Olympus Bound

This rich, clever, and thoughtful concluding installment of the Olympus Bound trilogy picks up six months after the events of 2016’s Winter of the Gods, with Selene DiSilva, once known as the goddess Artemis, tracking her grandfather Saturn and the remnants of his Mithraist cult in order to stop them from sacrificing the kidnapped Zeus to usurp his power. Meanwhile, Selene’s lover, the mortal historian Theo Schultz, believes Selene is dead and researches ancient rituals and traditions in hopes of resurrecting her. When they reunite in the Vatican, it’s the prelude to a new quest that takes them to Mount Olympus itself, where the remaining gods gather for the first time in centuries. As in the previous volumes, Brodsky expertly weaves together ancient mystery cults, mythology, and science, producing a syncretic masterpiece that challenges the reader’s assumptions and expectations at every turn. Her gods, with their numerous epithets and faded dignity, feel real and complicated, burdened by the weight of centuries’ worth of legend and reinvention. This is a wholly satisfying conclusion to a story that adds another dimension to ancient themes and elements. Agent: Jennifer Joel, ICM. (Feb.)