Zeus: King of the Gods

Zeus actually comes before Athena in George O’Connor’s Olympians series.  It makes sense, as O’Connor takes us back to the very beginning of creation and tells the story of Zeus up to where he claims Mount Olympus and the Gods rule.

It’s very action heavy, with a lengthy focus on the battle for power between the Olympians and the Titans.  Personally, that’s not my mythological cup of tea, but I assume there are quite a few teenagers who will enjoy the the pages of battle sequences.

I’m appreciating O’Connor’s artwork more and more. He continues to depict female characters as powerful and though they are often drawn in a sexy manner, they seem to serve more of a purpose than just being set decoration.

Can you tell, I really think O’Connor is kind of awesome?  Zeus comes with all the same perks as Athena: trading card type illustrations at the end, Greek notes, his great website, a bibliography and discussion questions.  Have I told you how much I love the discussion questions?  The first one is:  “Zeus’s dad tries to eat him.  Has your dad ever tried to eat you?”  The third question draws a parallel between Zeus’s battling Kronos and Luke Skywalker battling Darth Vader.  What kid wouldn’t want to talk about that kind of thing?

Don’t miss:  Athena: Grey Eyed Goddess – the next book in the series.

Sex, Nudity, Dating – The Earth and Sky wed. Gaea (the Earth) becomes pregnant. Their children are the titans, cyclops and hekatonchieres. Kronos takes his sister Rhea as wife, they have daughter. Zeus is drawn shirtless throughout as are some other Olympians. Zeus asks Metis for a kiss. Some of the girls are pretty scantily clad and some cleavage is visible.
Profanity – “damned.”
Death, Violence and Gore – Kronos uses his sickle to cut his father the sky. Kronos is still eating his children. Metis slaps Zeus. The titans battle the gods, Zeus’s battle with Kronos in particular lasts for pages and pages. . Zeus battles Kampe and Kampe ends up blowing up. The cyclopes shock Zeus with electricity.
Drugs, Alcohol and Smoking – None.
Frightening or Intense Things – Monsters abound – Cyclops and Hekatonchieres (which have 50 heads and 100 hands). Hestia having spent the most time in Kronos’ stomach is mostly digested so she just flickers like a flame.