Hades Daughter Sara Douglass by Sara Douglass 9780765305404, 0765305402 instant download after payment.

In the ancient world, Crete is not the only land with a Labyrinth at its heart. Labyrinth magic protects Troy and the Greek city-states, as well. Then Theseus steals away Ariadne, Mistress of the Cretan Labyrinth, who for love of him betrayed her own father. But Theseus abandons Ariadne for her sister, and in revenge, Ariadne unweaves the magic of all the world's remaining Labyrinths, unleashing an age of catastrophe. The gods weaken, Atlantis sinks, and Troy falls. Then Brutus, the warrior king of lost Troy, is promised a new Troy and a new Labyrinth if he carries out the destructive will of a mysterious, beautiful figure who appears to him in visions. But is she the goddess Artemis, as she claims, or a vengeful woman who has abandoned both mortality and mercy?

Hades' Daughter is a dark, bloody epic of power, passion, and betrayal. The opening is bumpy--which is no surprise, for the early events range from Theseus's treachery to the fall of Troy and beyond. The prose and pacing become smoother as the saga focuses on Brutus and the princess Cornelia, whose father Brutus killed and whose city he destroyed. Brutus takes Cornelia as his wife with as horrible an act as possible, short of death. Nonetheless, a relationship grows between them. Unfortunately, given their extremely rocky start, it's never clear why Cornelia undergoes a change of heart, but this self-contained first novel of a new trilogy will appeal to some fans of high fantasy, historical fantasy, and those who enjoy Greek and British legends. --Cynthia Ward

In this dazzling start to a new trilogy, Australian author Douglass (StarMan) once again combines mythology, fantasy, magic and romance to produce a consistent, well-rounded story full of seriously flawed characters both abhorrently evil and enthrallingly empathetic. Ariadne, daughter of the Minoan king of Crete and Mistress of the Labyrinth, has betrayed her family for the sake of her lover, Theseus. When Theseus deserts her after she gives birth to a girl, Ariadne spits out a curse ("No one abandons the Mistress of the Labyrinth!... Not you, nor any part of your world!") that sets in motion a twisting, turning plot that centers a century later on Troy and the efforts of Brutus, the leader of that fallen city, to regain his kingdom. Brutus has already murdered his father to clear his path to the throne, and when an opportunity to seize another kingdom presents itself, he grabs it with no thought to the consequences. Ariadne, now in the form of Genvissa of Llangarlia, uses Brutus's greed and self-confidence to take another step forward in her revenge-a revenge that involves renewing "the Game" and the Labyrinth at its heart. The deliciously despicable main characters all play their part in the Game and in the making or breaking of the Labyrinth, leading to many unintended results. Douglass continually surprises, and readers will eagerly await the next two books, which promise to carry the action up to modern-day London. FYI: The author has won two Aurealis Awards.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.