Scion: Tales of Heroes

The daughters and sons of the gods walk our world, perform heroic deeds and stand against the titans - this is the core theme of the role-playing game Scion. Appropriately titled Tales of Heroes, 15 short stories in this anthology provide insights into the game world and its characters - in this case, still at the more moderate hero level that the game has to offer. For example, a son of Loki seeks an ally to foil a plan involving dangerous flowers from the Aztec underworld. Then again, the rivalry between two young scions on social media escalates from a catfight to a full-fledged confrontation. In another story, two scions must rise above themselves to stop a tangible titanic threat. Many of the stories occur in our world, but some turn to mythological realms - sometimes the Asian underworld, sometimes the world of the Orisha and Loa, sometimes even Hades. The heroes all have unique abilities and often heroic ambitions, but they are also often plagued by doubts, human weaknesses, or problems, making them more tangible. The spectrum of stories is broad, ranging from the relatively 'simple hero must face and defeat monsters' to somewhat ironic reflections at a convention to the doubts and sacrifices of the heroes that emphasize the inner plot. When an annoyed pregnant woman turns out to be a scion of Set, that inner stress even breaks its way out at times...

My favorite story was The Bacchae, in which a female scion of Dionysus wanders the nightlife of London with her entourage of maenads. The party atmosphere is soon overshadowed by much darker things...

For Scion, Tales of Heroes provides a range of well-written stories that give insight into the game world and can also be used for ideas for characters or scenes in the game. Of course, without knowing the role-playing game, the world presented here may lack some context, but even then, Tales of Heroes can entertain, so this anthology is clearly recommended, in my view.

(Björn Lippold)

Scion: Tales of Heroes - A Scion Anthology is a collection of stories set in the World of Scion 2nd Edition. The tales vary from those about to experience their Visitation, Scions learning about themselves, and those doing the most — and in some cases the least — to live up to what they understand their Birthright to be. Each one gives a bit of insight into the World and how the children of the Gods interact with it. They're all good, but there were a couple that really stood out to me.

presented in the order of appearance

Ellis MacArthur Gets in a Fistfight with Gilgamesh by Rai W. Cole is well, the title really explains what happens. The aurthor does an excellent job of portaying life as the child of the Gods in the social media age.

Unconventional by Erykah Fassestt tells a relateable tale of someone attending their first convention, but in the World the biggest fandom conventions are for Scions.

Serpents and Blood by Elizabeth Chaipraditkul had me on the edge of my seat from start to finish.

Extra shout outs Steffie da Vaan for writing Cerberus in a way that is both terrifying and makes me want to give him pets. Peter Woodworth for pointing out the weirdness of Western Massachusettes. As someone who grew up in the 413 area code I appreciate it.

If you're a Scion fan I highly recommend this book.