House of odysseus - claire north

House of Odysseus continues award-winning author Claire Norths Penelope trilogy, a powerful, fresh, and unflinching reimagining (Jennifer Saint) that breathes life into ancient myth and gives voice to the women who stand defiant in a world ruled by ruthless men.

On the isle of Ithaca, queen Penelope maintains a delicate balance of power.

Many years ago, her husband Odysseus sailed to war with Troy and never came home.

In his absence, Penelope uses all her cunning to keep the peace--a peace that is shattered by the return of Orestes, King of Mycenae, and his sister Elektra.

Orestes hands are stained with his mothers blood.

Not so long ago, the son of Agamemnon took Queen Clytemnestras life on Ithacas sands.

Now, wracked with guilt, he is slowly losing his mind.

But a king cannot be seen to be weak, and Elektra has brought him to Ithaca to keep him safe from the ambitious men of Mycenae.

Penelope knows destruction will follow in his wake as surely as the furies circle him.

His uncle Menelaus, the battle-hungry king of Sparta, longs for Orestes throne--and if he can seize it, no one will be safe from his violent whims.

Trapped between two mad kings, Penelope fights to keep her home from being crushed by a war that stretches from Mycenae and Sparta to the summit of Mount Olympus itself.

Her only allies are Elektra, desperate to protect her brother, and Helen of Troy, Menelaus wife.

And watching over them all is the goddess Aphrodite, who has plans of her own.

Each woman has a secret.

And their secrets will shape the world.