Kindle Edition Amazon Sword and Labrys Productions IndyPlanet Category:  Historical Fiction Publisher: Sword and Labrys Productions (Pam Harrison) Print on demand by Lightning Source and Ingram Book ISBN-10:  0981650007 Type: Fiction Pages: 300 Copyright: Nov 15, 2007 ISBN-13: 9780981650005 Price: $4.99 (eBook) Mnasidika of Sparta, adopted into the house of Athenaios, witnesses goings on at a Symposium welcoming Peisandros, Athenaios’ banished nephew, back into the family as a business partner. The welcome turns sour when Peisandros hints that his uncle is instead the responsible party for the murder that got him banished from Athens. Athenaios and Isthia’s plans for Dika’s marriage are threatened when she meets the lovely Timas of Phokaia, an unexpected guest at the Symposium. House of the Muses TM and © Pam Harrison. All rights reserved.   Issue One of a ten-volume graphic novel miniseries. Scholars have for centuries set aside one perplexing poem inexplicably written in Spartan dialect from the Ennead, the nine books authored by Sappho. Why Sappho kept this poem in her collection has never been explained. Sappho had among her students a girl named Mnasidika, a Spartan name that means, ‘In Remembrance of Justice’. Another translated restoration of a little-known poem of Sappho’s, shredded by the early Church and left in fragments because of its ‘offensive’ subject matter revealed a haunting tale of ‘immortal lovers’. The details of this novel are derived primarily from the works of Alkaios, not Sappho, in his recounting of their early youth during the Civil War in Mytilene, the War with Athens, and the activities of the House of Penthilos. Many are unaware–or their understanding uncertain–about the part the Poetess of Mytilene played in the court intrigues, political upheavals and assassination plots of the time.       Excerpt Excerpts of the graphic novel miniseries can be viewed at http://houseofthemuses.com

A Month of Self-Published Comics
http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2009/04/23/a-month-of-self-published-comics-house-of-the-muses-1-3/

Month of LGBT Comics
http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2011/03/23/month-of-lgbt-comics-house-of-the-muses-4-7/

Review by MGH
MGH said: As a serious student of the Ancient Greek and Latin languages, literature, theater, philosophy, and history, I welcomed HOM in a heartbeat, not only because I find it a gorgeous story which shows true knowledge and appreciation for the culture of ancient Greece, but also because of its amazing 3D graphics. Being also an adventure gamer, I'm always yearning for great graphics, and, alas, rarely find it (the only exception, perhaps, being Dracula: Origin, which has stunning backgrounds). Ms. Harrison's work does NOT look like a computer game, IMHO. Her characters' movements are dynamic and own unique and nuanced facial expressions. She has gone well beyond the standard options of 3-D Studio, and it shows. As for the dryness of the pages mentioned by the reviewer, I have to disagree. I never found any page to be dry, rather, it's been quite a compelling ride. I can say it was a little difficult for me to follow the story at the beginning of book 1, because of the number of characters introduced at the same time and perhaps a little wordiness. However, I quickly found myself drawn to HOM and have been enjoying every single panel of it. The pace is great, and is picking up further and marvelously. As far as the word balloons pointing at the wrong character, I haven't seen any example of it. If anyone could point it to me, I'd be happy to retract. I certainly have seen the transparent text boxes, though, and found them truly innovative. As the older Dika talks about her past, her words come through and blend with the story as if it was happening at the present time. So it makes sense that Dika's words from the future are transparent, while her words in the 'present' are solid. I didn't have any trouble reading the transparent text, and found it quite an invention. Lastly, it seems to me that the reviewer has a problem with the sex scenes not being enough or not enough explicit. She claims that the story 'is really quite tame for today's standards'. Now, of course I can be wrong, but I guess her today's standards are The L Word and the like. A hint of it comes from her mention of HOM as 'one of earliest lesbian soap operas'. Whether Ms. Harrison's intent was to come up with a soap opera or not, I take a little offense on her behalf. I have nothing against soap operas, as long as nobody forces me to watch them. I had to watch The L Word for research, and was very glad I was able to let go of that research. The sex scenes are on the soft porn side, and I'm glad someone enjoys them. I do enjoy sex scenes, but my real thrill is when they happen in my own bedroom. So, I truly am not interested in today's standards, rather, I am very much interested in a compelling story that has substance. I guess my point is: HOM is NOT a soap opera, so it doesn't need to conform to 'today's standards' (of soap operas). It's a story that goes beyond ancient Greece. Dragonrider has it all down in her/his review, and got it perfect. Em hotep (which is Egyptian, but, oh well). August 25, 2008 6:42 PM --pinkkryptonite.com/2008/08/the_quality_of_sappho_is_not_h.html#comments