In the Wake of the Gods was an amazing deep dive into Greek Mythology which combined stories of heroes and gods and a cruising guide around Greek waters! I really enjoyed how Jefferson tied the stories into the locations that were represented. In the Wake of the Gods is a really great book for anybody wanting to learn more about Greek Mythology or learn more about the history of some of the stories and locations talked about in Percy Jackson!

This book is fantastic! Recommended for fans of Percy Jackson (to deep-dive into what the young-adult fiction series was based on); history buffs; travelers (whether armchair or otherwise); and more.

I picked it up being all of the above, myself. I recently got to visit Israel for the second time, including a stop at Banias Nature Reserve. Said location held not only the purported gates of hell (with a temple to boot), it also still houses niches where idols to Zeus, Artemis, Nemesis, and Pan (hence _Banias_) would have been placed. I've also had the abject pleasure of reading David Shalleck's excellent memoir _Mediterranean Summer_ at least four times. So, I've become at least somewhat well versed in the locations mentioned here, through one method or another. #geek

The author begins with a helpful overview of Greek mythology, setting the stage for the rest of the book (and very helpfully including references to books! ). His sense of humor comes through loud and clear (in a good way), and I definitely found myself chuckling at times. #drywit I loved that he included the Roman name of a Greek god(dess), where applicable. The stories continue through the remainder of the read.

The book is brilliantly produced, with gorgeous photos that I can only imagine are even more beautiful in the print version (or, ahem, in real life). Sailors/those traveling Greece by water are definitely the target audience past the aforementioned mythology overview (especially with the maps, latitudes, and longitudes); however, the rest of us will still definitely enjoy the travel tips, recommendations, and ancient stories come to life.

Note: the book does include pictures of busts, full-size sculptures, paintings, and more. (And frankly, Greek mythology is full of color...in every sense.) Accordingly, there's some...scantily- (or not-at-all) clad characters. And the occasional swear word also makes an appearance.

4/5 stars.

I received an eARC of the book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.