Intrigue, usurpation, and murder demand all the wits of a queen in a precarious position in House of Odysseus, the second volume of the Songs of Penelope series by Claire North (Ithaca; The Pursuit of William Abbey). Odysseus still has not returned from the Trojan War. His son, Telemachus, has gone to seek him, and that leaves Penelope to maintain order and dodge the intentions of those suitors who presume that Odysseus is dead. When a ship arrives from Mycenae carrying Orestes and Elektra, Penelope is drawn into an even larger power struggle. Orestes, the new king of Mycenae, killed his mother, Clytemnestra, to avenge the death of his father, Agamemnon, and now it appears the Furies are driving him mad as punishment. Penelope suspects an earthlier cause. Either way, Elektra needs her help to protect her brother and his throne from their uncle, Menelaus, who has designs on Ithaca as well.
In spite of her novel being narrated by Aphrodite, North largely takes a realistic approach, preferring the political schemes and petty egotism of kings to the squabbles of gods and goddesses. Aphrodite's voice is blunt and sometimes modern, taking the shine off of any glory from Mount Olympus. A dose of mystery ups the stakes as Penelope, Elektra, and even beautiful and underestimated Helen jockey to maintain their positions in a patriarchal world. Fans of Circe by Madeline Miller and Daughters of Sparta by Claire Heywood will find much to enjoy in this revisionist epic. --Kristen Allen-Vogel, information services librarian at Dayton Metro Library