QUEEN OF THE STYX

In Hollister’s fantasy novel, humans and gods living together in the afterlife must determine what’s threatening their planet.

Everyone who dies on Earth winds up on Hades, a planet accessible via wormhole. It’s a lot like Earth—there’s plentiful ocean water, but the world has centuries-old technology. Melissa MacDonald lives there with her dockmaster father; they both died from cholera at nearly the same time in 1918. Her dream of attending the prestigious University of Hades comes true with some assistance from the MacDonalds’ friend John Shaw, who captains the steamboat Queen of the Styx. Melissa’s forte is painting, but at the university, she sets her eyes on a new department: the Interspecies Group. Like many others, Melissa wants to know what’s been causing major seismic events, which are unprecedented on Hades. The goal of this newly formed group is to communicate with the planet’s rarely seen dolphins, since the recent tidal waves and quakes have affected both land and sea. To identify the source of the problem and rectify it, Melissa will need help from Captain Shaw and the Queen. Her plan may also require working with the Old Ones, gods who don’t necessarily get along with humans. Meanwhile, Vincent, who was an upscale art thief on Earth, maintains his life of crime on Hades despite the use of severe punishment for lawbreakers. When his latest robbery goes awry, he makes a bold move that could very well cost him his freedom. His path ultimately intersects with the Queen as it chugs down the River Styx, and Melissa discovers an ability that may change everything.

Hollister packs much exposition into this deliberately paced novel. The setting often feels like the American frontier; electricity is limited, and steam-powered trains deliver handwritten letters. Humans look the age they were when they died, so Melissa appears as an 18-year-old while actually clocking in at over a century. (People tend to forget their earthly lives, thanks to the effects of the Lethe River.) Along with the arresting backdrop, the author offers absorbing character development, from backstories for Shaw and Vincent to the dolphins’ perspective as they debate contacting the “air-breathing bipeds.” Hades is an unexpectedly welcoming place with such familiar sights as Earth-inspired architecture (Roman, Mesopotamian, Egyptian) and no sign of the illnesses or disabilities that affect people on Earth. Mt. Olympus, where the Old Ones reside, is a curious blend of deities, including Zeus, Yahweh, Thoth, and many more. Melissa is instantly likable; she’s smart, easygoing, and a hard worker who earns her steamboat passage to the university by becoming a cook’s assistant. Although Vincent is an unabashed criminal, readers may be hard-pressed to call him a villain. His storyline is more a series of misadventures (like his escape from incarceration), and he has an unorthodox way of robbing people. Once the final act rolls around, it’s not hard to see where the story is headed; still, the ending satisfies, providing resolution for the planet and its manifold residents.

A clever, entertaining fusion of world mythologies and the Old West.