ORACLE OF HELINTHIA, the second in M.J. Pankey’s series of novels with a Greek mythological theme, continues the tale of intrigue, politics, and family drama so successfully executed in the first entry in the series, Epic of Helinthia.
The tone here is grittier than in the first installment. So much so, in fact, that Pankey feels obliged to offer a trigger warning to readers. Some of the interplay between the protagonists tends towards the melodramatic at times—a product, one feels, of the filmic quality of some of the prose. The gestural language of characters is frequently described in considerable detail, suggesting a literal envisaging of the mise-en-scene. At times it is welcome, complementing the at-times forensic examinations of the inner workings of each character. Gonivein’s plight in particular comes in for special attention here. Gonivein begins the novel deeply conflicted about her imminent marriage to Kelric, her paramour from Epic of Helinthia. It is her appreciation both of Gadnor’s dilemma and her own that benefits most from this scrutiny. At other times, however, the minute descriptions have the effect of slowing down the narrative, which, at 400-odd pages, already takes in a great deal.
Typesetting and formatting are up to the usual high standards, though it seems like a misstep to include pen-and-ink portraits of the gods. The individuals depicted in this way (they appear at the beginning) are uniformly attractive and inscrutable; in other words, they offer no insights into the characters of the deities they depict, and could have been dispensed with at no cost to the presentation.
But this wrinkle doesn’t unduly detract from a second glimpse into life on Helinthia. Pankey imbues the narrative with her customary correctness of tone, as well as a little wit here and there. Most importantly, the book does what all good continuations should do, which is to take the abiding characteristics of each person’s story and build on them. The result is an engrossing read, and it will be interesting to see what lies in wait for the protagonists in War in Helinthia, the upcoming third entry in the series.
An engrossing, absorbing addition to the world of Helinthia, M.J. Pankey’s ORACLE OF HELINTHIA takes the features of the island’s protagonists and successfully builds on them.
~Craig Jones for IndieReader