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Was love the greatest punishment of all?
Repulsed by her ugly newborn, Hera throws him into the sea, where he shatters his ankle. As darkness looms, Thetis the sea witch saves the wounded child and raises him in her underwater grotto.
Hephaestus is the only Olympian whose injuries never heal, and Zeus adds to his burden by sentencing him to life with Aphrodite. Unhappily married to the adulterous goddess of love, he is fated to repeat his childhood pattern of rejection.
To subdue his emotional and physical pain, he harnesses fire to make magical inventions. Of course, the other gods take advantage of his good nature and demand all manner of trinkets. A silver mouse for Apollo. A girdle for Aphrodite. Armour for Athena. A bow and arrow for Eros. Winged sandals for Hermes. A throne for Hera. A golden mastiff for Zeus.
But the god of fire is nobody's fool. His magic has a shadow side, as gods and mortals learn to their cost when Zeus orders him to create Pandora's jar...
God of Fire is recommended for adults who enjoy modern retellings of the classic Greek myths.
About the author
Dr Helen Steadman is a historical novelist. She recently completed her fifth book, Solstice, the final part of The Newcastle Witch Trials Trilogy. The trilogy was inspired by the witch trials of 1650 where fifteen women and one man were hanged as witches. Despite the Newcastle witch trials being one of the largest mass executions of witches on a single day in England, they are not widely known about. Helen is particularly interested in revealing hidden histories and is a thorough researcher who goes to great lengths in pursuit of historical accuracy. To get under the skin of the cunning women in The Newcastle Witch Trials Trilogy, Helen trained in herbalism. The Running Wolf tells the tale of a group of master swordmakers who defected from Solingen, Germany and moved to Shotley Bridge, England in 1687. As well as carrying out in-depth archive research and visiting forges in Solingen to bring her story to life, Helen also undertook blacksmith training, which culminated in making her own sword.
