had read the trilogy first. This said the story is quite entertaining, even if the ending seems to require familiarity with the saga to be properly understood.

[Love, Celina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was kind of confused at the end. I read it on my eReader and At first I thought I just bought a preview and not the actual book but then I realized that it was just a short story. The open end leaves so much potential for an actual novel and I wish I could read about what happens next. Nevertheless I enjoyed reading the story