Banished: The Gods Among Us by William and Pamela Deen

Quick review for now, as I have work in a little bit.. Another indie author, and another good story that puts a new series on my to-read list.

There's something about mythology that always gets me interested, and almost always leaves me satisfied with the story in question. Banished tells the story of the god Inlil, banished to Earth for his indiscretions and harassment of the other gods. While I'm not familiar with the ancient Sumerian pantheon or any of these stories, I was still intrigued and thought I would take a look at this novella (the first of four). I don't regret this decision, and Banished is a 4 out of 5 star story in my book.

From the publisher:
Banished, begins the story on the gods' home world of Nibiru and is the first twelve chapters of The Gods Among Us. There, the malevolent god Inlil commits and is found guilty of crimes against a reigning goddess, Sud. In the past, Inlil's father, Anu, God-King of Nibiru, has overlooked his son's indiscretions. However, in this instance, he cannot ignore the heinous deed committed. After confrontations with Sud's father, Haia, the greatest warrior god of Nibiru, and advice from his consul, another son, Enki, Anu banishes Inlil to Earth. There he is allowed to reign within the realm of canid, as a wolf. The only decree placed on his banishment, "Do not encroach upon the realm of man".

Inlil cannot resist.
In the year 10,000 BC, he attacks and slaughters a tribe of humans. He learns from the experience. Death, pain, and suffering of humans empowers him.

In response, Anu is forced to send Enki for the purpose of returning Inlil to Nibiru and imprisonment in Irkalla, the underworld. Enki, taking the form of a great white eagle, confronts his half-brother. Inlil escapes, althought not unharmed, into the dense forest and the battle for humankind begins.

My thoughts:
While there were parts that I thought could have been written a little better, I was pleased with this story and am likely to pick up the rest of the Gods Among Us novellas. I feel like the dialogue left a bit to be desired, but the Deens do a great job with descriptions and plot development. Again, I'm not savvy on this world of mythology, and cannot speak as to the 'poetic license' that other reviewers claim Deen took in retelling the story of these gods, but it is a quick novella that is sure to catch your attention and pull you into the characters' lives. I would definitely like to learn more about the big events that have brought the gods to this juncture, and hopefully some of this is highlighted in the rest of the series.

Justin :)