Item - The Throne of Zeus

As the plot summary suggests, this is a strange little book, but it works quite well. During your search for Zeus you get a chance to participate in a number of different Greek myths and you meet lots of famous mythological figures ranging from Icarus to Cerberus. The book would make a fairly good introduction to Greek mythology, though some of the stories could have benefitted from a bit more background detail.

More reviews by Demian

Not a bad book by any stretch. Even though, I admit, I am not the most educated individual in terms of Greek mythology and Greek figures, I still found this to be an entertaining read nonetheless. This book provided for an informative read in which I was both pleased and educated upon its completion. Given that the book has (as listed) 30 endings, many of them come fairly quick. More background information on some of the ancient figures would have been nice, but ultimately, I enjoyed this one.

More reviews by Enigmatic Synergy

Why is it even in the series? 0.5/10

More reviews by Good

What do we have here? The Choose Your Own Adventure debut of Deborah Lerme Goodman, who would publish all four of her contributions to the original series within the narrow window between books forty and sixty. Living in modern Athens, Greece as the child of two archaeologists, you are excited when they return from a dig with titanic news. They have discovered the first artifact of Olympus, headquarters to the gods of Ancient Greece. Your parents need objective proof that the throne they found was indeed crafted for Zeus, king of the gods. Your grandmother lightly suggests having a talk with Zeus, but you get the feeling what she says isn't merely a joke. The only place you can imagine seeing Zeus in person is the Acropolis, but when you linger there after closing and come face to face with the goddess Athena, you may have the chance to meet Zeus for real. Athena spirits you back to Ancient Greece to find him, but which mythological figure would you rather she place you in the company of, Icarus or Persephone?

Choosing Icarus steers you right into meeting the boy and his father Daedalus, lost together in the Labyrinth at King Minos's command. The beastly Minotaur lurks somewhere, and is capable of killing all three of you. You can part ways with Icarus and his father, and maybe run into the Minotaur on your own; the bull-man is enraged by years of people treating him like a monster. If you react to him thoughtfully, you might escape the Labyrinth with the Minotaur and have a chance to make it home, but will you meet Zeus first so he can provide proof of your parents' recent findings? Stay with Icarus and Daedalus, and the three of you figure a way out of the Labyrinth, but your tough choices don't end there. You could approach King Minos and ask for an introduction to Zeus, but get too comfortable with life in Ancient Greece and you'll lose your desire to go home. Adventuring with Icarus thrusts you into the tragic arc of his doomed flight, but you can branch off at any point if you'd rather not see Icarus die. You might meet Phaëton, son of the sea god Poseidon, whose fervent wish is to drive the chariot of dawn across the sky for a single morning. Will you participate in his wild escapade, or leverage meeting Poseidon into an introduction to Zeus? Remain with Icarus even this far, and you can try dissuading him from joining his father in flight, but fate's gravity is powerful. One ending allows you to save his life, but usually you end up traveling the country post-tragedy with grief-stricken Daedalus or on your own, and your options range from hijinx with disguised gods, to settling down in the Ancient world to a quiet life as a tradesman.

Perhaps you decided from the first to go see Persephone rather than Icarus. Judging by your clothing she immediately identifies you as a time-travel project of Athena's, but you have no opportunity to become friends with Persephone before an ebony chariot appears and drags you both into the underworld. Hades has taken Persephone captive to his kingdom of death, where the gigantic three-headed dog Cerberus prowls the entrance to the Land of the Living. Persephone seems resigned to eternity here, but you could attain clemency for yourself by exploring the caverns and happening upon the Furies, a trio of hideous hags who know your story and wish to help you back to the Land of the Living. You're as likely to tangle with Cerberus as meet the Furies, though, and then wind up at the boat of Charon, who transports dead souls across the toxic river Styx. You can accept a position as his apprentice, but will you ever gain enough trust to escape? If you do, is doubling back for Persephone worth the risk? How you comport yourself in the underworld is the difference between meeting Zeus and going home, or an eternity in hopeless darkness.

The Throne of Zeus gets caught in no-man's land between authentic archaeology and Greek mythology, and has the potential to confuse young readers. It presents the gods and demigods of Ancient Greece as historical individuals an archaeologist would find relics from. If you can get past this idiosyncrasy, the treatment of the myths is quite good. The sadness around Icarus's plunge into the sea carries real weight, so if you find the one way of preserving him against destiny, it feels good. The Throne of Zeus is in the upper half of Choose Your Own Adventure, even if it doesn't overwhelm with innovation or narrative power.

More reviews by KenJenningsJeopardy74

This is the first Choose Your Own Adventure book I ever owned. I consider it to be one of the best in the series, due to the excellent depiction of Greek mythology, as well as the large variety of adventures available through the various paths in the book. It also has a fair amount of positive endings available, but any path you follow provides some interesting insight. Highly recommended.

More reviews by SherlockHolmes