Descendants by Rae Else
Synopsis
There are lots of stories about the children of gods. But what about those cursed by the gods, and their descendants... El, a seventeen-year-old has inherited an ancient and deadly power. She loses control of it, causing a horrific accident, and becomes the prey of a secret organisation, known as the Order. Forced from her family and home, she hides in plain sight amidst the crowds of London, and is thrust into a world she never knew existed; one full of Arete: beings with extraordinary powers like hers. Arete are beings that can trace their lineage and powers from ancient Greece. They do not claim their inheritance comes from the gods, rather legend says they are descended from cursed beings, such as Medusa. At the heart of their world is the kerykeion, the symbol that protects them from the humans and the humans from them. El is trapped between two factions, one that has built an empire around the kerykeion and another that is determined to bring it down. As she is drawn deeper into the conflict, the only way to find the truth is to take matters into her own hands, and the line between friend and foe becomes dangerously blurred.
Q&A with Rae Else
Q: What inspired you to write Descendants, the first in The Arete series?
A: So many things! I remember being really into Greek myths as a kid. I loved Jim Henson’s Storyteller and, in particular, the Greek Myths. Later as a teenager I’d say reading the Odyssey and Ovid’s Metamorphosis inspired me. Of course, the Pre-Raphaelite paintings, such as Burne-Jones which feature in the book have been an inspiration too. Basically, anything and everything mythological has been of interest to me and definitely influenced my first series.
Q: Greek mythology plays a big part in the Descendants, has this been always been an interest for you and what started your interest?
A: Yes – definitely! I love the world of myths and folktales. Greek and Roman have always been my particular favourite which led me to study Classics as an undergraduate. And when I was a primary school teacher, my favourite lessons to teach were English and Creative Writing, with an emphasis on universal themes and how they stem from early myths and folklore.
Q: What was your biggest challenge when writing Descendants?
A: I’d say the plot twists - keeping information from El and the reader but saying enough so that the story flows well. (As this is my debut novel I’m still working on improving this area and have had some excellent, constructive feedback from reviewers, which will help me feed into the next book in the series and, of course, help improve my craft for the future.)
Q: If you could meet any Greek God who would you most like to meet and why?
A: Ooooo, great question and difficult to choose! I’d probably say Hecate, goddess of witchcraft. In Virgil’s Aeneid, there’s a great bit where the Sybil, an ancient prophetess helps the hero, Aeneas descend to the underworld and has to invoke the goddess. I love the idea of communing with a goddess who isn’t of this world or the underworld, she is in-between. Anything that is strange and supernatural captures my interest!
Q: How many books in The Arete Series do you plan on releasing and when can we expect the second instalment?
A: I plan to write three books in the series. The next one, The All-Seeing Eye I plan to release in October 2017. Depending on where things go, I may revisit the Arete World at a later date though!
Q: How do you select your character names?
A: It varies – in The Arete Series for instance, I had a very clear idea of who I wanted El’s line to be descended from, which will come out in book two so that’s why I chose Helena as the grandma’s name. (That’s all I’m saying for where the name El comes from. So, until book 2…but I’m sure you can guess!)
With other characters in the book, I started to sketch out there likes and dislikes, etc before I named them, I got a feel for them and then that led me to a name. I’d say I get a vivid picture of the character and setting and work from that. I might ask what if questions. What if that happened? I let the idea of character percolate and then start sketching them out more. At the early stages of sketching out characters I’ve found it useful to interview/talk to characters. Write down how they would say something, what language they would use (or wouldn’t), creating character bios full of info that won’t go into the novel but is useful as I get to know them - their strengths, weaknesses, fears and hopes. After that a suitable name comes and I feel like I know them and start to think, oh that’s such an El thing to say or do!
Q: So many books are being made in TV series/films, do you hope one day The Arete Series will be optioned to appear on the big screen?
A: That could be very exciting and I do think lots of the shifting, warping buildings and settings with the power of the kerykeion in the book would lend itself to an adaptation for the screen!
Q: If you had to pick a favourite quote, literary or otherwise, what would it be?
A: I love so many “authorly” quotes but one that’s stuck with me is from Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women:
“She is too fond of books and it has turned her brain.”
I used to have a bag with the quote on it but always took it to school with me when teaching and filled it with so many books one day that the handle broke.
Q: What is your go-to book or author and has the book/author influenced you in your own writing?
A: This is really tough to answer! I have quite a few books that I go back to that I just love. One of them is Little Women as mentioned, another I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith, as well as Pride and Prejudice. In a very different genre, I love going back and reading Anne Rice, especially Interview with a Vampire. I’d say these are my comfort reads – when I need a pick me up or a binge on some old favourites. And undoubtedly they’ve all influenced my writing in some way.
Q: And lastly, just for fun, I see you’re a dog walker. What breed of dog do you love most?
A: Ahhh! It’s so hard to choose – I love so many! That’s almost as hard as you asking me to choose my favourite character.
Ok, I would have to say a spaniel. My first dog as a kid was a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel so they’ll always have a special place in my heart. I walk a Cocker Spaniel regularly and he has such a lovely, friendly nature too, and all the spaniels I come across have a friendly, loveable nature. I would liken them to the boyfriend/love interest in a lot of YA books – the guy who is gallant, sociable, caring (handsome of course) but who you know probably won’t get the girl because he’s not brooding enough!
My Review
"I used to wonder if we were carrying Eve's sin: to always bear the temptation of the serpent"
We follow El, a young woman with a terrifying ability and after an accident leaves her little choice but to run with her estranged mother, El discovers a whole new dangerous world. Not knowing who to trust, the Rebels or The Order, Luke or Dan, El quickly learns that being an Arete is dangerous and everyone wants something from her. Descendants is a fast paced, well written and detailed story, following El as she struggles with her power and fear of what she is and what she can do. Throw in a complicated relationship with her estranged mother, an Order that seems to relish death in the form of extreme competitions and the Rebels that don't seem to hold much regard for human life either, El is faced with a seemingly impossible choice. I enjoyed this story with so much happening it was impossible to be bored. Rae Else introduced this new world with ease, there was no confusion and the author easily wove in all the information we needed naturally into the story. Not always an easy thing to do. My only complaint is that it was to short! Not a bad complaint more a compliment to the author really. I would have loved to explore this new and exciting world more, if Descendants had been longer it would give more time to get to know the likes of Dan, Luke, Alex etc. All characters that I hope we get to explore more later in the series. Aside from my disappointment at the length of the story I did enjoy it, I have only read a handful of books evolving Greek mythology and this book peeked my interest in the subject. Overall, Descendants is a well written and fast paced and keeps you turning the pages. El, is a well formed and relatable character and Dan and Luke, seemingly both interested in El are both a mystery and I hopefully look forward to exploring there characters more in the following books. I look forward to seeing where this series goes and would recommend this book to those who like fast paced and intriguing books with a large handful of Greek Mythology.
I want to take a moment and thank Rae Else for taking the the time to answer a few questions. It is greatly appreciated and I hope that my readers also enjoy learning a bit more about Rae, an up and coming author with a lot to offer and with her thrilling series, I can't wait to see where she takes us on this new and exciting journey.
Thank you for reading A Tale or Two Reviews