Brian S. Leon

I purchased this book from Amazon.com.

The Greek pantheon is still around, working from the shadows, and trying to serve and protect humanity.

Havoc Rising is a pretty damn good book for what appears to be a freshman effort by Brian S. Leon. I’ve been a big fan of Greek mythology since I was a kid, and I love it when the mythic characters show up in my fiction. Leon went a bit further than the Greek pantheon, however, taking his protagonist from the pages of The Iliad and adding a dash of Celtic fae.

I really enjoyed all the characters: the humans, Sarah, Geek, and Frigate; and the immortals, Athena, Abraxos, Duma, and Ned. I’m looking forward to learning more about the Metis foundation, a charitable and world-influencing foundation run by Athena for the protection and betterment of humanity.

My one issue was that the battle at the end of the book seemed to go on a while. It felt as if Diomedes could have struck immediately, but instead he waited around for Medea’s guards to gather and the opposing forces to grow. Now, I believe Diomedes was under some mental spell at the time which could have affected his actions, and I admit I was reading late into the night (I didn’t want to put the book down in the middle of the big battle!), so my recollection could be colored by tiredness. I’ll have to give it a second read to be sure. :)

Overall, Havoc Rising is a really good book. I certainly recommend it to fans of urban fantasy and Greek mythology. I’m looking forward to the next installment in the Guardian Chronicles.… (altro)

I was bemoaning having caught up on all the Dresden Files books. Now my sadness is gone. Brian S. Leon has created a world and character I want to spend more time with. The speed and humor of the writing are what put me in mind of Jim Butcher. Leon's world also involves the fae but what hooked me completely was his inclusion of a panopoly of mythological figures. I especially love that while they play their roles in this tale clearly, we haven't been given their whole story. There is so much more to learn in future novels. The only two characters I feel he could have introduced with more care were Frigate and Geek. I don't find them to be as real as others because I feel like they were recruited to the team with little foreplay. Give me MORE! I love the fight scenes. And I love the relationships. Looking forward to the next one.… (altro)

When a bomb explodes in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, everyone assumes it was a terrorist act. But things aren’t quite what they seem. Under cover of the explosion, someone has stolen a very dangerous artifact and the goddess Athena calls in Steve AKA Diomedes Tydides, charter boat captain and ancient Greek warrior, hero of the Trojan Wars still fighting the good fights after all these centuries (so take that, Achilles).

Havoc Rising by author Brian S. Leon combines Greek, Arabian, and Celtic myths and legends with modern America to create an action-packed urban fantasy. Told in the first person by Steve/Diomedes, he is just enough of a smarta** to give the story a nice touch of humour and although there is a love interest, romance takes a very far backseat to action. There were times the story got bogged down in descriptions of weapons and technical equipment but, over all, this is one rollicking roller coaster of a ride.… (altro)