When the Gods Are Away

By Robert E. Harpold

It is Blasphemer's Week, an annual period during which the gods vacation at Mount Olympus and ignore the inconsequential mortals, and it always begins with blood. The first victim is a former police officer getting butter from his fridge. Virgil Glezos, the city-state's first detective on his first case, must track the killer by inventing his own techniques combining magic and technology. He is aided by a professional dance choreographer, a biowarfare expert who doesn't want to be there, two police officers who hate him, and a priest who might or might not be incompetent and who might or might not be trying to kill him. Virgil uncovers something deeper than a single murder, and he is the wrong person at the right time to stop it.

When the Gods Are Away has a similar style to Snowcrash by Neal Stephenson, American Gods by Neil Gaiman, and the movie Bubba Ho-Tep. It is Robert E. Harpold's first novel.

Cover by Amanda Fox.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B09S8YND7Q
• ISBN13: 9798985351309
• Release Date: February 2022
• Publisher: Robert E. Harpold
• Length: 468 Pages
• Weight: 0.78 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 4.0" x 7.0"