eBook - ePub
Olympusville
About this book
Imagine a heaven populated by familiar Greek gods. Sexy Aphrodite, gorgeous Adonis, Ares the warmonger, Artemis the huntress, wise Athena, bitter Demeter, and the like. But imagine also each of these denizens of Olympus stepping forward and revealing qualities that any reader can recognize: Hades, ruler of the underworld, lovesick for Persephone. Baffled Hephaestus, god of fire, husband of Aphrodite who can't keep her clothes on. Add a defiant Sisyphus and a cadre of grumpy water nymphs and those are only some of the inhabitants of Olympusville—a fantastic and, in the hands of poet Ron Koertge and illustrator Alicia Kleman, endlessly intriguing world. Featuring 16 black and white ink illustrations.
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Please note we cannot support devices running on iOS 13 and Android 7 or earlier. Learn more about using the app.
Yes, you can access Olympusville by Ron Koertge in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Literature & American Poetry. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.
Information
CONTENTS
Sisyphus
The one with the boulder. Poor guy. But defiant and mutinous and at peace with himself.
Zeus
King of the gods. Ruler of the heavens. Horny, fretful, nostalgic.
Hades
Convinced of Persephone’s love for him, he is as delusional as any love-sick mortal.
Aphrodite
“I can’t keep my clothes on. And why should I.”
Ares
His father calls him a savage, but Aphrodite can’t keep her hands off him.
Adonis
So beautiful that women fought over him.
Hephaestus
Powerful, crippled, crude, talented, heart-broken.
Artemis
Underestimated as a simple maiden with a bow and arrows, she is a complicated woman of dark accomplishments.
Athena
Goddess of Wisdom reveals a side not often seen: “If I wanted to / I could be hot stuff.”
Demeter
Goddess of the Harvest, but also a woman with a broken heart thanks to a willful child.
Persephone
Hades’ wife? Sure. Demeter’s daughter? Absolutely. But her heart belongs to another!
Hera
Wife of Zeus, Goddess of Marriage thus goddess of irony since her husband is the archetypical playboy.
Echo
People shout her name and laugh, but if they knew the true story of this nymph, they’d show more respect.
Narcissus
This son of a river god spurned all suitors. He died because no one was good enough for him except him.
Poseidon
More content than many of the gods until the woman he loved asked for the unthinkable.
Nymphs
Olympians would be lost without these damp companions who attend the Mighty, but they’re not always happy about it.
SISYPHUS
Don’t get me started on the gods. What a bunch of windbags. It’s too wet under the sea. I limp and my wife cheats on me. My husband sees other women. My father devoured me. It never ends. Immortal and unsatisfied. I’m at least interesting. I told Zeus to go to Hell, but he sent me there instead. Did I moan and groan? No—I tricked Death into the chains meant for me. He’s such a dim bulb! And while I had him under lock and key, nobody died. Stasis ruled. I made that happen. I ruled. Me, the poor bastard with the boulder. Symbol of futility. Avatar of office drones with Sisyphus cartoons pinned to the cubicle walls. I pity them because they don’t accept their fate. Much less relish it. Things are so preposterous it’s almost farcical. That there’s a world at all. That gods exist or care. That life isn’t fair. That someone loves you. Every day I climb and every day the boulder descends. As I walk down to begin again, I breathe deeply and look around. I have to laugh. You should hear the damned go on and on about their sins. You should see Persephone prancing around teasing Tantalus, and I even make Narcissus look up from his little mirror. You know what their problem is? Hope. I don’t bother with that. I have my beloved boulder which I lean on as we begin again our journey up. My world is small but it is my world.
ZEUS
When other little boys were writing things in the sand with sticks, I was turning sand into glass with thunderbolts. I’m King of the Gods. Not just a god. King of all the gods. Of everything. I’m wise. I’m powerful. I’m irresistible. Did you know I can change myself into an ant and still seduce anybody ...
Table of contents
- Cover Page
- Title Page
- Copyright Page
- Contents
- Sisyphus
- Zeus
- Hades
- Aphrodite
- Ares
- Adonis
- Hephaestus
- Artemis
- Athena
- Demeter
- Persephone
- Hera
- Echo
- Narcissus
- Poseidon
- Nymphs
- Biographical Note