THE DEATH OF PERSEPHONE
By I.A. Watson
A Chillwater Publication
337 pgs
Okay, so let’s be extremely clear here, New Pulp scribe I.A. Watson is a genius. Period. In the time we’ve come to know him as a friend, collaborator, and fan, he has constantly amazed us with his knowledge about….well, everything. Not only has he contributed to practically every major New Pulp publisher out there, but his new Sherlock Holmes adventures are also marvelous and his recently completed retelling of the classic Robin Hood series for Airship 27 Production was incredible in both richness of storytelling and authentic historical background.
So what would you expect when Watson turns his amazing mental library on Greek Mythology? What you get is a truly bizarre mash-up of myth and Gothic Romances. We won’t elaborate as the author himself pens an essay at the book’s end detailing the conception of this particular tale.
Kore Deione, the Maiden Goddess of Spring Harvest and the daughter of Zeus, is kidnapped by Hades, the King of the Dead. He has fallen madly in love with her and envisions her bringing to the Underworld a true completion it has never known. He sees what others can, but the task at hand is to convince her, who he now calls the Lady Persephone, of his genuine love for her and the realization of what it can bring forth. And like any iconic Gothic Romance, Hades has a dark secret which the maid is obsessed to uncover, even if it means her own ruination.
With “The Death of Persephone” Watson has infused pagan myths with a decidedly salvation perspective that puts an exciting philosophical twist on the most important trinity of them all; life, love, and death. It is an original, fresh tale and yet as old as time. We loved every single page.