Here you can see a number of reviews of my work. I try to keep this page up to date, and welcome your contributions.
Reviewed by Tyrone Vincent Banks
Oscar is the lead singer of the Scottish Band Snakeskin. They are a young group however they have a profound effect on the masses that listen to their music, always leaving their audience in a frenzy. One night, after a set, Oscar meets a beautiful young lady named Peri. They have a passionate encounter and soon thereafter, Peri presents Oscar with what seems to be an enchanted guitar. This guitar serves as a bridge between the emotions felt within Oscar's heart and the outside world.
His music captures the attention of the god Apollo himself. Perhaps Apollo is reminded of his son Orpheus. Orpheus was a talented musician in Greek mythology. His words and music were played from his heart as he mourned the death of his wife Eurydice. His music was said to charm man, beast, gods and other inanimate objects. His music was heartfelt and the listener could not resist being pulled into his melodies. Oscar later finds out that Peri is Persephone, the goddess of the underworld and the goddess of Spring. What is it that makes this guitar so special? Is it the instrument, or the musician?
Apollo and his cousin struggle to gain the love and fidelity of Oscar, who enjoys the company of both gods in the same manner. Apollo offers Oscar the one thing that he perceives that Persephone cannot, a promising music career. The characters in The Orpheus Industry exist in a world that has rejected monotheistic ideology. Zeus is seen as the major god and his children do what is expected of them as dictated by Greek Mythology. This is a place where one's destiny is not determined by fate, it is determined by The Fates - who themselves pre-date all of the gods.
Oscar and Snakeskin move from obscurity to the top, becoming world famous performers. While their success takes shape, primarily due to the vested interest that Apollo has taken in his lover and his band, a battle of jealousy rages. Apollo wants Oscar to himself. Persephone wants Oscar to herself after her husband Hades left her for Eurydice, who is Orpheus's former soul mate. Oscar wants the relationship with Apollo and Persephone, but in a different manner. What he wants most is his freedom to choose.
This book was masterfully written and I was inspired to read and re-read every passage to acquire some inner meaning about the events that transpired. I've rarely read books in an e-Book format, but I found that it proved to be very enjoyable. The author, Jennie Kermode, has mastered a writing style and an ideology that I have rarely seen. I've receive a lesson about the gods of Greek Mythology and an entertaining story that will be enjoyed by the Young Adult to Adult audience. I was entranced by the words and I felt that I had to move forward through this story. Perhaps this can be likened to the emotions that are activated as one listens to the music of Orpheus?
The story moves from our world to the underworld where Oscar's music inspires the beings that exist in that realm. It seems that irregardless of where the protagonist travels, his music can create a desired response in every listener. That "desired response" even angers Hades, the god of the underworld and he is forced to make a difficult decision to regain order. One mere mortal has caused so much change in the world of The Orpheus Industry. Oscar will pay the price for his unrivalled success, but will that price be paid on Earth or in the realm of the dead?
The end will amaze you!
Reviewed by Sacha Haworth
In her debut novel, Jennie Kermode mixes fantasy with the familiarity of everyday life, making The Orpheus Industry into an unusual and gripping tale. Many of us touched on the Greek legends at school and might be forgiven if we thought that the works of Homer were a little hard going at the time. However, The Orpheus Industry succeeds in bringing these myths and marrying them with the modern age, in turn making the original legends all the more appealing to read.
For those of us used to the idea of our world under the control of a laissez-faire Hebrew god, the idea of a world under the control of the Olympians is a little daunting at first. However, Kermode presents a well thought out tale set in this world. Our protagonist, Oscar, is an up and coming Scottish musician who is faced with the choice of signing a record deal binding him to Apollo, God of Music, who is well known for his meddling in human affairs. Oscar has already brushed with the immortals after a one night stand with a mysterious woman develops into a casual relationship with Persephone. Oscar's life becomes more entwined with the Olympians as the story progresses - do any of them really care about him, or is he just a pawn of their will?
Oscar's story might on the surface seem as far from our own lives as it possibly could be, especially as he falls deeper into the Immortal world, but through the ideals of the tale, power, love and desire, we empathise with him and in turn are drawn into the novel. Quite frankly, I started this novel with full intentions of reading it and then getting on with some 'actual work', but hours later I was still absorbed, with a to-do list expanding by the minute. The Orpheus Industry is an excellent story and if you have any reservations about its subject, brush them aside and dive on in.
Reviewed by Dheeraj V Motwani
Jennie Kermode's existential tale All That Glitters puts a different spin on the notion of justice for a poor, struggling community abandoned by industry. Appropriately, the surprise ending reveals another of the book's reoccurring themes of transformation and discovery.
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Last updated 13th May, 2005.