The Maenad's God

IAN BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD FINALIST FOR LGBTQ+ FICTION (2023)

RECIPIENT OF THE HISTORICAL FICTION COMPANY'S "HIGHLY RECOMMENDED" AWARD OF EXCELLENCE

CHOSEN BY INDEPENDENT BOOK REVIEW AS ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS 0F 2022

A seamless blend of psychological thriller, dark satire, magical realism, romance, and myth, The Maenad's God is the story of a war that's been fought for thousands of years; the war between the ancient arts of music, poetry, and love; and the equally ancient forces of artistic envy, oppressive law, and authoritarian religion.

"Consider this a kind of prayer to the heartless void, for I am now in joyless communion with a dead god."

Peter C. Morrow, former Special Agent
Boston Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation
Date: Eternity

Alienation. Myth. Music. Law. Madness. Death. Divinity.

Boston 1992. Pete Morrow is an alienated FBI agent whose only escape from the colleagues and society he despises is through reading literary classics. When his boss sends him to warn away a drug dealer on an obscure army base, he discovers a murder and becomes obsessed with Jade McClellan, a mysterious man from Toronto whose rock band just performed at the crime scene. Tough-guy Morrow has never been in love beforebut Jade is almost magical, an embodiment of myth and literature who creates living fantasies that rapidly become the only thing Morrow values in his otherwise miserable life.

But there's a problem. Morrow is investigating a mafia family that is investing in Jade's musical career. Being open about their relationship could get both of them killed.

Morrow's murder investigation annihilates his hard-boiled understanding of reality when he learns that Jade is an abandoned, mortal son of Dionysus, the god whose energy informs hard rock. Jade's mafia support is being arranged by Dirty Penny Starmaker, a witch who started life in 5th century BCE Athens, where she received a divine mandate to promote brilliant musicians throughout history. Penny is in a centuries-old war with Hugh McCrae, a primeval, human-like "monster" who has currently incarnated himself as a congressional aide with an unhealthy interest in Morrow's work. McCrae (rhymes with "decay") carries his own divine mandate to promote cultural decline by eradicating creativity and art. At the present time, this includes Jade, his music, and Morrow's newfound happiness.

After all, the universe must balance, no matter who gets destroyed in the process.

Editorial Reviews

"Michalson has written a curious, introspective novel that seems to ask: Can power be owed? Can brilliance be objective? What does it mean to live life as an artist, gifted and ignored; to see cultural preoccupations and attempt to conquer them? What if it's impossible? How do we, in the end, define failure?" - Chrissy Runyon, Booktrib

"What is to be said about The Maenad's God? This book, indeed, is not for the faint-hearted or light-reader as this book's rich prose touches on the sublime . . . . The author's gifted ability to connect the reader to the main character immediately is brilliant . . . There is so much going on within this satirical narrative like a resplendent tapestry full of governmental corruption, unexpected love, 1990s rock and roll, and social issues, all bound by a thread of the metaphysical world of demigods . . . Morrow, in his investigation into the seedy underbelly of corruption, and the Mafia's ties to politics, social and moral issues, and yes, even rock and roll, is led on an odyssey, a Herculean-size case which, in the end, helps him discover things about life, love, art, and himself in a very enlightening and satisfying way and thus, the reader is gifted with a true literary epic masterpiece. DK Marley, Historical Fiction Company (5 stars)

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