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Reviewed by Asher Syed for Readers' Favorite
The Awakening Matrix of Poseidon by Soheila Dadkhah follows Poseidon, who, after a festival with the gods, hears a mysterious voice named Love promising transformation beyond possession. Intrigued, Poseidon embarks on a perilous journey to understand love’s true nature. Stripped of his crown and trident, he faces hallucinations and encounters Aphrodite Pandemos, who embodies fleeting pleasure and pain. Overwhelmed by shame from his past conquests, Poseidon sinks into regret and isolation. Guided by divine figures like Nyx and Hysikia, he confronts inner darkness, memories, and lessons about pride and identity. After a near-death experience in the underworld with Persephone, he is reborn with clarity. Returning to the mortal realm, he faces Aphrodite again, wrestling with desire, fear, and the cost of love while seeking a fragile, honest connection with her.
The Awakening Matrix of Poseidon by Soheila Dadkhah is a remarkable poem-driven retelling of myth that brilliantly embodies the spirit of Poseidon’s well-known journey in a way I've not come across before. The entire story is written beautifully in verse, harkening back to the elegant and powerful style of ancient literature, and gives it all a textured sense of movement. Dadkhah’s language paints Poseidon’s encounters and his passage through fire, ice, and darkness with sharp clarity, which is a testament to their skill as a writer, given the melodic nature of the prose. The detailed scenes—the standout of which for me are the collapse of the fortress and the silent, infinite sea—are brought to life through precise and graceful wording. Anyone who has been painfully in love can understand the feelings of Poseidon, even as we find ourselves perplexed by how he approaches them, making this old lore relatable to contemporary readers in a fresh and memorable way. Very highly recommended.