{"id":5900,"date":"2013-01-07T05:22:28","date_gmt":"2013-01-07T05:22:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hotnerdgirl.com\/?p=5900"},"modified":"2024-02-28T17:12:41","modified_gmt":"2024-02-28T17:12:41","slug":"book-review-snyper-a-matter-of-caliber-by-j-meredith-harmon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hotnerdgirl.com\/index.php\/2013\/01\/07\/book-review-snyper-a-matter-of-caliber-by-j-meredith-harmon\/","title":{"rendered":"Book Review \u2013 \u201cSnyper: A Matter of Caliber\u201d by J. Meredith Harmon"},"content":{"rendered":"

Snyper_revised_cover4_6x9_730 wHNG<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

What would happen if the Greek gods of Olympus were real and lived among us? What would they do with themselves? Would they have jobs? Would they be destructive or productive members of society? What if there were other mystical creatures that walked among us? Beautiful women who burst forth from trees fully grown, three-headed puppies, immortal ex-wives\u2026<\/p>\n

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Harmon hanging out in Phil\u2019s neighborhood<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Such is the world created by \u00a0first-time author J. Meredith Harmon in\u00a0Snyper: A Matter of Caliber<\/i>, the first in a planned seven part book series. Our protagonist is Phil Bowman (a rimshot-worthy moniker if there ever was one) aka\u00a0Eros\u00a0aka the god of love. After playing a role in one of the most defining moments of American history, we find Phil retired from shooting people (both for love and to death) and working as a Private Investigator in New York. He\u2019s divorced and bitter and his life is spiraling out of control. He has no idea why and no idea how to stop it despite his best misguided efforts.<\/p>\n

The gods and goddesses deserve their own reality show. \u201cThe Real Housewives of Olympus\u201d or \u201cDays of Our Immortal Lives.\u201d The amount of scheming and backstabbing that goes on is impressive, especially given the fact that they are all\u00a0related to each other\u00a0in more ways than one (limited dating pool and all). It\u2019s a twisted and complicated family tree that deserves a\u00a0chart like this\u00a0to keep it all straight. Every one of them has a love-hate relationship with everyone else and yet, they are family and those roots run deep.<\/p>\n

We hear about but never see Zeus, Hades, or Apollo. \u00a0I think that Harmon is saving them for later. In fact, aside from Phil and Heracles, we mostly see the goddesses and female\u00a0chthonics\u00a0like Persephone, Hecate, Demeter, Athena and Aphrodite. Phil seems to surround himself with the fairer sex, for good and for bad. Whether that\u2019s consciously or unconsciously on his part, I\u2019m not sure, but it makes sense because he\u2019s a bit of a scoundrel and the women in his life can\u2019t help but want to save him. He\u2019s a bit like\u00a0Malcolm Reynolds\u00a0in that way.<\/p>\n

\n

Eros before life knocked him down a few pegs<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

There are plenty of nods to nerdom, mostly from Phil\u2019s nymph secretary, Ashley, and his nutty Aunt Minnie aka the goddess Athena. They include references to\u00a0Stargate,\u00a0Doctor Who,\u00a0Harry Potter,\u00a0Avatar,\u00a0Firefly,\u00a0Watchmen,\u00a0Star Wars,\u00a0Underworld,\u00a0Battlestar Galactica,\u00a0Buffy the Vampire Slayer,\u00a0Angel,\u00a0Veronica Mars,\u00a0300,\u00a0Clash of the Titans,\u00a0Hercules,\u00a0Xena: Warrior Princess,\u00a0Charmed,\u00a0<\/i>and even one snide comment about\u00a0Twilight.<\/i>\u00a0Even her nickname, Ash, makes me think of the\u00a0Evil Dead<\/i>\u00a0films. I would be lying if I said that I didn\u2019t identify with Ashley. Aside from the obvious nerdiness, we share a quirky sense of humor, a na\u00efve innocence, and an inner strength that is slowly but surely making us braver about venturing out into the real world.<\/p>\n

\n

Meliai, mythologic nymphs of the ash tree<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The lovely part about\u00a0Snyper<\/i>\u00a0is how seamlessly Harmon weaves the multiple storylines, much like one of Aunt Minnie\u2019s\u00a0Arnold\u2019s cat map\u00a0tapestries. No one is exactly who they seem to be and some will downright surprise you. It\u2019s quite impressive for a first time author.<\/p>\n

Reading\u00a0Snyper<\/i>, you almost believe that magic is real; that the woman sitting next to you on the bus might be Athena and you would be none the wiser. It\u2019s an intriguing thought and Harmon manages to bring it to life in exciting and innovative ways.<\/p>\n

Some hilarious moments:<\/p>\n

When\u00a0Charon\u00a0pulls up the decking to reveal that his ferry is secretly motorized.<\/p>\n

The nymphs posing for Phil like Playboy pin ups and trying not to be obvious about it but failing spectacularly.<\/p>\n

Ash running from Hecate because she thinks that the chthonic goddess is a vampire.<\/p>\n

Molly the hell-mutt peeing in Phil\u2019s bed. Repeatedly.<\/p>\n

\n

Who wouldn\u2019t want a three-headed puppy?!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

There are some truly gut-wrenching moments as well but I can\u2019t reveal them without giving too much away.<\/p>\n

Harmon came up with the concept of this book 22 years ago, spent four years fleshing it out, and only recently set it loose upon the world. It\u2019s definitely worth the read, especially if you\u2019re into mythology, which I am. It\u2019s fun to see the gods and goddesses fleshed out and immensely imperfect despite the control they wield over all our lives. I highly recommend it and I eagerly anticipate the sequels.<\/p>\n

For more, read my Nerd BFF\u00a0Geek Outlaw\u2019s review. It\u2019ll make you LOL. Cause he\u2019s funny and stuff.<\/p>\n

Buy\u00a0Snyper: A Matter of Caliber<\/em>\u00a0HERE<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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