Netherworlds, was first published by Livanis Publications in 2011 and was actually my first attempt to write satirical fantasy; a genre that blew my mind and made me want to read everything Sir Terry Pratchett has ever written. So, consider this book a tribute to his genius because until today, he remains my most favorite writer by far.
From the book cover:
An allegorical fairy tale based on the Greek mythology and focusing with humor on various aspects of modern times, such as immigration and racism.
Α satirical fantasy story where automatons, satyrs, giants, cyclops, clones, amazons, titans, centaurs and almost every Greek mythological creature, experiences discrimination; among other things.
Parallel narrations from above and below, from Olympus and Plasis,create a funny patchwork, a pleasant mix in the places, eras, cultures and finally, mythology and reality, as we know it.
In other words, gods exist. They live in planet Olympus and vote for the best ideas (Scenarios) regarding everything humans call reality -or are about to call reality. Democracy, art, shoes, war, everything around us, is first written in Scenarios by the Three Fates and then submitted to the Council of the Twelve to be tested in a makeshift universe; the Netherworlds. Then, the gods have to decide whether each Scenario will be applied on Earth; Aids Vol Two, Cold War, Feather Sandals... each Scenario has its own Netherworld; a home planet to be tried on, filled with human clones aka the zdoops.
“Origin or Gene Superiority” is the current Scenario tested on Plasis. Racism changes all people’s lives in Isopolis. A family of immigrants faces the challenges. As for the rest Olympians, well, they secretly meet at the Lucky Box to bet on the most promising Scenarios.
Charon, Prometheus, Vrontes, goddess Eris, Proteus the sea demon and many other lesser gods of Olympus meet almost every day to bet, gossip and sometimes fight. They believe that the best Scenarios are the ones resulting to instant extinction of the zdoops, which is always, a truly fascinating show but just out of practical reasons they are forced to be realistic; you just can’t kill them all.
You may download it for free (in Greek) : Netherworlds android version / pdf version
"Netherworlds" is only available online for free.