12 spellbinding new science fiction and fantasy books to read this November
By Lacy Baugher
November 2021 release: Lore Olympus – Rachel Smythe
Rachel Smythe’s popular Webtoon comic Lore Olympus gets the print book treatment in Lore Olympus, Volume One, a compilation of the series’ first twenty-five episodes along with an exclusive bonus chapter.
(The webcomic is currently around episode 180 as of this writing, so cross your fingers we’ll have more volumes of this print release in our future!)
The series is a (vaguely) modern retelling of the Greek myth of Hades and Persephone, a beautifully drawn and emotionally compelling story full of charming characters and sly references to the stories of other gods and goddesses along the way.
In Smythe’s version of the tale, while the mortal realm exists firmly in the past, the world of the gods is set in our present, complete with cell phones, computers, and tabloid newspapers. Full of family drama, scandalous relationships, and several concurrent stories about secondary characters that range from Apollo to Hera, Lore Olympus is truly a joy to read.
The official synopsis is pretty basic, but, rest assured, the tale itself is full of both swoons and surprises.
"Scandalous gossip, wild parties, and forbidden love—witness what the gods do after dark in this stylish and contemporary reimagining of one of mythology’s most well-known stories from creator Rachel Smythe. Featuring a brand-new, exclusive short story, Smythe’s original Eisner-nominated web-comic Lore Olympus brings the Greek Pantheon into the modern age with this sharply perceptive and romantic graphic novel."
Lore Olympus is available on November 2