Gods as aliens is a concept that has been explored many times in Science Fiction and one that has always been particular interesting when it comes to the idea of the Gods of ancient Egypt. It was such a great idea it spawned a movie turned television show you may have heard of called ‘Stargate’. Sadly Stargate has run its course but the idea was solid. It was so solid that when I sat down and started to read through Luke Romyn’s Beyond Hades: The Prometheus Wars Volume 1, I was at first struck at how similar a few of the ideas were. This didn’t last long though because Luke’s quality of writing and original take on the concept will keep your eyes glued to the page, or screen if reading digitally is your preference.

In Beyond Hades the introduction shows us the equivalent of a Stargate being opened for the first time and with no idea what to expect. Especially when things go wrong, terribly wrong. We fast forward slightly to Talbot Harrison, twin brother of the scientist Thomas, who initially opened the gate being picked up by the military. He is being brought in because the military feels that he will be able to solve the problem his brother caused and gave almost no details past that.

As we move through the plot it is one action scene full of suspense followed by another and within the blink of an eye half of the book has been finished. I am in no way saying the book is short. You will get so sucked in that won’t realize sitting down to read a chapter ends up being “just one more” over and over again.

In between the action you are guided through multiple worlds where we learn that the Greek Gods were actually an alien race and most of the mythology known to mankind is based on actual events that had occurred. What we didn’t know was that these aliens truly were fighting aliens from another world and that war had spilled onto our own.

With the gates closed, the war had come to an end but mankind had of course foolishly reopened what was meant to be closed shut forever. Twists occur quite frequently throughout the ongoing tale and you never quite know who you should be trusting. Talbot doesn’t have to go alone though as partway into the novel a guide assigns himself to keep him safe until they either save the world, or die trying.

It’s a great blend of past and present with some fantastic science fiction and twists mixed in as well. Luke’s epic story of two worlds at odds with us caught in the middle will keep any fan of the genre pining for more.

With all of that being said, the book is not without its flaws. While I greatly enjoyed the concept and the action there were a few inconsistencies within the novel itself that should be brought up. The main character had a few contradictions on his “gift” to learn languages when he mentioned he was unable to learn one early in the novel. Also, and there was an issue with what he did and didn’t know about with Greek mythology. Some of the writing seemed a bit repetitive in descriptions but don’t let any of that throw you off as the book in all honestly will drag you in. If you are a fan of the ideas and concepts that were behind Stargate mixed into a much more action packed environment, this is a must read for you.