Reviewed by Asher Syed for Readers' Favorite

In V. Radeck’s The Last Virgin on Olympus, Iphicles, the virgin twin brother of the Greek hero Hercules, wants his first sexual encounter to be with someone he loves. After he offends Myrina, a potter’s daughter from the city of Thebes, he approaches the gods for advice. Their guidance sends him to an oracle at Delphi, a sanctuary where people consult the future. There he sees Hercules murdering his family before attacking the children Iphicles has yet to father. The possible future is tied to enchanted objects that someone is gathering for a purpose. Determined to prevent his brother from becoming a killer, Iphicles begins hunting for those objects with Hercules beside him. Myrina joins them when they learn that her family’s craft is connected to an ancient mirror. As their search draws them toward the gods, Iphicles begins to suspect that every step toward saving his family may be serving someone else’s plan.

V. Radeck’s The Last Virgin on Olympus is a wildly original mythological comedy. Iphicles’s investigation into divine deceit as he tries to save Hercules is beautifully inventive. Consider the Sphinx demanding intimate confessions before opening a hidden shrine. The heavenly court is just as imaginative, uncovering a forged seal on a cup capable of inducing madness. Iphicles won me over through his respect for Myrina’s wishes, particularly when he intercepts an enchanted arrow meant to change her feelings. That tells you plenty about the man. The polished prose also delivers wonderfully intelligent humor. Nemesis, the goddess conducting the hearing, seats Zeus on a low stool to face his witnesses. Now that is funny. The settings are gorgeous, from rosewater pools beneath pink-veined columns at Aphrodite’s temple to the fresh bread scenting Hestia’s kitchen, where the hearth goddess guards the cup. Adults who appreciate bawdy Greek mythology are in for a treat. Very highly recommended.