The Sky Throne by Chris Ledbetter is a re-imagining of Greek mythology unlike any other. A teenage Zeus attends the academy of Eastern Crete with his friend Anytos. A rough day at school gets the pair tossed out due to Zeus’ mischievousness. The next day, the sun greets the pair. Literally. Hyperion descends with the sun chariot, demanding ‘the orphan boy’. The ensuing scuffle leaves Anytos dead, and Zeus’ ma, Amalthea, gravely injured. Zeus is whisked away, to Mount Olympus Prep in order to be protected, where he learns he was Hyperion’s true target. MO Prep, as the scant six students call it, used to have many more students before Kronos broke from it, taking the majority of students and forming Othrys Academy. Unfortunately, no sooner has Zeus found a home here, then it all begins coming unravelled. He has several run-ins with students from Othrys, his fellow male students give him the nickname ‘Spruce’ due to his scrawny frame, and then students begin to go missing, along with Ouranos, the Headmaster. Can they all survive, and find their missing mates before the academy closes for good?

Set in ancient times, this humorous tale looks at the war between Titan and Olympian is a rather different, less literal fashion. Kronos doesn’t eat his children. The battle between the two is in context of War Games between rival schools- Mount Olympus Prep, and Othrys Academy. With humour akin to Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson series, Ledbetter breathes new life into the classic myth of the rise of the Olympians over the Titans. Besides Anytos, there is another death. I won’t give it away, though those who remember their Greek mythology should figure it out fairly quickly, since all the gods keep their original names.

I loved the rivalry between Zeus and Hera regarding the Sky Throne. It’s said that others, especially students, should not sit on the Sky Throne. Even just climbing to the foot of it can affect the students, much less sitting on it. Going near it is what gave Zeus, Hera, and Hades unique gifts- thought reading, energy manipulation, cloaking. The author weaves science in as well. In addition to cosmic dust, dark matter and dark energy are mentioned. Erebus, the Elder God and ⅓ of the Khaos Council, is mostly created from dark matter/energy. That’s kinda neat. Cosmic dust not only assists nourishment, but plays a part in artifact creation, such as weapons, or the pillars known as Hurlers that serve a transporter function, allowing for near instantaneous travel.

A few things I wish were different: there’s a pretty neat mystery going on. For as fantastically advanced as these deities seem to be, there are times common sense seems to fail. Like not securing the crime scene at all… or inviting everyone to traipse through it. I don’t expect CSI forensics. After all, still ancient world. But secure the scene, yeah? Also, I know from Zeus’ point of view, Prometheus is a ‘bad guy’, but I find it hard to reconcile the culture hero who gave humanity fire with ‘Promo’, who is a bully. Kronos didn’t seem as fierce as I’d expected, either. There were times when he got rather whiny. Just saying. I’m definitely looking forward to reading the next in the series!

Recommended for those who like Greek mythology, or who enjoy the Percy Jackson series.

***Many thanks to the author and Chapter by Chapter Tours for providing an copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.